Cartilage Free Captain

Mystery solved! It’s a slow news day at Tottenham Hotspur-land, as the team spent most of the day flying to and getting settled in Hungary ahead of tomorrow’s Europa League match against Hungarian champions Ferencvaros.

But the big mystery of the day was what the hell was Sergio Reguilon doing on the plane? It caused a bunch of kerfluffled feathers (if I may mix a metaphor? I may!) from stupid people online misreading UEFA regulations and suggesting he had replaced Destiny Udogie in Spurs’ Europa League side (sidenote: he can’t) and getting preemptively mad at Ange Postecoglou on Djed Spence’s behalf.

Well, it turns out that Reggie was there for a good reason, according to Big Ange — he’s a traffic cone. Postecoglou explained in his press conference that Reggie went to Hungary, along with a couple of unnamed academy kids, to fill out the training roster to make sure they had enough bodies. And that’s all it was.

“He’s a Spurs player, mate. I mean, we’ve got a training session so it’s a balance that we need 20 players for training, that’s what we do for match day minus one. It didn’t make sense to bring someone like Radu [Dragusin, suspended] or a couple of guys who have got injuries because we won’t get back until late on Thursday.

“We’ve brought a couple of young guys in. The academy played last night and we didn’t want to disrupt that, but we brought a couple of young guys and Reguilon to make sure our training is really good today. Squad-wise, from the weekend Destiny hasn’t travelled. It’s nothing significant, his injury but again it didn’t make sense to bring him over if he wasn’t going to play. Radu is suspended and Sonny is back in London doing rehab, but the rest of the squad plus the young players have travelled.”

So it’s not a conspiracy, and everyone can put their purple and yellow glasses back in the box. Reggie’s just being a good teammate, and if he can’t (or won’t) play at least he can help train the guys that will.

Elsewhere, Ange said there are no new concerns in the side and that Dominic Solanke is fit and available to play against Ferencvaros, though that doesn’t mean that he will. I’m pretty sure I saw BIG WILLY LANKS in the boarding-the-plane video Spurs posted earlier on social media, and although both Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven made the trip to Hungary, Ange said that it’s very likely that 18-year old Archie Gray will feature somewhere in the back line... even central defender.

“No, I think Archie can play centre-back. He’s obviously played full-back, played midfield, played probably left-back. He’s a pretty versatile player and that’s one of the reasons we were really excited to bring him to the club. He takes in information well and with Radu being suspended and Destiny out, we’ll definitely need him at the back. We’ve got a couple of different options about where we use him, but I’d be comfortable using him in any of those areas.”

Ferencvaros dropped their first match in the Europa League group stage, falling 2-1 at Anderlecht September 25. They currently lead the Hungarian League, which isn’t surprising as they’ve won the league the past five seasons. The match kicks off at 12:45 p.m. ET / 5:45 p.m. BST, and is televised on TNT 1 in the UK. It’s streamed, as usual, on Paramount+ in USA.

good morning everyone and welcome to part two of your special edition Track of the Day. We love Tom Petty here at Hoddle Headquarters, and every year we recognise the anniversary of his death with a special track of the day. Today we have part two:

———-

One of my favourite compilation albums that I own is Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the Live Anthology. The huge collection features The Heartbreakers from theri beginnings up until around the early-2000s.

For those who haven’t seen the accompanying documentary, it is worth the four hours you spend watching it.

There are lots of tremendous live versions to discover in this collection. The songs themselves aren’t necessarily in chronological order, but it’s the shows (lets say American Girl features far later than you’d expect).

For today’s special Track of the Day, we’re going with a song that never appeared on a studio album: Lost Without You.

According to Petty, the band completely improvised this song during their European tour, and this song eventually came out of it. This particular version, from a 1993 show in Florida, had an effect on Petty when he was putting together this collection.

Here is what he had to say about it in the booklet:

“There’s one point where you can hear that there’s somebody out there that it’s hitting so hard, there’s some girl who just starts to scream. It’s almost like church or something. She starts to lose it, and it’s contagious. The audience picks up on it. It’s the kind of thing you just can’t plan.”

It’s a great song. A pretty fun, unexpected one placed just before the greatest version of Refugee I’ve ever heard. And it’s easy to let Refugee overshadow it (because it’s incredible), but this is pretty damn great too.

