Tottenham survive Man Utd comeback to reach Carabao Cup semi-final in chaotic tie
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Tottenham’s fans were protesting against their club’s owner once again, but no-one could complain about the entertainment on show as Spurs and Manchester United fought out a frenetic, topsy-turvy Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The progression of Tottenham into the semi-finals was in the balance until the eighth minute of stoppage time, as both sides played their part in a hugely entertaining game, in which goalkeepers Fraser Forster and Altay Bayandir made errors leading to four of the seven goals.
The Carabao Cup semi-finals draw took place after the game live on Sky Sports. Arsenal will be at home for their first leg against Newcastle while Tottenham have home advantage when they face Liverpool. The games will take place across two legs across the week commencing January 2 2025 and February 3. The final will take place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday March 16.
Spurs had raced intro a 3-0 lead inside an hour, but two Forster howlers in the space of three minutes gave Ruben Amorim’s side hope. Heung Min Son then scored directly from a corner kick, before Jopnny Evans reduced the deficit once again in the 96 minute of a crazy game.
It had started relatively serenely. Dominic Solanke’s opening goal came from an intricate set-piece routine that looked to have gone wrong. After James Maddison was fouled 25 yards from goal, he played a short free-kick to Son, who dithered before playing the ball square eventually to Pedro Porro 20 yards from goal. The Spaniard’s shot was firm and swerved slightly, catching out Bayandir, United’s Carabao Cup goalkeeper, who could only parry the ball to Solanke, who pounced to clip a neat half-volley inside the near post.
It was a fair reward for Tottenham’s fast start to the game, but United grew into the game, roared on by their noisy travelling support, making the most of double this competition’s allocation of away fans compared with the Premier League.
Almost 6,000 Reds witnessed their side play with plenty of endeavour, and put together some slick passing moves orchestrated by Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen. The Dane, given a warm welcome back to the club where he made his name, went closest to scoring for United in the first-half with a free-kick on to the roof of Fraser Forster’s net.
He also had a shot blocked in front of goal by Yves Bissouma as United struggled to test Forster in the opening hour.
Fernandes shot wide of the far post twice, Rasmus Hojlund volleyed horribly wide, and Noussair Mazraoui scooped a shot tamely at Forster.
Spurs, on the other hand, should have led by more at the break. Kulusevski had a powerful angled drive well saved by Baynindir, Son curled a shot just wide, and then Manuel Ugarte went close to scoring an own goal.
Spurs doubled their lead a minute after the restart when Kulusevski scored. Son and Maddison combined on the left, and when the latter’s cross was blocked by Lisandro Martinez, the ball fell kindly for the Swede to drill it past Bayandir from ten yards.
Within ten minutes Solanke scored again to put Spurs 3-0 ahead and looking to be through to the semi-finals. The England forward finished superbly after running on to a long ball from Djed Spence. He drew two defenders Mazrtinez and Jonny Evans before drilling a low shot past Bayandir.
That should have been game over, but Amorim had other ideas and went for broke, sending on three attacking substitutes in Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee. The latter pulled one goal back when Forster underhit a short pass to Radu Dragusin, allowing Fernandes to nick the ball and cross for Zirkzee to tap in from close range.
Worse was to follow from the Spurs keeper three minutes later. An innocuous back pass from arrived at his feet with plenty of time to play the ball, but he delayed his clearance and allowed Amad to slide in and divert the ball over the line.
From coasting at 3-0 ,Tottenham were suddenly under the cosh and the shift in momentum was obvious,. Forster looked a bundle of nerves with the ball at his feet, and when Amad fired in a long shot, he kicked the ball away wildly rather than try to use his hands.
Amad, United’s game-changer in their win at Manchester City on Sunday, shot just over the bar, and Spurs were hanging on to their slender lead desperately. Then with two minutes of normal time remaining, Son won a corner on the left, took it himself and swung the ball straight into the far corner of goal. Bayindir flapped at the ball as it sailed over his head, and complained bitterly he had been barged by Lucas Bergvall, but with no VAR in operation at this stage of the competition, referee John Brooke’s decision was unchanged.
It was not all over, as Evans headed in from a corner, but a minute later Brookes signalled the end of a game.
: Forster 5; Porro 7, Dragusin 6, Gray 7, Spence 8; Sarr 7; Bissouma 7, Maddison 7; Kulusevski 8, Solanke 7, Son 7
: Bayindir 5, Yorro 6, Lindelof 6, Martinez 6; Mazraoui 6, Fernandes 7, Ugarte 6, Eriksen 7, Dalot 6; Antony 4, Hojlund 4
John Brookes 8
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