TBR Football

There’s finally some positivity around Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side went through a terrible run of form in the Premier League which saw them win just two games in over two-and-a-half months.

Injuries were Spurs’ biggest problem, but they had a few players return to the squad for their game against Manchester United, and that helped them pick up the win.

Tottenham will want to go on a good run from now until the end of the season, and more players returning in the coming weeks will definitely help.

Once that’s done, Spurs will dive into the market for reinforcements in the summer, and they are the frontrunners to sign one big-name player.

Tottenham are more likely to sign Dusan Vlahovic than Arsenal and Manchester United

Tottenham were heavily linked with attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window.

Postecoglou wanted a new out-and-out striker, while a winger was also on his wish list before the window shut on the 3rd of February.

After links to several names, Tottenham got a deal done for Mathys Tel on loan until the end of the season. Spurs do have an option to make that move permanent.

However, GiveMeSport have claimed now that another striker is on Tottenham’s radar – Juventus and Serbia star Dusan Vlahovic.

The report claims that Spurs are more likely to sign the £66.6 million (Sky Sports) striker than any other club in the Premier League – ahead of even Arsenal and Manchester United.

Vlahovic will enter the final year of his contract this summer, and Juventus are ready to move him on as they are unable to agree on an extension.

The outlet adds that Vlahovic is ‘keen’ to complete a move to the Premier League, and Tottenham’s biggest competition for his signature, if any, will come from Newcastle United if Alexander Isak leaves.

Dusan Vlahovic is having reservations over Tottenham move for two reasons

Vlahovic’s career has stagnated a bit over the few years at Juventus after he initially became a superstar during his time at Fiorentina.

However, there is still a player in there, and a move to a club like Tottenham who will play attacking football could bring him back to his best.

However, the report claims that there are two stumbling blocks that could ruin a potential deal.

The first is that there are fears that Vlahovic ‘would have reservations over battling with the likes of Dominic Solanke for a regular starting berth’ at Spurs.

The second is his wages – Vlahovic currently earns over £310,000-per-week at Juventus, and it has been claimed that he will have to ‘slash his wages by a considerable amount’ if he is to join Spurs.

It remains to be seen if he will agree to do that.

Much like every club across the history of the game, Tottenham Hotspur have also missed out on signing several players.

In some cases, Tottenham would have been kicking themselves but in others, they would have perhaps been relieved.

For instance, Tottenham could have signed Serhou Guirassy before his move to Stuttgart, where he turned into an incredibly prolific goalscorer.

Tottenham spoke to Mats Hummels before his move to AS Roma as well.

Looking back, Spurs might be regretting their decision not to sign the World Cup winner.

With the Lilywhites now being in 12th place in the Premier League, it might be unwise for them not to get important deals done for players who would undoubtedly improve them.

Thibaut Courtois admits Tottenham tried signing him but he chose Chelsea

But one area of Tottenham’s recruitment that has historically been excellent involves young players.

From a young Gareth Bale to Archie Gray, the North Londoners know a gifted youngster when they see one.

The same was the case when they discovered how talented a 19-year-old Thibaut Courtois was at Genk but the 32-year-old has revealed that despite their interest, he preferred Chelsea’s project at the time.

Courtois said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel: “When I was at Genk, starting to do something decent, obviously there was some interest from Tottenham, some interest from Chelsea, some other teams from other countries.”

“Obviously, Chelsea in that moment had the project for me in the long-term, basically because David [De Gea] was going to Manchester [United], it opened the door for me to go on loan to Atletico [Madrid].”

Courtois, who Jordan Pickford lauded was one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League during his time at Chelsea.

In September, Carlo Ancelotti claimed in a press conference that Courtois is the standout goalkeeper in the world, saying via Diario AS: “I can make a list [of the world-class goalkeepers I have coached]. He is the best in the world now, but I have had goalkeepers of great level. At the moment, Thibaut is the best of all.”

When Thibaut Courtois aimed a dig at Tottenham about Gareth Bale

Courtois aimed a dig at Tottenham when Gareth Bale returned to Spurs on loan from Real Madrid about his now-former teammate not signing for the best club in London due to the decorated shotstopper’s affiliation with Chelsea.

“What Bale talked about with the coach is personal.”

“I had a good relationship with Gareth and I wish him the best of luck, even if he’s not playing for the best London team. He is a great player.”