For those of you who’ve never listened to this one, I suggest giving it a shot. And if you enjoy it, maybe stick around for the rest of the album and documentary.

Rest in peace, king.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Lost Without You, by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

And now for your links:

Jay Harris ($$) on how that win vs Man United was a ‘statement’

Ange Postecoglou’s former club loses 1-7 to Dortmund

Mini EFL Champ roundup:Sunderland top of table after WBA and Blackburn falter

Tottenham Hotspur Women just managed to scrape a point away at Aston Villa in the second match of the WSL season. Robert Vilahamn failed to find the necessary solutions to beat a tricky Villa side, but Beth England saved face at the end with her first goal of the campaign.

Vilahamn, somewhat unsurprisingly, selected an unchanged line-up from last week’s season opener against Crystal Palace. Young fullback Ella Morris was fit enough to make the bench this time, although she did not feature.

High energy moments filled the opening stages of this game, with each team trying to attack quickly. Spurs looked to gain control of the game and play their typical creative possession, but Aston Villa stayed compact and organized and Spurs were largely frustrated in attempts to make inroads. In defense, Spurs looked to be a bit on the backfoot, although enough players always managed to swarm back to clean up Villa’s attacks.

Aston Villa had the better of the early chances, with Rachel Daly putting away an upsettingly gorgeous volley in a (thankfully) offside position. It was Eveliina Summanen who opened the scoring with a well-struck penalty. The penalty itself was maaaaybe a little soft (at least from the angle I saw on Youtube - other people don’t seem to share this feeling with me, so it’s possible I just didn’t see the obvious angle on the broadcast).

In the second half, Spurs seemed increasingly vulnerable to Villa’s many ideas in attack, especially in transition. Villa played through Spurs’ mid block with ease and found tons of space in midfield every time.

Robert Vilahamn did not seem to have a response. At 55 minutes, he subbed off Jess Naz for Beth England and sent Martha Thomas out to the wing. Considering the front line was struggling to get service due to Villa’s success at disrupting play, this really only served to weaken Spurs’ press and open up more space for Villa between the lines. In the 67th minute, Villa made a triple substitution and brought on fresh, quality players in Lucy Staniforth, Katie Robinson, and Adriana Leon, who only strengthened their attack. Vilahamn responded by bringing on Anna Csiki and Olga Ahtinen for Hayley Raso and Drew Spence ten minutes later, but this did little to change the game or our style of play.

In fact, Villa grabbed their equalizer just one minute later, capitalizing on Spurs’ disorganization on a transition. Spurs played the ball back to reset and escape Villa’s competent press, and for a moment, things looked to be under control. But Clare Hunt mislaid a pass to Eveliina Summanen in the center. Ash Neville was still up the pitch as an attacking outlet, and could not get back in time to mark Adriana Leon’s run at the far post. Leon calmly shot past Becky Spencer into the back of the net, leaving Becky crumpled on the ground after an awkward landing and a collision with Molly Bartrip. Confusingly, she remained on the pitch despite being in obvious pain and a seemingly compromised state afterward.

In the closing stages of regular time, Villa resorted to lumping it long to talented targetwoman Rachel Daly in search of a winner. After a few attempts, they found the back of our net in the 88th minute. Rachel Daly ran across the front of the goal unmarked to meet a long ball that Becky Spencer did not collect. It was a real head-scratcher of a goal to concede. Everyone knows what Rachel Daly can do, and she has no business hanging out in front of anyone’s net unmarked.

Villa tried to squander stoppage time at the corner flag, but Spurs managed to string together one last spell of solid possession. Molly Bartrip’s long, diagonal found Amanda Nildén deep in the box. She popped an outstanding one-time cross directly into the path of Beth England, who had found a bit of space between two Villa defenders. Beth made no mistake and dove to head it home. Spurs’ captain looked to be near tears after grabbing her first goal of the season in such dramatic fashion, and I can only hope there will be many more.

There was one final flurry of Villa activity, but in the end Spurs held out for the win. I don’t necessarily think we deserved points from this game given how we failed to control the second half, but it is frustrating that both of Villa’s goals came from switched off moments from Spurs’ defense/keeper. I’m really hoping this isn’t a trend that continues throughout the season.

