It’s finally here! The new football season kicks off this Saturday and what a better way to start the 2015/16 campaign than with Manchester United hosting Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. There will be plenty of anticipation ahead of the opening fixture, fans will be eager to see the new signings in action and how Louis van Gaal’s side lines up.
United have enjoyed some thrilling encounters against Tottenham over the years, who can forget the incredible comeback of September 2001 when David Beckham capped off a 5-3 victory with the team having been 3-0 down at half-time. History almost repeated itself in April 2009 when United came from 2-0 down at Old Trafford to storm to a 5-2 win.
Manchester United 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur (15/03/2015)
Whilst not as dramatic as the 5-2 thrashing United handed out to a visiting Tottenham Hotspur in 2009, this 3-0 win was undoubtedly as important to the club. There were grave doubts regarding United’s ability to beat Spurs and secure a top four spot in the Premier League table.
It was in this match which we arguably saw the Manchester United of Louis van Gaal click into gear and turn in a performance befitting of the shirt, one deserving the recognition of famous wins of the past.
Van Gaal’s side produced an outstanding display of attacking football as they ripped into Spurs and blew them away in the first half. Marouane Fellaini completed his remarkable renaissance with a well-taken opening goal before Michael Carrick headed home a second against his former club.
Wayne Rooney capitalised on some slack passing from the Spurs defence with a fine individual effort matched only by his comical boxing celebration. United strolled to the win in the second half and the game featured plenty of positives for the manager. Juan Mata, in an unorthodox role out wide, produced a masterclass in passing and movement and Ander Herrera was an outstanding presence in the centre of midfield.
Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester United (28/12/2014)
A goalless draw at White Hart Lane isn’t necessarily a poor result but United came away from this particular result regretting a host of missed chances that could and should have secured them three huge points.
United dominated the first half, Juan Mata seeing a free-kick deflected onto the post and van Gaal’s side found Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in fine form as the Frenchman denied Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao.
David de Gea was rarely troubled which was a measure of United’s command of the match but it counted for little at the final whistle as Louis van Gaal viewed the result as two points dropped rather than one gained.
Manchester United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (01/01/2014)
This result was typical of the ill-fated David Moyes era at Manchester United. A slightly unfortunate home defeat which underlined the diminishing ability of a squad that eight months previously were celebrated champions.
United fell to seventh place in the table, their eventual position, as 2014 began as it would generally finish- as a year to forget for Manchester United supporters. Tottenham had in fact won at Old Trafford the previous season but this particular result confirmed that the famous ‘Theatre of Dreams’ had lost its fear factor.
Christian Eriksen and Emmanuel Adebayor goals gave Tim Sherwood’s side an impressive win although they had to survive a frantic finish after Danny Welbeck pulled a goal back for United. Javier Hernandez, Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic all came close before Ashley Young was controversially denied a penalty after Lloris collided with him. In the end though Spurs saw the result through.
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester United (01/12/2013)
A month earlier United did manage to secure a point against Tottenham, on this occasion sharing the spoils at White Hart Lane.
Two Wayne Rooney strikes twice got United back on level terms to earn a hard-fought point. Defensive mistakes were paid for, especially for the opening Spurs goal, the wall allowing Kyle Walker’s free-kick to go underneath them and past an-unsighted David de Gea.
Admittedly, there was little to be done with Sandro’s spectacular effort, but United could be thankful for their goalkeeper, who kept them in the match. However, Rooney should have completed his hat-trick meaning a draw was probably a fair result.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Manchester United (20/01/2013)
So often the producers of late, late winners and comebacks, United were on the receiving end for once. Clint Dempsey smashed home a dramatic equaliser in added time to deny Sir Alex Ferguson’s side the three points.
In fairness, it was a deserved point for Spurs who had twenty-five shots on goal but found David de Gea in imperious form. Though it could be argued that the Spanish goalkeeper was at fault for the equaliser, he produced a number of saves to preserve United’s narrow lead.
Robin van Persie had headed United into the lead with his 22nd goal of what was an extraordinary debut season. Although the three points evaded Ferguson’s team that day, they were celebrating a record 20th league title at the end of the campaign.
