As Tottenham celebrated their dramatic Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United, Son Heung-min’s corner proved decisive in securing a 4-3 victory.
Manager Ange Postecoglou expressed pride in his injury-hit side’s resilience despite near-collapse after leading 3-0. Mistakes from goalkeeper Fraser Forster, under pressure while playing out from the back, allowed United to claw back into contention. Tottenham advanced to face Liverpool in the semi-finals, with standout performances like 18-year-old Archie Gray helping offset defensive frailties.
Despite a potential collapse, Tottenham displayed resilience without 10 key players. “This group is doing an unbelievable job to get us through,” said Postecoglou, expressing pride in their effort despite making the game harder than necessary. Fielding his strongest available side amid injuries, Spurs found a way past Manchester United, whose manager Ruben Amorim left Rashford out again.
Goalkeeping errors defined the match, with Spurs’ Fraser Forster and United’s Altay Bayindir both at fault for crucial goals.
Son Heung-min’s decisive strike ended United’s comeback hopes.
Amorim’s team began gaining momentum before halftime, but just 46 seconds after the restart, United faltered and unraveled. “We disconnected for eight minutes.
It was hard to recover,” Amorim remarked, though he dismissed claims of chaos, asserting his side maintained control for most of the match.
During that brief lapse, Spurs struck twice. Dejan Kulusevski doubled the lead following James Maddison’s quick build-up, while Dominic Solanke capitalized on defensive lapses, slipping through Lisandro Martinez and Jonny Evans to extend Tottenham’s advantage.
This tie was decided by sharpness and hesitation from the start. Amorim was slow with substitutions, as United’s Kobbie Mainoo, Diallo, and Zirkzee were still preparing to come on when Solanke scored Tottenham’s third.
Bayindir’s weak parry set up Solanke, exposing United’s defensive sluggishness. Although Forster’s errors gave United hope, Bayindir’s misstep on Son’s corner sealed their fate.
Late defensive lapses and an unnecessary cross from Tottenham further fueled a chaotic game.
Both managers ended the dramatic encounter with a sense of humor, laughing it off at full-time.