The striker question

I’m a little bit worried that Vilahamn hasn’t found a solution to Spurs’ striker question yet after basically an entire season. We have three talented players in Jess Naz, Martha Thomas and Beth England. All three offer enormous amounts of quality, but as they’re playing right now, they all have attributes that make them potentially less than ideal fits in a Robert Vilahamn side.

Martha is an excellent presser and has created tons of chances this year, but her end product so far has not been there. She spent most of the Crystal Palace game shooting directly at the keeper, and much of the Villa game knocking shots and crosses into Villa players instead of toward their intended targets.

Martha is a great Vilahamn striker when she’s firing, but her inclusion at striker forces Jess or Beth out onto the wing, which is less than ideal. This season, Vilahamn has chosen to deploy Jess on the left so far this season, which kind of stifles her abilities. She usually finds much more joy through the center, and much of Spurs’ attack has come down the right with Ash Neville and Hayley Raso this season. When it does come down the left, it seems to be Amanda Nildén carrying the ball centrally. None of this leverages what Jess does best, which is make brilliant runs to find space behind teams’ defense and hold off pressure to take good shots.

I don’t begrudge Vilahamn taking Jess off in this game, as she wasn’t able to contribute much–it wasn’t really her fault, as she was playing in a less suitable role, and most of the attacks died before they even reached her. But as I mentioned earlier, the change Vilahamn made weakened Spurs’ press significantly and contributed to Villa’s ability to play through it. Neither Jess nor Beth was getting much service, so this ended up being a net negative.

As you all know, I just adore our captain, Beth England, and her qualities are undeniable. But her pressing just isn’t quite as strong as the others’. She also needs more game time to get back to her best, and I am still waiting to see where that’s going to come from. I’d love to see Vilahamn figure out a way to have Beth on the pitch with a plan in place that gets the most out of the star she is while still allowing the rest of the team to press effectively.

In the end, I’m not sure what’s best. Maybe Martha and Beth will start firing, and maybe Vilahamn will work out how to get Jess playing through the middle more, or how to have the team press with Beth England up top. Whatever happens, it needs to happen sooner rather than later if Vilahamn is going to get the best out of the talent on this team.

Goalkeeper gripes

I’m also quite concerned about our goalkeepers. Becky is still great on the ball and a solid shot stopper, but she’s not quite as brave in collecting crosses and balls into the box as she used to be, and this seems to have gotten even more pronounced this season. She looked quite fragile in this game, down on the ground receiving treatment a few times, and then visibly playing through pain toward the end of the game. I have no idea why Vilahamn didn’t sub her off–does he not trust Katelyn Talbert or Eleanor Heeps? Was he saving them for the cup game? Did Becky insist on staying on the pitch?

We’ve heard that Spurs have a keeper they’d like to sign in January, so this problem may be temporary. But a rickety goalkeeper roster can do a lot of damage in a half-season. Here’s hoping we get to see some of Katelyn Talbert or Eleanor Heeps in the cup tomorrow, and that whoever it is looks decent. Because man, we need some cover at that position.

New signings watch

Maite Oroz was still brilliant, though I’m starting to see why she gets dispossessed so often (hint: it’s because she takes risks). I don’t mind, it’s a fair price to pay for all the quality she brings us on the pitch, and I can’t wait to see what she looks like when she’s fully integrated with the team and up to speed.

Elsewhere, I thought Hayley Raso was fine but not quite as effective as she was against Crystal Palace, and I thought Anna Csiki looked off the pace against a stronger side. Clare Hunt was a bit concerning on the ball, and I thought she had the most blame in Villa’s equalizer. I think both these problems could be solved by (a) more game time for Csiki and improved fitness since she’s coming back from a bad injury, and (b) more game time with the squad/increased gelling for Clare Hunt. Nothing to worry about too much, but I’ll continue to watch as the games come.

What even is Bob Ball???

Most of all, I’m looking to see more from Robert Vilahamn. Spurs won against Crystal Palace on the opening week by having superior individual quality all over the pitch. The same is simply not possible against Aston Villa, a side teeming with individual quality. I would’ve hoped that Robert Vilahamn’s style would elevate the team and create something greater than the sum of its parts. Against Villa, he didn’t do that. It’s early in the season, and last season he seemed to be a manager who prefers to get the basics down before making tweaks, but I felt that our lack of performance in this game largely came down to his failure to manage it.

That said, a point against a really, really solid looking Aston Villa side is nothing to sniff at. It’s still early days, and as the season goes on, I’ll be looking for a more elevated product against comparable teams.

