For Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy, the relief was palpable. On the same day that Tottenham fans had gathered to voice displeasure at their chairman, a first‑half goal from James Maddison ensured it was Manchester United who ended the battle of the Premier League’s crisis clubs with a 12th league defeat of the campaign.
Rarely can a match between two sides that started the day in 14th and 15th positions in the table have garnered so much attention. But while Postecoglou was at last able to call on some experience off the bench to see out this vital victory as his side moved up to the dizzy heights of 12th, by contrast United had to rely on the ageing Casemiro and a bench full of teenagers in a match that reflected the situation Ruben Amorim has inherited. Yet had Alejandro Garnacho remembered to pack his shooting boots then this could have been a very different story, with Guglielmo Vicario producing a stunning save on his return from injury to keep Spurs ahead in the second half.
