Tottenham Hotspur ended a woeful run of seven Premier League home games without a victory by beating Manchester United 1-0. The result also represented a third defeat of the season to Spurs for United, for the first time since 2012/13.
Both teams lacking in form, and mired in the bottom half of the table, created early chances. Spurs also welcomed back the goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, whose saves from Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho were followed by a cleared effort from Diogo Dalot off the line courtesy of Ben Davies.
Moments later, Tottenham struck, André Onana parrying a shot by Lucas Bergvall into the path of James Maddison, who put the ball in the net for his first goal in 11 games against United.
United sought the equaliser, but Joshua Zirkzee and Garnacho wasted opportunities. Mathys Tel failed to convert an opportunity to double the advantage before the break. United’s best spell came in the second half, although Vicario thwarted Garnacho twice. Zirkzee’s late header went wide, putting the seal on another frustrating afternoon for Ruben Amorim’s side, which fell to 15th.
The victory lifts Spurs into 12th and ends a seven-game league rut, which will come as a huge relief for Ange Postecoglou’s side.