Ultimately, Tottenham would still let bygones by bygones if they could sign Courtois now.

After all, as brilliant as Hugo Lloris was for Spurs, the Belgian can now be considered a true all-time great. However, everything happens for a reason and in Lloris, they had a brilliant shotstopper on their books who also donned the armband for them for years.

The spotlight is on Daniel Levy at Tottenham now more than ever before.

Indeed, Tottenham are sitting in the bottom-half of the Premier League table, and there are some serious questions being asked about Daniel Levy.

Tottenham fans protested against the ownership this weekend before and after the Manchester United game, and Levy has been affected by these protests according to reports.

On the other side of the coin, some believe Levy isn’t doing a bad job.

Martin O’Neill defended Levy recently, while Paul Scholes wouldn’t mind Levy at Manchester United.

Speaking on the Rule the Roost Podcast, Dan Kilpatrick has been discussing Levy’s ownership at Tottenham, and he’s shared what one source at Spurs has told him about how Levy runs the club.

What a Tottenham source has said about Daniel Levy

Kilpatrick shared what he’d been told about Levy from a source.

The journalist says that he’s been told that Levy does always act in the best interests of Tottenham whenever he makes decisions.

However, Levy’s view often is that what is in the best interests of Tottenham is the smartest move financially.

“Someone said to me, a few years ago in fact, I asked them about Levy. It was after a controversial decision. I called someone up and said, do you think that, you know, do you think Levy drove that? You know, what do you think he did it?” Kilpatrick said.

“And the contact said, look, the way to understand Daniel is that he will always do what he thinks is best for Tottenham, but he always thinks what’s best for Tottenham is what’s financially best for Tottenham. Or even, that was what they said.

“But I wonder if, you know, what he also is thinking, you know, what’s financially best for the shareholders of Tottenham. And I think, you know, I think that was it”

Tottenham’s valuation among world’s top clubs

Levy often does make decisions at Tottenham that benefit the club financially rather than making decisions to help the team or even the fanbase.

Yes, Levy has made some bad decisions regarding manager sackings, while he’s also cut the concession pricing for senior fans.

However, all in all, from a business perspective, Levy has worked wonders at Tottenham.

Spurs’ revenue has tripled under Levy’s regime, while, at times, Levy has put the fans first – Levy froze ticket prices a couple of years ago.

Now, Spurs are one of the most valuable teams on the planet.

Despite not being successful on the pitch, Tottenham have only grown as a business and as a brand, and while it can be mind-bendingly frustrating to watch the team struggle, this sort of business acumen will ultimately help Spurs in the long-term.

Levy may not be appreciated during his time at Tottenham, but make no mistake about it, the groundwork he has put in place at Spurs in regards to the new stadium, branding and marketing will help Tottenham for years to come.

Tottenham Hotspur have won two Premier League games in a row for the first time in a long time.

Indeed, Spurs beat Manchester United at the weekend a fortnight on from their win at Brentford, and, for the first time in a while, things are looking up for Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham’s injury issues are subsiding, and while Postecoglou is under pressure still, things are slowly but surely improving.

However, there are still some quirks in this Tottenham team that are hard to understand.

Speaking on The Game Football Podcast, Tony Cascarino has been discussing how this Spurs side operate, and the pundit has been baffled by the fact that Spurs refuse to manage the clock late in games, especially when they’re holding narrow leads.

Tottenham refusing to manage the clock late in games

Cascarino spoke about how Tottenham are acting naively late in games.

The pundit says that he finds it very strange that Tottenham don’t know how to manage the clock late in games.

“One thing that I still find strange with Spurs, I’m not saying you have to do this, but it seems like a good idea. When they’re in a good position and there’s like two or three minutes to go is maybe try to run down the clock slightly, which they didn’t,” Cascarino said.

“And I was thinking, you could have played. It’s not the way they play. I know, but it’s like, it’s not a great idea because there are teams that are going to catch you in the final minute of football, because they were still trying to do the thing to get them another goal and I get it.

“But two, three minutes to go, I’m thinking, that could end up getting an egg on their face with a goal.”

Tottenham’s record of conceding late goals

As Cascarino says, Spurs are not very good at managing the clock late in games.

However, this season, their record when it comes to not conceding late goals has been stellar.

