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Ferguson's famous speech quickly became part of Premier League history but it left two Man Utd stars in disagreement

Manchester United legends Roy Keane and Paul Scholes have disagreed on whether Sir Alex Ferguson's famous 'It's Tottenham' speech was necessary. As the two Premier League giants prepare to face each other on Saturday afternoon, fans may well be reminded of the speech Ferguson made during the fixture in 2001.

Both Keane and Scholes played in the iconic match where the Red Devils found themselves 3-0 down at halftime to Spurs in a shocking turn of events. When Ferguson came into the dressing room, he reportedly said simply: "Lads, it's Tottenham."

United came back in the second-half and won 5-3 so the short but sweet team talk definitely worked. However, Scholes didn't feel like it was fair for the legendary manager to discredit their opponents the way he did.

Speaking before Spurs' 1-0 win over United in the Europa League final in May, the former midfielder told TNT Sports: "I think it’s a bit derogatory to speak about such a great football club like that.

"We knew that most of the time we had the beating of Tottenham. We were always confident against them. I know there’s a lot said of, ‘It’s only Tottenham’ and that should be enough to win a game. But it isn’t. You’re playing against a very good team of footballers.

"They’ve had the upper hand against United, we’ve lost the last three. It’s not quite ‘just Tottenham’ any more."

Scholes was right not to underestimate Spurs that night as United watched on as Ange Postecoglou's side lift their first European troph since 1984. However, not everyone felt that Ferguson's words weren't the right fit for Spurs back in 2001.

Former club captain Keane was full of praise for Ferguson's words at the time, claiming the Scot knew exactly what the team needed to hear. Speaking at an event for his book, The Second Half, he said: "I played under good managers, bad managers.

"The top managers get a feel for the group, they know what you need. Whatever Alex Ferguson’s strengths and weaknesses, that was by far his biggest strength."

Highlighting the famous speech, Keane added: "It was Tottenham at home. I thought, ‘please don’t go on about Tottenham, we all know what Tottenham is about, they are nice and tidy but we’ll f****** do them’.

“He came in and said: ‘Lads, it’s Tottenham.’ And that was it. Brilliant. It could have been a European semi-final, it could have been Leeds away, it could have been a home League Cup tie – Alex Ferguson always had a feel of the group."

While both ex-Premier League stars disagreed over Ferguson's iconic speech, they'll both be rooting for United to get a priceless away win against Spurs this weekend.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are due to face off in the Premier League on Saturday and one particular reunion will be at the centre of the top-flight clash

Tottenham's Premier League meeting with Manchester United this weekend will see manager Thomas Frank reunited with Bryan Mbeumo for the first time since the two men took different paths over the summer. Frank explored a move for Mbeumo after replacing Ange Postecoglou at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only for the Cameroon star to opt for United.

Last season, Frank and Mbeumo were two big factors as former club Brentford finished 10th in the league. Mbeumo top-scored with 20 goals, the best single-season return of his career, while Frank shook off the loss of Ivan Toney to secure a comfortable mid-table finish.

Since moving to Old Trafford for up to £71million including add-ons, Mbeumo has established himself as a regular threat. He has five goals from 11 appearances in all competitions, four of those in the league, and his former boss Frank isn't surprised.

"Of course I'll step out of my role at Tottenham. When you work with a player for six years, you get a close relationship," the Danish coach said.. "To see him develop from being a young man, 19-year-old when he moved to London and Brentford and left six years later, going into one of the biggest clubs in the world with all that focus and the way he stepped up.

"For me, looking from the outside, maybe a little bit biased, I think he's been their best offensive player. He can create, he can score, he works hard, he's a team player. He's the perfect example, in my opinion, for a player what I call about attitude, confident but humble. He's a top player."

Mbeumo goes into Saturday's match fresh from winning the Premier League's Player of the Month award for October. He is United's first recipient of the award since Bruno Fernandes in March, and the first Cameroonian to win it since Joel Matip of Liverpool back in 2022.