Welcome to October, Tottenham fans! October means the beginning of autumn, and the official start of the harvest, “spooky,” and pumpkin spice seasons. So let’s lean into that today. Sure, it might be in the mid-70s Fahrenheit where I am in the world right now, but... do I detect the slightest hint of a nip in the air? I’m sure I do and it has nothing to do with maybe starting a cold.

One of the best things about autumn is decorating to celebrate the season. And with the exception of maaaaybe Christmas-tide, no season gets a better decorating ethos than autumn. You think you’re putting a giant baby chick in your yard every spring? Stop lying, nobody does that. But you sure do for fall.

So here are your Tottenham Hotspur player ratings for the 3-0 away win over Manchester United to the theme of fall decorations.

When my daughter, now in college, was small, one of our neighbors had this giant inflatable gargoyle that they’d put in their yard every October. My daughter had this fear/love fascination with that gargoyle, such that she’d ask to walk by it all the time and stop on the sidewalk and stare at it with a mix of horror, awe, and fascination. I never had the time, inclination, or readily accessible power outlet in my yard for one of these, but they rule. Someone has probably already marketed a giant inflatable Starbucks cup for your yard.

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 4.5): Nine chances created, including the one he scored from. NINE. At Old Trafford! That’s absurd. It might just be his best all-around performance in a Spurs shirt.

Micky van de Ven (Community — 5.0): He already gets a high rating for just being Micky and having lots of recovery pace and putting in a good defensive performance, but that marauding run and assist to Johnson was exquisite. The run reminded me of Vlad Chiriches’ occasional mazy runs into the opposition third, except that this one was cool and fun and not weird and scary.

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 4.5): Give Ange credit — he got everything spot-on for this match, from the lineup to the slightly tweaked tactics. This team has started to click and I can’t wait to see how they continue to improve.

If you’re going to decorate for autumn or Halloween, go all-out. Get the giant-ass motion-activated animatronic skeletons you see inside the Party City or the vestibule at Lowe’s and lean into it, man. Let your undead freak flag fly.

James Maddison (Community — 4.0): Seems to have found his creative spark in a partnership with Kulusevski, though in a deeper midfield role. His ability to get fouled (and sell fouls) is an underrated part of his game; he was the guy Bruno fouled to get sent off and it’s a reflection of his influence.

Dominic Solanke (Community — 4.5): Absolutely insane in the press. His workload makes it okay that he maybe hasn’t scored as much as he should at this point in the season, even though he got the late one on Sunday. Ange was right about him and his fit for these tactics.

Brennan Johnson (Community — 4.5): A limited player who does the things he does well very well when given the opportunity to do them. This was a match custom made for BJ’s skills. Made the back post run to tap in Micky’s cross, and then smacked the post with a smart shot later on. Four goals in four games — good stuff.

Now, look — normally I’m not one for leaving fresh produce to rot outside your home, but you gotta admit as far as fall produce goes, pumpkins are pretty swank. They’re big, they’re bright orange (sometimes white or green), and they do look pretty good on your porch steps, don’t they? Plus they carve nicely and everyone loves a good jack-o-lantern around Halloween.

Rodrigo Bentancur (Community — 4.0): There were a lot of good performances in this match, but Lolo’s was almost overlooked. An excellent performance, recycling the ball capably and picking out teammates. Helps that United’s midfield was garbage, of course.

Pedro Porro (Community — 4.0): Basically shut down Garnacho on his side and nearly picked up an assist late. Good match, if overshadowed by others in this one.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 4.0): Solid in possession and going forward in the first half, though mitigated by what was hopefully a precautionary injury substitution at halftime.

What exactly is a cornucopia? I don’t feel like this has ever been explained, or why they are ubiquitous symbols of plenty. It’s kind of a shit basket, can’t hold much, tapers down to a small point. Pretty useless. And yet, damned if your dining room table centerpiece won’t be enhanced by one of those suckers stuffed with fall produce. It’s confusing, and I think I’m okay with it.

Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 4.0): It’s not that he had a TON to do against United, who did look dangerous on occasion on the counter, but he certainly earned his rating with a smart stop on Zirkzee. Otherwise commanded his area well.

Cuti Romero (Community — 4.0): Not bad! Not a flashy performance and a couple of small hiccups, but otherwise a solid performance in the back line against what could’ve been (but wasn’t) a tricky United offensive line.

