Manchester United’s journey in the English League Cup ended in the quarter-finals on Thursday following a thrilling 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on their home turf.
Tottenham’s victory was sealed with goals from Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke (who netted twice), and Heung-Min Son, finding the back of the net in the 15th, 46th, 54th, and 88th minutes.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s fightback came through strikes by Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo, and Jonny Evans, scoring in the 63rd, 70th, and stoppage time (90+4) minutes.
The first ten minutes of the match unfolded without any significant threats to either goal. Tottenham eventually broke the deadlock when Heung-Min Son unleashed a powerful shot from distance, but the effort was deflected by a defender and went wide. Shortly after, United’s goalkeeper Binder denied a fierce strike from outside the penalty area. However, the rebound fell to Dominic Solanke, who struck it directly off the post and into the net, giving Spurs an early lead.
United responded with determined pressure after falling behind. Christian Eriksen spearheaded their efforts, unleashing a powerful shot that was blocked by the defence. He also attempted a direct free kick, but it sailed over the crossbar. Meanwhile, Binder kept Tottenham from doubling their advantage with a brilliant save, denying Dejan Kulusevski’s left-footed shot inside the penalty area.
Manchester United continued their push for an equalizer. Rasmus Højlund fired a shot from outside the box, but it lacked accuracy and drifted wide. Lisandro Martínez followed up with a chance inside Tottenham’s penalty area but also missed the target.
United manager Ruben Amorim was forced into an early change before halftime, as Victor Lindelöf left the pitch due to injury. Jonny Evans came on as his replacement, and the first half concluded with Tottenham holding a 1-0 lead.
Tottenham wasted no time asserting their dominance in the second half. Kulusevski capitalized on an errant pass from Martínez inside the penalty area, smashing home a powerful shot to double Spurs’ advantage.
Minutes into the second half, Dominic Solanke latched onto a long through ball from midfield. Racing past United’s defenders, he drove into the penalty area and coolly slotted the ball past Binder into the bottom right corner, extending Tottenham’s lead to 3-0.
Manchester United tried to respond quickly, and substitute Joshua Zirkzee came close with a powerful header aimed at the far left corner, but Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster pulled off a spectacular save to deny him.
However, Forster’s brilliance turned into a calamity when he made a costly mistake, misplacing a pass inside his penalty area. Bruno Fernandes capitalized on the error, swiftly passing to Zirkzee, who tapped the ball into the net to give United their first goal.
Amad Diallo came close to narrowing the deficit further with a precise left-footed shot, but it drifted just wide of the post. Moments later, Forster’s woes continued as he hesitated to clear the ball, allowing Diallo to slide in and deflect it into the net, bringing United within one goal at 3-2.
United kept pushing for an equalizer. Noussair Mazraoui received a perfectly weighted pass inside the Tottenham penalty area and aimed for the far corner, but his effort missed the target. Diallo also tested Forster with a fierce strike from the edge of the box, but the goalkeeper redeemed himself with a vital save using his feet.
Tottenham regained control when Binder failed to deal with a corner delivered by Son Heung-Min. The ball sailed directly into the net, giving Spurs a crucial fourth goal and restoring their two-goal cushion.
In stoppage time, Jonny Evans provided a glimmer of hope for United by heading home a late goal. However, despite the spirited comeback, the Red Devils fell short, succumbing to a 4-3 defeat to Tottenham.