This weekend marks the first meeting between United and Spurs since the Europa League final in May. On that occasion, Spurs came out 1-0 winners to secure Champions League qualification while ensuring their opponents have no European football this term.

"We have different characteristics in our team but we also have a lot of players that played last year. So we are a better team, we play better, we understand the game better," United boss Ruben Amorim told reporters when asked about what has changed since that final.

"I think we are more confident. We reached that final confident that we could win because we were doing well in Europe, but in this moment we play with a different confidence.

"We managed better the moments of the game, but if you remember that game they had that [one] shot on the goal, they won the game. I expect a different game, that we can play better but also to have a little bit of luck to help us win the game.”

Manchester United were beaten by Tottenham in the Europa League final last season and Leny Yoro says the Red Devils can look to put that result behind them this weekend

Leny Yoro believes Manchester United's clash with Tottenham offers them a chance to right the wrongs of their Europa League final defeat. Despite Ruben Amorim guiding United to a catastrophic 15th-place Premier League finish last term, the Red Devils battled through to the Europa League final and stood on the brink of silverware against Spurs.

Tottenham had not lifted a trophy since 2008, but they ground out a scrappy 1-0 victory at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. The defeat condemned United to missing out on European football for just the second occasion since English sides returned to UEFA competitions following a five-year exile in 1990.

This weekend marks the first meeting between the sides since that painful night in Spain. Yoro said: "I think the team now is in good momentum.

"We drew the last game, but before this we won, I think, three games in a row. We know we can do better than last game, but we're still in good momentum.

"We're still confident. Like you said, this game against Tottenham will be important for us to go into the international break with three points. This is going to help us to be in the top of the league, so we need to win this game."

When asked about seeking revenge, he responded: "Yes, everyone knows what happened in the final, so I think this game can be a good game for us to prove that maybe the final can have another result. Every game is important for us. This one is not more important than the other one, but we want to win every game."

He added: "Yes, it was important for us, I think, for Champions League next year, so this year, but now we cannot change nothing. We have one game a week now.

"So I think it helped us a little bit to work more on the things that were not good last year. We have more time to work now, but of course everyone wants to play Champions League, so this final is important for us, so this year we need to do better.

"We are the same team, so I'm not going to say we're a better team, but we can see on the result that there are some things we do better. Of course, we had some new players.

"And they give everything they have to help us to be better also. We're the same team, but with a different spirit sometimes, I think, and with more work time."

Following their Europa League triumph, Ange Postecoglou was dismissed as Tottenham manager despite the silverware, after a disastrous 17th-place Premier League finish saw the club turn to Thomas Frank as his successor.

Spurs currently occupy sixth spot in the table and delivered an impressive 4-0 victory against Copenhagen in their midweek Champions League fixture.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's company Ineos have reportedly come to a settlement with Tottenham Hotspur, after the latter filed a legal challenge against the company

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's firm, Ineos, has reportedly agreed to cough up over £11million to swiftly settle a lawsuit with Tottenham Hotspur. The company, owned by the Manchester United co-owner, was accused of breaching a five-year minimum contract worth £17.5m that allowed Tottenham to promote the firm's Grenadier as the club's "official 4X4 vehicle partner."

The deal was thought to have been inked in 2022, but Ineos had been partnered with Spurs since they were dubbed the club's "official hand-sanitiser supplier" during the Covid-19 outbreak. Tottenham called time on their deal with Ratcliffe's company in March and initiated legal proceedings three months later.

They claim an annual instalment exceeding £5m was not paid on December 1, having already allegedly missed an inflation-related payment of around £500,000.

According to the Telegraph, the total sum paid to Spurs remains under wraps, but a source close to the matter suggested the agreed amount was about half what the north Londoners were seeking. Furthermore Spurs were after nearly £5.3m in damages when the deal was terminated with more than two years left on the clock. Shortly thereafter, Ineos hit back by counter-suing Spurs for over £1m.