Indeed, say what you will about this Spurs team and their defensive deficiencies, they haven’t conceded a single 90th-minute goal in the Premier League this season.

However, that may be a by-product of the fact Spurs have rarely led late in games, so teams aren’t necessarily pushing for late goals.

Indeed, last season, Tottenham were in much stronger positions more often late in games, and they conceded a lot of late goals.

Spurs have managed to avoid conceding late goals this season, but their ability to shut up shop late in games in which they are leading does appear to be a long-term problem.

This is something Ange Postecoglou really needs to try to address.

Djed Spence has been reborn at Tottenham in recent weeks.

The full-back has earned two Man of the Match awards in each of his last two Premier League appearances, and three years on from joining Tottenham, he’s finally coming into his own.

Djed Spence hasn’t had the easiest of rides since joining Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou froze Spence out at one point, and, at one point, there were reports that Spence had attitude problems.

Meanwhile, Antonio Conte made it clear Spence wasn’t his signing when he joined the club.

Spence barely even spoke to Conte when he was at Spurs too.

Furthermore, Spence was even sent back from his loan at Leeds last season after reports of a poor approach behind the scenes.

However, this season, there hasn’t been any sign of attitude issues from Spence, and according to Jay Harris, speaking on The View from The Lane, the issues around Spence may have been overblown for quite some time.

What people close to Djed Spence say about his attitude

Harrys shared what he knows about Spence’s attitude and the issues that have supposedly cropped up.

According to Harris, people close to Spence say that he’s an introverted character who is quite aloof, and, sometimes that can, inadvertently, come off the wrong way.

“I’ve spoken to people who know him quite well, and they’ve said that Spence is a bit introverted, and he can be quite aloof. And so there are times where people probably have misinterpreted that as him not caring or him having a bad attitude. But I think what we’re seeing before us now is a 24 year old who was a young boy,” Harris said.

“He’s a young man now. Apparently during his time in Italy with Genoa, that was quite a powerful experience for him because Leeds didn’t work out for a number of different issues, but mainly because he had quite a bad knee injury, which ruled him out, I think, for two and a half months, three months in total. So he’s gone from barely getting a game in the championship to he played at the San Siro twice with Genoa.

“He played against Juventus away for Genoa. And so he’s returning to Spurs and he’s thinking, wow, if I want to kick on with my career at the highest level, I seriously need to knuckle down. He did that.”

What Daniel Farke said about Djed Spence

Spence is seemingly a player who has been misunderstood over time, and that is shown by Daniel Farke’s comments on the full-back last season.

Indeed, Farke very much insinuated that Spence wasn’t professional enough during his time at Leeds, via Teesside live.

“He’s a player of great potential and also a cool guy with a really good heart so we really wish him all the best. But yeah, sometimes you need to take a decision. I don’t want to talk too much about Djed right now, because he’s meanwhile also back at Tottenham, and I totally respect that he’s their player.

“Listen, in the summer we came here in order to create and to bring new values and to create a new culture within the club and when we speak about a player if he’s on here on a permanent or a loan deal, we have expectations and these expectations are in several topics important.

“Obviously it’s important, the potential and the quality of the player but also it’s professionalism, it’s discipline, it’s workload on and off the pitch. And also the soft skills, so also if he’s positive and committed, good for the group and engaged with these topics, to paint then more or less a picture.

“We decided ‘okay, this is the player we want in our group and want to represent Leeds United’. But our demands are very, very high and we don’t differ between loan players and permanent players, so we are pretty picky in this topic.”

Spence has since become one of Tottenham Hotspur’s more important players this season under Ange Postecoglou, while Leeds remain in the Championship.

It would appear that Spence is a player who needs to be coached in a very particular way, and some managers get it, while others done.

Daniel Farke and Antonio Conte seemingly couldn’t get much change out of Spence, while Steve Cooper and Ange Postecoglou seem to have cracked this code.

Spence isn’t a bad character – you don’t get this far in the game if you are, but he’s seemingly slightly more introverted and aloof than many other top-level footballers.

It’s almost exactly 10 years since former Tottenham owner Alan Sugar likened Premier League money with ‘prune juice’ – in one end, out the other. But under Daniel Levy and ENIC, Spurs are the exception.

Even after their 1-0 win over fellow crisis club Man United on Sunday, Tottenham are still closer to the bottom three than the top four. And yet, commercial revenues continue to soar in North London.

