Two Ashley Young goals helped Manchester United slice Manchester City's lead at the top of the Premier League to two points with a clinical 3-1 win at third-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
England winger Young scored twice in the space of nine second-half minutes at White Hart Lane after Wayne Rooney's 44th-minute header had given United a somewhat fortunate halftime lead, according to Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.
"Today I think they rode their luck really. I thought they did very little and I thought we dominated them. I thought we were better than them for most of the game. Obviously, suddenly you go 2-0, it's a different game. You can knock the ball around, you confidence grows, the other team thinks 'what's happened here and I thought it went that way for us today." he said.
Substitute Jermain Defoe scored a late consolation for Spurs who suffered their second heavy defeat in eight days after last week's 5-2 thrashing at their north London rivals Arsenal.
With 11 games remaining champions United have 64 points to the 66 of City with Tottenham on 53, four points ahead of Arsenal in the race for an automatic Champions League spot.
Redknapp, who is the favourite to become England manager at the end of the season, said that despite the defensive errors that cost three points, he was pleased with Spurs' performance.
"You think, I will be the first one to come here lads if we played poor and say 'we were poor today' and they thanked us, they were different class to us but I could not see that today," he said.
Reuters
source: newshub archive