They pointed the finger at the north Londoners for engaging in sponsorship talks with Audi, which were tied to Harry Kane's potential transfer to Bayern Munich. Ineos stated: "On or around 3 August 2023 (i.e. early in contract year two), Todd Kline of the club indicated to Ashley Reed of Ineos that the club had been in discussions with the German car manufacturer Audi AG in connection with rights which were the same as, or substantially similar to, the rights granted to Ineos under the agreement and/or the club had been negotiating with Audi in respect of rights which were exclusive to Ineos under clause 4 of the agreement.

"According to Mr Kline, the discussions and/or negotiations related to a proposed transfer of the club's player Harry Kane to the German club FC Bayern Munich."

Ineos' defence also claimed the commercial partnership had "not materialised" before stating "this sequence of events ultimately resulted in the parties agreeing that Ineos could terminate the agreement with effect from the end of year three of the contract term”

They firmly stated: "In the circumstances, it is the club which owes Ineos more than £1m for failing to provide any rights to Ineos in the final part of year three."

Spurs acknowledged holding commercial discussions with Audi, but rejected suggestions these talks gave Ineos the right to terminate their agreement, given that Tottenham never finalised a deal with the German car manufacturer. Tottenham maintain the arrangement with Ineos "involved annual payments starting at £2.125m in year one and increasing to £4.6m in year five, all plus VAT and index-linked to the rate of inflation" and that they would be pursuing interest "further or other relief as the court thinks fit".

At the time, an Ineos spokesperson said: "Ineos Automotive was a partner of Tottenham Hotspur from 2022, expanding on a partnership agreement that Ineos Group had in place with the club since 2020. We had a contractual right to terminate our partnership contract and in December 2024 exercised that right."

Ineos have severed links with numerous major sports teams they had been backing. They have already ended partnerships with Ben Ainslie's sailing squad and the New Zealand All Blacks rugby union side.

In February, the Telegraph also reported the latter were launching legal action, claiming their agreement, which was expected to run until 2027, was terminated prematurely, despite a contract being in place.

Ineos have argued they have been compelled into cost-cutting due to "extreme" green carbon taxes in Europe. Ratcliffe has pointed the finger at escalating energy prices and taxes as the reasoning behind the firm's decision to shut down their synthetic ethanol plant in Grangemouth, Scotland. This move resulted in the loss of 80 direct roles and an additional 500 indirect jobs.

Arsenal are one of three clubs with a 100% record in the Champions League, but London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotsput are not faring as well in the competition

Arsenal could gain an advantage in the Premier League title race due to the Champions League campaigns that London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are currently embarking on . The Gunners are one of only three clubs boasting a 100% record in the league phase, alongside Bayern Munich and Inter, but their counterparts from the capital are not faring quite as well.

Spurs remain unbeaten in this season's competition, along with Manchester City and the trio mentioned above. However, they have drawn both of their away matches so far, 2-2 with Bodo/Glimt and 0-0 against Monaco.

Having won both of their home matches, 1-0 over Villarreal and 4-0 versus Copenhagen, Spurs sit 10th in the table. Just a point and two places behind them are Chelsea.

Like Tottenham, the Blues have a flawless home record, having defeated Benfica 1-0 and Ajax 5-1. However, they have yet to secure a win on the road, as Bayern triumphed 3-1 in Munich, while Chelsea had to rally to draw 2-2 with Qarabag in their last outing.

At the halfway point of the league phase, both clubs occupy play-off spots for the knockout phase, albeit as seeded sides. If they remain between ninth and 24th place, they will face a two-legged tie in February, much like City did last season.

Coincidentally, that is the same month Arsenal face both teams for the final time this season. They will travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the weekend of February 21 before welcoming Chelsea the following week.

The first leg of the knockout phase play-offs kick off in the week starting February 16, just days before Spurs host the Gunners. The second legs are scheduled for the following week, beginning February 23.