This is of little comfort to the Tottenham fans who protested against Daniel Levy and ENIC’s leadership in their droves ahead of the game.

For them, the sclerotic management in the football department is a symptom of Spurs’ fixation with sponsors over silverware. Too many resources, personnel and pounds are directed towards capital growth.

Levy’s retort over the years, delivered with his usual bookish and dispassionate tone, has been to stress that scaling the commercial side of the business is necessary to achieve results on the pitch.

But the reverse is also ostensibly true. To borrow an adage from a sport Levy loves, Formula One, teams that win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

Except, it doesn’t work like that anymore. Not at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Despite failing to win a single trophy since 2008, only eight clubs in the world earned more than Spurs last season. For football finance wonks, their accounts make for inspiring reading.

On first inspection, the books show that the North Londoners have lost £307m since they moved into their new stadium.

However, the vast majority of the deficit is attributable to the stadium’s depreciation, which is an accounting method that reflects the value of an asset over time.

It isn’t a cash expense and doesn’t reflect the actual flow of money through the company. Rather, it is a useful fiction for accountants.

EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) is generally considered a more reliable way of measuring business.

In this metric, they are flying, bettered only by Man City domestically in the last financial year.

Their cost control – i.e. their restraint in recruitment and retention – is the main driver here.

Spurs have the lowest wages-to-turnover ratio in the Premier League, while their amortisation – which is how clubs account for transfer fees over the course of player contracts – is the smallest in the Big Six.

To some, this is emblematic of ENIC’s chronic lack of ambition.

To others, it’s a sign that they are one of the only sane clubs in a league where inflation is relentless, dumb money dominates, and sovereign wealth is using its near limitless resources to rip up the rulebook.

What isn’t in dispute is that this is also why Levy is the best-paid executive in the Premier League and why, if the stars align, Tottenham could be the next super club in the post-ENIC era.

Perhaps with the exception of Liverpool, Spurs are probably the most attractive club to investors with big bank balances and even bigger egos.

The infrastructure, the ‘brand’, the balance sheet – all are primed to deliver success and, at long last, trophies. But new blood is needed, whether the transfusion involves Levy or not.

And for many Tottenham fans, Qatari investment is the dream ticket.

Qatar Sports Investment exploring new project amid Tottenham takeover talk

It was a light-hearted moment, the type that is in short supply in N17 at present. Who the chairman nominated to be next to be have a bucket of ice water, however, was telling.

“I’m going to nominate someone that definitely owes this club a lot – and that is the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez,” he said before Younes Kaboul did the deed.

It was a cheeky jibe at an executive who had swiped two Tottenham greats, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, from under his nose.

But it was also one endless examples of Levy courting the game’s powerful people. Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is another who falls into that category.

Al-Khelaifi is the chairman of the increasingly influential European Club Association and Qatari broadcaster BeIN Sports. He is also a close ally of Levy.

Back in 2023, the pair reportedly met to discuss potential investment in Spurs on behalf of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), an off-shoot of £420bn sovereign wealth fund the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

In the end, a deal never materialised, and both parties deny that the talks were related to a would-be equity deal. However, the rumours never went away.

There is one barrier, however. UEFA’s conflict of interest rules dictate that clubs who share owners cannot compete in the same European club competition. With QSI owning PSG, that would be an issue.

But now, QSI are considering divesting their interest in the Ligue 1 giants, nominally as a result of a regulatory investigation into Al-Khelaifi in France which they say is politically motivated.

The news, which came barely a week after reports in France suggested that Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad al Thani, the Emir of Qatar and de-factor head of QSI, would entertain offers for PSG at the right price point.

In the latest development, The Guardian is now reporting that QSI are considering scaling back their interests in France in favour of more international investment.

In turn, that comes days after it was reported that Levy has held talks with Qatari investors – private individuals, according to the reports – about a phased takeover of Spurs.

The chairman and co-owner is said to be considering all available options regarding future ownership structures for the club he has supported since he was a boy.

That will be music to the ears of the Spurs fans who want their corner of North London to become the latest Qatari enclave in European football.

Why might Qatar want to buy Spurs?

The Shard, Harrods, Canary Wharf, Heathrow Airport – what do these London landmarks all have in common?

