Tottenham defeated Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday in the clash between Premier League underachievers to deliver yet another poor outcome for manager Ruben Amorim.
Spurs secured their third win against United this season when James Maddison scored on the 13th minute which allowed them to surpass United in the standings for 12th place.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou felt some relief after his team’s victory as they had already exited both domestic cup competitions this month while maintaining a low league position.
United have dropped down to 15th place yet they are 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
Amorim expressed concern about the team’s standing in the league rather than personal worries after losing ten out of 14 Premier League matches since November.
“I hate to lose. That feeling is the worst. The rest I am not thinking about. I recognize my position and responsibilities and remain confident in my work because I am solely focused on securing victories.
Spurs claimed their first home league victory since November as supporters expressed their revolt.
Spurs fans demonstrated their discontent towards owners ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy both before game time and following the match.
Fans displayed a big banner that stated “24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy – Time for change” while many home supporters participated in a protest demanding Levy’s departure.
Postecoglou saw his mood improve before kick-off because many injured first-team regulars returned to play.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario returned to play for the first time since November. The starting line-up featured Maddison while Udogie, Johnson and Odobert remained on the bench.
“They are quality players. Postecoglou shared that their team faced significant challenges during the preceding two-and-a-half-month period. Our team needed to secure a victory to build some momentum.
I believe we have substantial potential in the season’s second half and today marks the beginning of our pursuit of that potential.
United is facing injury complications as both Amad Diallo and Lisandro Martinez will be sidelined throughout the season while Kobbie Mainoo will miss one month of action.
Eight teenage substitutes named by Amorim pushed Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee into starting together upfront because they were left out of United’s previous league game which ended in a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
Hojlund got the first opportunity but sent the shot too close to Vicario who flew to his left to block Alejandro Garnacho’s effort.
Spurs took the lead when Andre Onana deflected Lucas Bergvall’s shot to Maddison who tapped it into an open goal for his 10th goal of the season.
Bruno Fernandes picked out Garnacho for a clear chance against Vicario alone but the United player missed badly to keep his team from equalizing before halftime.
Vicario frustrated Garnacho with yet another excellent save during the second half.
The Dutch international Zirkzee squandered a significant opportunity to equalize when he headed Noussair Mazraoui’s cross wide with the goal open 20 minutes from time.
United’s failure to score goals is hardly unexpected news.
United has scored 28 times in 25 league games this season while only the bottom three teams and Everton have managed fewer goals.
Dejan Kulusevski’s potent strike was deflected by Onana who maintained the visitors’ position in the match. Even though Amorim’s team failed to penetrate Tottenham’s temporary defense formation Postecoglou finally sensed hope.