Timo Werner (Community — 3.0): I will die on this hill — this was a good match from Timo. He did well as an outlet and kept Mazraoui pinned in defense, was a willing presser, and opened up a lot of attacking opportunities. Yes, he missed those two chances, but gotta give Onana some credit for making those stops too. If Timo frequently converted those chances, he wouldn’t be at Spurs. Solid match... but yeah, gotta finish those, Timo.

Djed Spence (Community — 4.0): Udogie’s sub, and looked composed on and off the ball playing “out of position” on the left. Fairly solid both going forward and in defense. He’s just a good rotation option at this point, on either flank.

Pape Matar Sarr (Community — 3.5): The Prime Minister Sarr set up a goal within moments of coming on as a sub, and provided a burst of energy in midfield late. Also headed wide himself.

People seem to buy these. I do not know why. Do we advertise the summer with giant signs that read “SUMMER”? We do not. But for some reason some people feel like they need to remind people what season it is in autumn by putting out nice reminders in the form of particle board “Fall” signs with colored maple leaf decorations and wire hangers purchased at Michael’s. I will never understand it.

Lucas Bergvall (Community — 3.5): I appreciate him coming in and trying stuff. At times he looks like he’s a little surprised at the pace of the Premier League; he clearly had more time on the ball in Sweden and is still adapting to English ball, but he was fine out there. Should also give him credit for the corner kick that led to the goal.

Mikey Moore (Community — 3.5): Limited minutes, which is fine at this stage. Had one shot that wasn’t far wide, and that would’ve kicked him pretty high up these ratings had he converted. No issues with Mikey, good shift.

I know it’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers, but is there anything more useless than those tiny squash? It’s not like you can cook with them, but some marketing genius has convinced a large swath of the populace that they should spend hard-earned money on these things so they can be admired. That said, I swear they have an impervious charm on them or something, because they never seem to decay — they stay exactly as they are in near perpetuity. They are squash Methuselahs. I swear my neighbors have used the same decorative miniature gourds every year for at least a decade.

No Tottenham players in this category.

Candy corn is a trash candy and the only thing worse than having to eat candy corn are people who use it as filler inside clear glass jars or as decorative ballast. Using candy corn in that way does reinforce the idea that you should never eat the stuff and instead find alternate uses for it.

No Tottenham players in this category either

You might think you’re decorating for the season, but you’re just littering, pick that shit up. Also you spend too much at Starbucks.

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

The fourth round of the Carabao Cup between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City is officially set for an 8:15 p.m UK time kickoff on Oct. 30 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Drawing the Citizens in the fourth round draw a week ago, the stage has been set for Spurs to welcome the eight time EFL Cup winners to North London.

Last year, Manchester City finally lifted its curse at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by scoring a goal and grabbing wins in the FA Cup and late in the Premier League campaign.

Now, the stage is set for Tottenham to go through the historic run that Manchester City have been on to get the quest to book a trip to Wembley and earn a trophy in the second year of Ange Postecoglou.

A quick recap of the third round draws for the two sides: Tottenham came back late against Championship side Coventry with goals from Djed Spence and a 94th minute winner from Brennan Johnson for a 2-1 winner. Manchester City matched the scoreline with goals from Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes in the first half to comfortably close the game out.

Pep Guardiola said he plans to rotate the squad for the 4th round contest by playing a lot of second team squad. Who knows if this is all mind games by the games best manager, but Spurs will be ready as the side have found their form in the last eight days.

I know we’re only seven games into the EFL Championship season, but I think it’s time to take a look at how some of the promotion contenders are doing. Some (West Brom) are doing much better than others (Coventry).

West Brom (1): Carlos Cobreran has WBA at the top of the table. I haven’t been able to watch them on the television yet, so I can’t tell you how they got here. But did you know Mason Holgate plays for them now? Regardless of your Holgate trivia knowledge, I had WBA near the top of the table in my predictions.

Burnley (3): This is going to be a much more difficult campaign than the last time they were here. Lots of clubs (Spurs included) raided Burnley. They lost Sander Berge, Wilson Odobert, Wout Weghorst and many more this window. They did pick up an impressive win against Leeds the other week.