They are all either partially or fully owned by the Qatar Investment Authority.

Geopolitical experts argue that Gulf states’ investment in European football is less of a traditional, profit-focused investment and more a brand building exercise.

Owning a club like Spurs, an institution in the most watched and most lucrative football league in the world with one of the planet’s best stadia, would have a validating effect for QIA.

Soft power, in other words. It’s cultural capital, the kind that gets you into almost every room. King Charles visited Spurs last week – there aren’t many £500m-revenue businesses that get that treatment.

Manchester City were patient zero with Abu Dhabi, while Newcastle United’s takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) followed in 2021.

Spurs could be next.

Tottenham struggled in the FA Cup this season.

Spurs scraped past National League outfit Tamworth in the third round, requiring extra-time to dispatch of the non-league side, before suffering a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in the fourth round.

Ange Postecoglou will have felt bitterly disappointed not to embark on another domestic cup run with Tottenham, having taken the north Londoners to within 90 minutes of the Carabao Cup final, although Spurs were at least given the chance to play in the FA Cup, a luxury they were blocked from experiencing in the 1994/95 campaign.

When Tottenham were banned from the FA Cup

Some of our older readers may recall this season quite well, but it might be news to a younger audience.

With Alan Sugar at the helm, Tottenham found themselves in trouble with the Football Association (FA) for illegal payments made under the club’s previous owners during the 1980s.

Spurs actually told on themselves to the FA in seek of a lesser punishment, but instead, the strongest action in English football history at the time was taken.

Not only were Tottenham banned from the 1994/95 FA Cup, but they were also slapped with a record £600,000 fine and docked 12 points for the upcoming Premier League campaign.

After an appeal with mixed results, Spurs saw the fine increase to £1.5m, but the points deduction was halved to six and the north Londoners were also allowed to partake in the FA Cup.

What Alan Sugar said after FA hit Tottenham with unprecedented punishment

Sugar – who tried to bring Steven Gerrard to Tottenham – sent a warning to his Premier League peers after the FA hit Spurs with a severe punishment, urging them to be honest about any wrongdoings.

The now 77-year-old said: “I was always brought up to believe honesty is the best policy, and have followed that throughout my career. I have been assured by the FA commission that there is no personal vendetta against Spurs and that we are being dealt with on a level playing field.

“That being the case, and in view of the Inland Revenue inquiries into most Premiership clubs, my suggestion to the chairmen of other clubs is to follow my lead and disclose any irregularities. This is because if the punishment dealt out to us as a result of being honest is anything to go by then God knows what could happen to them if the FA were to stumble across irregularities.”

“They might just as well have gone ahead and relegated us. I’m absolutely staggered”, added Tottenham midfielder David Howells at the time.

Since arriving at the club, Kevin Danso has now made three appearances for Tottenham Hotspur that have all come in different competitions.

After two cup appearances, Danso made his Tottenham bow in their 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Alongside Ben Davies on this occasion, Danso kept his first clean sheet in Spurs colours, even if that was helped by Alejandro Garnacho’s wayward finishing for United.

But either way, Danso was assured in everything he did and the Austrian timed two very important tackles on both Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund to protect Guglielmo Vicario’s goal.

James Maddison loved Vicario’s performance as well, and Tottenham simply looked better at the back as a unit, even if some of that was owed to United’s struggles.

Dominic Solanke hails Kevin Danso after his first Tottenham win

That being said, Danso took to Instagram to celebrate his first outing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and his first win for the club.

The defender uploaded a collection of photos alongside a caption of ‘What a day! Big fight, big win, clean sheet. COYS.”

Both Dominic Solanke and Maddison then praised their new teammate, leaving some encouraging comments on the post.

Solanke simply described Danso as “Solid”, a teammate he’ll be looking forward to playing alongside.

Unfortunately for Spurs, Solanke is still unavailable for Ange Postecoglou right now, with the striker potentially returning either later this month or in March.

And on the subject of injuries, Danso himself appeared to have a knock when he was replaced by Archie Gray against United.

At his press conference after Sunday’s win, Postecoglou actually commented on Danso’s issue, which was a knock to his knee.

The Spurs boss seemed in good spirits despite the set-back, suggesting that Danso should be fine to face Ipswich Town next weekend.

Postecoglou said: “He got a knock on his knee – him, Sonny and Rodri all got sort of knocks.

