Tottenham Hotspur Hold Manchester United At White Hart Lane

Spurs coach Harry Redknapp faced his biggest challenge since taking over at the club today as Machester United visited White Hart Lane but the veteran manager and his Lilywhites came through unscathed.

Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 0 Manchester United.

Dec 13, 2008 7:31:43 PM

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EPL: Jonathan Woodgate, Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United (PA)

Both sides were without first team regulars as suspended players Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra both joined the injured Ledley King as mere spectators.

FIRST HALF
As the game got underway, the first thing anyone was forced to notice was the rallied booing of Dimitar Berbatov. In the wake of the home fans' disapproval, the Bulgarian really did look demoralised as he struggled to do anything positive during the entire game.

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Eleven minutes into the game, Spurs' found themselves without either of their first choice central defenders, as Jonathan Woodgate was escorted off the pitch with an injury rumoured to be linked to a back problem he has been struggling with all week.

Tom Huddlestone replaced Woodgate, but moved into a midfield position, forcing Zakora to move to right back and Corluka relocating to the centre of defence. The shuffling didn't seem to cause the home side many problems, as the defenders kept tight to their mark and only seemed troubled when they were swamped by massive United buildups.

The 0-0 scoreline in the first period did not reflect what was an eventful game to watch. A diving header from Modric almost put Tottenham in the lead, but went slightly wide. Pavlyuchenko made arguably the best save of the half, getting in the way of a stunning drive from Jonathan Woodgate, perhaps preventing a goal from his own team and winding himself in the process.

United did have a few chances of their own, but their forward play always seemed to be quelled by a surpringly confident Gomes. Tevez seemed to be the main threat for Manchester, but any dangerous play the little Argentine produced seemed to end in the hands of fellow South American Gomes.

SECOND HALF
A loose ball in the Spurs box found itself in the back of their net courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo. The goal was immediately shaved off as the referee noticed the goldenboy of football using his hand to steady the ball for striking and the game remained 0-0.

Substitutions midway through the second period saw the game take a different shape. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes replaced Carlos Tevez and Darren Fletcher, immediately producing more advanced midfield possession and as such, more attempts on goal for the Red Devils.

Darren Bent and Jamie O'Hara came on within 20 minutes of each other, providing Spurs with fresh legs in the midsection and a more physical presence at the head of their attack.

Unfortunately, nothing definitive came from the changes and the game ended without goals. Both teams worked extremely hard for the result, and all things considered, neither team deserved to lose.

Notable mentions: Gomes, Lennon, Modric, Vidic, Ferdinand.

Stephen Crawford.
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