Leeds (5): Not quite sure how highly I think of them right now. Their wins are against bad teams (Wednesday, Hull, Cardiff, Coventry) and their one defeat came to Burnley. Momentum is nice, but I’m not buying into it yet. Think they’re a bit weaker than last season.

Sheffield United (6): Again not sure what to make of a club that hasn’t been televised yet (or if they have, I chose to watch Derby instead).

Luton Town (19): An abysmal start to the campaign after relegation. Aside from losing Chiedozie Ogbene to Ipswich, they retained most of their squad with the intention of going straight back to the PL. Coming off a rough 3-1 loss to Plymouth.

Coventry (21): Just outside the drop. It seems like Coventry always start the season slowly, but because of things like playing fewer matches. Now they’re on even matches with the rest of the Championship and not looking any better. Coventry went winless in September, only picking up one point against Watford.

EFL Championship Top Six:

EFL Championship Bottom Three:

Fitzie’s track of the day: Savior Complex, by Laufey

And now for your links:

Tottenham condemn homophobic chants against Man United

Dan KP: Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham deliver statement win

The Athletic ($$) asks if Tottenham are defending set pieces better

Well, that was fun! Tottenham Hotspur traveled to the Theater of Dreams, Old Trafford, once a fortress of English football, and took the match straight at Manchester United. Spurs got goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke to go along with a first half red card to United’s Bruno Fernandes and rolled to a 3-0 win over United.

God, wasn’t it great to just run roughshod over a traditional English power like that? So, so good. It’s time to rate the players.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.

Tottenham Hotspur leaves the ‘Theater of Dreams’ with a dominating 3-0 win over Man United on Sunday.

With news that Heung Min Son didn’t travel with the team — as he is attending to a hamstring injury that he picked up midweek in the Europa League win over Qarabag — the team filled in for the loss of their captain.

Scoring three minutes into the game thanks to a lovely counterattack break from Micky van de Ven — where the defender showed off his speed and dribble skills to get through the United midfield and defense — the Dutch international placed a perfect ball to the back post for a streaking Brennan Johnnson to tap-in the opening goal.

Shushing the United crowd and hoping to put together a brilliant display of attacking football, Spurs had to endure their painful misses from Timo Werner, Johnson, and others who could not get into the back of the net.

Enduring a switch in momentum after the 20th minute as United got into the final third and put pressure on the team with Garnacho having a chance — but hitting the post — the best opportunity came from Joshua Zirkzee as the first time shot was saved by Guglielmo Vicario who sprawled to the floor to palm the ball in control.

Getting that first goal and wanting more, the game fully opened after Man United captain Bruno Fernandes was shown a straight red for his challenge on James Maddison. With many pundits thinking it was harsh for the straight red, the ref stuck to his call and left the Red Devils down to 10 men for the entire second half.

Blazing through with a quick goal in the first half, Spurs replicated the quick start after the restart with a goal from Dejan Kulusevski.

Dominic Solanke won the ball on the Spurs half and the first-time header to the right side of the halfway line allowed for Brennan Johnson and Kulusevksi to stretch Diego Dalot out at left back.

With Johnson taking over and dribbling down the line and cutting into the box, his pass was knicked off Dalot’s back heel but placed perfectly in the air for Kulusevksi to soar in the air for a volley off his left boot to go far post.

Picturesque finish by the Swede who created 7 open play chances in the game.

Up 2-0 and hoping for Spurs to hold on for a clean sheet, United made one final push to try and get back into the game.

Never seeing the final ball go through the net, Spurs buried the game in the 77th minute.

As Ange Postecoglou made three changes to see out the game — Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Sarr — the latter two connected on a set piece.

Bergvall’s inswinging corner was placed perfectly for Sarr to leap and flick the ball into the middle of the 3-yard area for Solanke to lunge first for the loose ball and put the game to bed.

Notes:

It always feels great to beat Man United. Spurs have won three of their last seven visits to Old Trafford. There were only two in the previous 26, not a fortress anymore.

After a midweek European win over Qarabag that was possibly the most Europa match you could dream up, Tottenham Hotspur head north to Manchester, where they take on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side.

Both teams have a lot of questions surrounding them, and both sit (perhaps unfairly) in midtable, with 2 wins, 2 losses, and a draw each across the opening fixtures. This therefore is a matchup that could potentially provide some answers, with Postecoglou and ten Hag both searching for consistency, killer instinct, and aggression.