“I don’t think it is anything significant. But the beauty of it now is we can actually get them to recover instead of trying to patch them up and throw them out again midweek.

“I think from what I’ve heard, knocks all three of them but they should be fine.”

Despite the return of Destiny Udogie for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester United, Djed Spence kept his position at left back for Ange Postecoglou.

Udogie is only just returning to fitness and Spence has almost made the position his own for Tottenham right now, even if he was on the chopping block not so long ago.

Spence was free to leave Tottenham in the summer, and his opportunity in Postecoglou’s first team has arguably only come about because of injuries elsewhere.

But Udogie now faces a sizable challenge to win his starting spot back from the former England under-21 international.

Dominic Solanke was seriously impressed by Spence on Sunday evening in Spurs’ 1-0 win over Man United, thoughts that have now been echoed by Gary Lineker.

Gary Lineker thinks Djed Spence could be ready for England

Speaking on ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast, Lineker thought Spence fully deserved his Man of the Match award for his marauding performance down the left.

And then the former Tottenham striker then even began speaking about Spence as a possible option for new England boss Thomas Tuchel next month.

Lineker said: “Absolutely. I was really impressed with Djed Spence again. I think he was, I’m quite rightly, given man of the match by Gary Neville.

“He was up and down. He was good defensively. He was good on the ball.

“It’s funny, isn’t it, that about a year ago, well, not even that really, actually during the Euros itself, we were going, you know, the left-back problem for England.

“And then suddenly you get three emerge at once, you know, with [Myles] Lewis-Skelly, obviously Lewis Hall and Djed Spence, you know, three young players that suddenly look really strong in that position.

“And I would think one of them will be playing in Thomas Tuchel’s first game, which is only just, what, a month away now.

“So they’ll be fighting for that position.”

James Maddison will also be hoping to impresss Thomas Tuchel

Whilst Spence has enjoyed something of a clean slate at Spurs recently, his club teammate James Maddison will be hoping for something similar with England.

Maddison was superb for Tottenham against Man United, a timely performance given that Tuchel is about to choose his first squad for next month.

Under Gareth Southgate, Maddison was seen as something of a surplus luxury player, a midfielder he could never really place in any of his systems.

However, Maddison could have fresh hope of adding to his seven caps under Tuchel, depending on what system he plays.

Competition for places as a number 10 will still be rife for England, but Maddison could perhaps play slightly deeper.

One of the biggest takeaways from Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory against Manchester United was that they are still playing for Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham played with a sense of courage and desire that has been missing in recent weeks, which would reassured Postecoglou that all hope is not lost when it comes to his project at Spurs.

Spurs were far from flawless but ultimately, they got over the line and did not capitulate which are signs that things might finally be improving for them under Ange Postecoglou.

James Maddison worked hard to return early from injury, as revealed by the Tottenham boss and delivered in a big game — another telling sign that he fully backs the Australian tactician.

Several Lilywhites players were excellent, Maddison returning from injury in style by scoring the all-important winning goal and Djed Spence shining against Manchester United as well.

All in all, Spurs’ triumph against Ruben Amorim’s side was down to a collective team effort.

Tottenham complete double over Manchester United for the first time in Premier League history

The Tottenham players were singing from the same hymn sheet against a Manchester United side that looked typically disjointed on Sunday.

Both offensively and defensively, Spurs looked far assured than United’s crop of players, who still look hapless under Ruben Amorim’s coaching.

As Tottenham outclassed the Red Devils, they also made Premier League history.

After beating Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford and 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, Spurs have done the double over them for the first time in the Premier League era.

Considering the stature of United as a club and how much they have dominated since the Premier League began in 1992, they would be shell-shocked by such a statistic.

Especially taking into account that Tottenham are widely considered the English top-flight’s perennial underachievers and are having an abysmal campaign themselves.

Tottenham embarrass Man United by doing something only Chelsea have in over a decade

BBC Sport revealed that the North Londoners, who also beat United 4-3 in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup are the first team to beat them thrice across all competitions in a single season since Chelsea in the 2012/2013 season.

The Blues beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the league, 5-4 on penalties in the Carabao Cup and 1-0 in the semi-final of the FA Cup as well.

Tottenham have now done the same by defeating not just Erik ten Hag but also Ruben Amorim’s side.