According to Opta Analyst, Chelsea have a nearly 69% chance of being in the knockout phase play-offs, while Tottenham's odds stand at slightly over 71%. Arsenal, on the other hand, have the slimmest chances, at just under two per cent.

That suggests the Gunners are extremely unlikely to require a play-off. The prospect of their London rivals battling for a spot in the last 16 ahead of their league clashes with them could provide a welcome boost for Arsenal.

Chelsea are due to host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge later this month, before heading to Atalanta in December. They then welcome Pafos in January and wrap up their league phase in Italy against Napoli.

Spurs' next European match is away to Paris Saint-Germain, followed by a home game against Slavia Prague next month. Borussia Dortmund will visit them in the New Year, before they travel to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Arsenal host Bayern before the end of November and then travel to Club Brugge for their final Champions League match of the year. Inter are their first opponents in January, followed by a home game against Kairat.

Manchester United are set for an enthralling clash with Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime with both sides having the opportunity to move into second spot with a win

Former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur striker Teddy Sheringham has dismissed the idea that the Reds could benefit from a tense atmosphere at Spurs' home ground, following the London club's recent defeat to Chelsea. After a 1-0 loss to their city rivals, Tottenham supporters expressed their dissatisfaction with manager Thomas Frank and his team's performance.

However, Tottenham bounced straight back on Tuesday night with a convincing 4-0 victory over FC Copenhagen in the Champions League. Despite that, Sheringham - speaking with Oddspedia - reckons that any notion of United capitalising on a potentially nervous atmosphere in north London is misguided.

Instead, he anticipates a united front from Spurs fans when Ruben Amorim's side visit this weekend. "I was at the Spurs game last night and I was interested to see what the reaction of supporters would be like after the Chelsea game," Sheringham said.

"They were up for it again and Tottenham ended up putting in a good display. It wasn't fantastic - they probably ended up playing better with 10 men than they did with 11 - but I don't think the United game is the type of game for Spurs fans to not appreciate what's going on.

"Everyone loves it when Manchester United come to town and everyone raises their game, so I don't think it's this type of fixture that will be a problem for Thomas Frank. Tottenham will be up for it and so will their supporters - so it will be a fantastic game.

"It's the other games that Tottenham are expected to win - when they're playing against the likes of Brentford at home - where it starts to become a bit sticky." With loyalties split between both clubs, Sheringham is anticipating an entertaining and competitive encounter.

"I was going to say there's goals in it, but Manchester United's defence has tightened up quite a bit recently and Tottenham look solid at the back with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero," he concluded. "I'll go for a 1-1 draw."

Both teams enter the clash level on 17 points and - should there be a victor - they will climb to second place in the Premier League table. However, that could be for a matter of hours.

Micky van de Ven scored a stunner - running from the edge of his own penalty area - on Tuesday night in Tottenham's 4-0 thrashing of Copenhagen

Micky van de Ven claims his decision to walk off the pitch - instead of applauding supporters - after Tottenham's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea was blown out of proportion.

The Dutchman, who netted an incredible solo goal on Tuesday night in Spurs' 4-0 Champions League demolition of Copenhagen, has now put the issue to bed after both he and Djed Spence personally apologised to Thomas Frank unprompted on Sunday.

The 24-year-old said: "To be honest of course it’s the past so I don’t want to make it bigger than it is. Djed [Spence] and I walked [off], we were just frustrated after the game and everything got really exploded to be honest by the media, it was nothing big to be honest.

"Everyone thinks it was the gaffer, there was nothing to do with the gaffer. We were just frustrated after the game because of a bad performance from myself as well.

"We want to play well and I didn’t play well in my opinion so I was just frustrated and I just wanted to go quick inside, as I said it got exploded by the media out of nowhere."

Further goals from Brennan Johnson, who was also sent off, Wilson Odobert and Joao Palhinha saw Tottenham bounce back from last weekend in style as they wiped the floor with their Danish opponents to extend their unbeaten European run.

