North London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester United 4-3 in an electrifying Carabao Cup quarter-final on Thursday night, ending United’s hopes of progressing further in the competition.
Despite a spirited comeback attempt, Ruben Amorim’s side fell short after moments of defensive frailty.
Amorim made five changes to the team that defeated Manchester City on Sunday, with Marcus Rashford absent amid speculation over his future. The reshuffled United side struggled early on as Tottenham capitalised on defensive lapses.
Pedro Porro’s well-executed free-kick routine forced a save from Altay Bayindir, but Dominic Solanke reacted quickest to volley in the rebound.
United dominated possession but were nearly punished again when Dejan Kulusevski’s low cross caused confusion, with Manuel Ugarte narrowly deflecting the ball wide of his own post.
Immediately after the second half began, Tottenham doubled their lead. James Maddison’s cut-back wasn’t cleared convincingly by Lisandro Martinez, allowing Kulusevski to strike. Solanke then added a third after racing past Martinez and slotting past Bayindir, leaving United on the brink.
Amorim’s triple substitution sparked a resurgence, with Joshua Zirkzee pulling one back after Bruno Fernandes capitalised on a loose pass from Fraser Forster.
The Tottenham goalkeeper further faltered, gifting Amad Diallo a second as United closed the gap.
Diallo continued to test Forster with a long-range effort, but Tottenham steadied their nerves. Son Heung-min’s curling corner directly found the net amid Bayindir’s protests of a foul, restoring Spurs’ two-goal cushion.
Jonny Evans scored a late header in stoppage time to give United hope, but it was not enough to prevent Tottenham from advancing to the semi-finals.
Spurs will now look ahead to the next stage, while United must regroup after another disappointing result in an inconsistent season.