Spurs could be without captain and talisman Son Heung-min, who pulled up with hamstring tightness late in the match against Qarabag, while United are expected to have a near-full-strength side available. On paper, this is one you would expect Spurs to win, possibly even without Son - but football isn’t played on paper, and Old Trafford has not been a happy hunting ground for Spurs over the years... with a small handful of notable exceptions, not least the 6-1 away win a few years back.

Here’s hoping for a replay of that match?

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Old Trafford, Manchester, UK

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Time: 11:30 a.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. UK

TV: USA Network, Sky Sports Premier League (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: nbcsports.com

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

Hello, Spurs fans. I have good news and bad news about Tottenham Hotspur Women’s next WSL league match tomorrow. The good news is that it’s going to be streamed on YouTube, making it much more accessible for people who want to watch.

The bad news is that the match airs at exactly the same time as the men’s team at Manchester United on Sunday.

That is, as they say, extremely unfortunate, because unlike Tottenham’s dismantling of newly-promoted Crystal Palace last weekend, Spurs’ trip to Villa Park to play Aston Villa Women could be a heck of a match that most Spurs fans will probably end up watching on replay.

What to Watch For

Tottenham rolled to a 4-0 win over Palace at the weekend and looked dominant in the process, peppering Palace with 26 shots, 16 on target. Spurs only managed to equal that shot tally once the whole of last season. Now, Palace is looking like a side that could end up being historically bad, so it’s important not to get too far over our skiis on this one, but the fact remains that this was a dominant offensive performance, and it bodes well for Spurs’ new-look offense.

Villa will undoubtedly prove to be a much tougher opponent. In fact, Spurs Women manager Robert Vilahamn has told Jamie Spangher of the Halfway Line that the match promises to be “a bit tricky.” Villa have a new manager in Dutchman Robert De Pauw who spent the past two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, and have spent a not insignificant amount of funds to upgrade their squad with some quality, if aging, talent.

Vilahamn confirmed that new signing and defender Ella Morris is in line to feature in this match after missing week 1 due to injury. Central defender Luana Bühler could also return to the side, meaning Spurs should have some solid options in defense. Spurs will likely roll with a similar midfield and attack that they had against Palace, with Maite Oroz ahead of Eveliina Summanen and Drew Spance, and a forward line of Jessica Naz, Haley Raso, and either Beth England or Martha Thomas. The trick will be whether that same lineup can be as effective against a much better team.

Opposition View

Villa are a well-managed side and while they ultimately fell short in week 1, they gave defending champions Chelsea a heck of a match last weekend. Villa have a potent attack, reinforcing former Lioness Rachel Daly with Liverpool’s young star Missy Bo Kearns, but lost Alisha Lehmann to Juventus in the offseason along with a few key defensive pieces from a team that finished seventh last season behind Spurs. And don’t forget former Arsenal star Jordan Nobbs, Ebony Salmon, and Kenza Dali, all of whom add to Villa’s depth.

But they have a talented new manager in De Pauw who’s goal is to transform Villa into an offensive side that wants to push the ball forward and play “beautiful football.” Based on their performance at Chelsea in week 1, they’re already making headway. Sunday’s match will be played at Villa Park in front of what they expect to be a raucous crowd and intimidating atmosphere; Spurs will have a much bigger challenge on their hands than they did against the Eagles.

And don’t just take my word for it, here’s Vilahamn on Aston Villa’s team:

“Last season, when you looked at the campaign before that, Aston Villa were in fifth and they were one of the teams we thought we could beat and finish in the top half. We did that. This year, they have invested a lot in their coach.

“They have some really good players. They made a few changes and tactical switches at half-time [against Chelsea], which shows they have depth in every position. They obviously have a coach who can handle flexibility in his tactics. They competed with Chelsea the whole game.”

We’re not idiots, we know most of you will be watching the mens’ side at Old Trafford, and I think most people understand that. Hell, we can’t cover both matches, so we’ll focus our attentions on the United game. But you should know that this match is happening, and consider setting the ol’ DVR or watching a replay online as soon as it comes available. If Spurs can pick up a win at Villa Park, it sets them up nicely for even tougher upcoming league games against Liverpool, at United, and at Chelsea next month.

How to Watch

Aston Villa Women vs. Tottenham Hotspur Women

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Villa Park, Birmingham, UK