Still, Van de Ven can understand the frustration amongst supporters following the Chelsea derby defeat and he was more than satisfied with the response from his team-mates.

He added: "Against Chelsea it was really frustrating. We played a derby at home against Chelsea and it’s a massive game for us but also for the fans, we didn’t play really well as a team, it was a bad performance from our side.

"We needed to bounce back in a positive way and I think we did that tonight and I think we did that really well."

Van de Ven said of his goal, which has drawn comparisons to Son Heung-min's Puskas Award winner versus Burnley in December 2019: "I know that goal, it was a good one.

"Today I get the ball in my own box, I see the gap opening every time in front of me when I start dribbling.

"At one point I think some players were around me and I came through and I saw the way was open to the goal so I was like ‘ok I keep going now I need to finish this’. At that point I was saying ‘I need to score this one’. Luckily it happened."

The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after Spurs man Destiny Udogie was allegedly threatened with a gun by a football agent in London on September 6

Tottenham have released a statement confirming that Destiny Udogie was the Premier League footballer allegedly threatened with a gun by a football agent. The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation and the agent in question was arrested in the aftermath of the incident.

Spurs defender Udogie was targeted in London on the night of September 6. Police were called at 11:14pm following reports that a man had been threatened with a firearm.

During the incident, another man is alleged to have been blackmailed and threatened by the same individual. No injuries were reported in either incident.

The agent was arrested two days later on suspicion of possessing firearms with intent, blackmail and driving without a licence. Tottenham have now confirmed that Udogie, 22, was at the centre of the incident which sources described as terrifying.

A spokesperson for the club said: "We have been providing support for Destiny and his family since the incident and will continue to do so. Given this is a legal matter, we cannot comment any further."

Udogie is an Italy international who joined Spurs in August 2022. Tottenham agreed to pay Serie A side Udinese an initial £15million plus performance-related add-ons for his services.

Since signing for Tottenham, the left-back has made 75 appearances. Udogie started Tuesday's Champions League clash with Danish giants Copenhagen at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He played 73 minutes before before being substituted by manager Thomas Frank. Despite being reduced to 10 men in the second half, Spurs won 4-0 thanks to goals from Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Micky van de Ven and Joao Palhinha.

Their next game is at home to Manchester United on Saturday, kick-off 12:30pm. It remains to be seen whether Udogie will start, with Djed Spence having replaced him for the closing stages against Copenhagen.

Udogie was part of the Tottenham side that won the Europa League in May. It ended a run of 17 years without a trophy for the North Londoners.

In addition to starring for Tottenham, Udogie has won 12 caps for his country at senior level. Born in Italy, Udogie is of Nigerian descent.

TOTTENHAM 4-0 COPENHAGEN: Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven scored a memorable goal as he charged from his own box to slot home at the other end

Micky van de Ven led Tottenham's charge to redemption - from the edge of his own box - as 10-man Spurs blew away the cobwebs to record their biggest win yet under Thomas Frank. As far as responses go, this pulsating rout was the perfect way to lift a deflated dressing room and disgruntled fan base, though Brennan Johnson's needless second-half red card did provide a brief scare and another reminder that nothing ever comes easy when Spurs are concerned. The Welshman had slotted the opener before Wilson Odobert doubled the hosts' advantage just after the interval and then Van de Ven took centre stage - serving up arguably the best goal the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has ever seen. Given Son Heung-min was once crowned the winner of the FIFA Puskas Award for his stunning solo effort against Burnley in December 2019, that is saying something.

But Van de Ven went one better than his former team-mate, driving his way up the pitch from the edge of his own penalty area before slamming home his sixth of the season in all competitions. On Sunday, he'd sheepishly knocked on Frank's office door to apologise for his post-match actions against Chelsea, when he appeared to snub the Dane before storming off down the tunnel alongside fellow defender Djed Spence. There was no better way to put the matter to bed and you could forgive Frank for grimacing as his imperious centre-back channelled his inner Gareth Bale because not only were Tottenham a man down but Van de Ven ran so fast, you feared for his hamstrings. Three minutes later, Joao Palhinha also notched the fourth from the bench as Spurs appeared to feed off the infectious energy created in the stands.

After struggling to open up Chelsea three days ago, Tottenham cut through Copenhagen like a hot knife through butter for the opener on 20 minutes. Xavi Simons, who was subbed on then off to cap a dismal evening against the Blues, registered his first Spurs assist from open play, threading Brennan Johnson in behind. The Welshman still had plenty of work to do, however, first rounding Copenhagen goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski confidently before applying a clinical finish from a notably tight angle. Thomas Frank's celebration was muted and that was soon vindicated because Tottenham were incredibly wasteful in the final third as they attempted to pick Copenhagen off. Paris Saint-Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani showed flashes of promise but lacked cutting edge in the penalty box as Spurs pushed for a second. First he squandered a golden opportunity from close range following a slick, fluid move involving Odobert and Simons.

Somehow the Frenchman missed the target altogether before Simons displayed his creativity once again, this time sending in a luscious twirling cross that was nodded over by Kolo Muani. The World Cup runner-up did display an immaculate touch before teeing up Odobert for the second and Johnson was then dismissed for a horror lunge on Marcos Lopez as he became the first British player to score and be sent off in a Champions League match. Remarkably, it did not startle Spurs and only spurred them on as Van de Ven and Palhinha put the game to bed. Richarlison also squandered a late penalty won by youngster Dane Scarlett as the Brazilian rattled the crossbar for the second time on an otherwise thrilling night.

Enzo Maresca has been in charge of Chelsea for just over a year and has already been compared to some of the best coaches in the world by Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher has praised 'top level' Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, placing him in the same league as Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot.

Carragher was analysing Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday and looked at how the Blues successfully transitioned from defence to attack. After criticising Tottenham's "passive" and defensive approach, Carragher chose to spotlight Maresca's successful coaching of Chelsea, enabling them to control matches when they have the ball.

"I'll tell you a manager who can coach this, and that is Enzo Maresca. We've seen this a lot from Chelsea since he came in, it's nothing new," Carragher told Sky Sports.

"What you see in terms of rotations is: you've got a central midfield player in Reece James, now part of a back three in the middle there, splitting the centre backs.

"You've got your right back [Malo Gusto] - at times you see it with the left back, Cucurella. He's taking up almost right-sided attacking midfield positions. And you've got [Enzo] Fernandez, who spent a lot of time in the game in this [attacking] role, at times pulling wide, but he was also pulling [Joao] Palhinha onto the last line.

"Now what happens: the ball comes in to Joao Pedro, and what you've got now is, that's your centre forward [deep], and your right back is your highest player on the attacking line.

"So when you talk about rotations, this is what the managers at the really top level can do. Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot, Mikel Arteta, Enzo Maresca. They can coach the rotations and the movements."

Despite Chelsea's slender one-goal victory, the scoreline masked their dominance over Tottenham. The Blues generated an impressive expected goals (xG) figure of 3.69, while Spurs managed just 0.11.

Maresca's team enjoyed greater possession, registered more attempts, forced more saves and carved out more clear-cut opportunities than their rivals. It represented total control throughout the 90 minutes.

Speaking after the final whistle, Maresca said: "I'm happy with the one-nil and with the three points, especially because we kept the clean sheet that I think it's something that we need for the future. We knew that we are a team that, at the end, we are going to score goals, but we need to do better defensively.

"The performance was very good, on the ball and off the ball. For sure, the way we tried to press was very important, but I also think that our game against Liverpool off the ball was (a) top game - was very good.

"And you need that. You need that if you want to be close to the top - you need to be defensively solid. As I said, we know that almost always we score goals, but we need also to try to concede less goals."

The result leaves Chelsea in seventh position in the Premier League table, but draws them level on points with Tottenham in sixth place. Both teams have 17 points from their opening 10 games, with the gap to leaders Arsenal at eight points.