Son Heung-min delivered an incredible goal directly from a corner kick, helping Tottenham secure a dramatic 4-3 victory over Manchester United in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Thursday. This win propels Spurs into the semifinals, where they will face Premier League leaders Liverpool. The other semifinal match will feature Arsenal against Newcastle.
The pivotal moment came in the 88th minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the game had transformed into a tense showdown. Tottenham had initially established a commanding 3-0 lead in the second half before United began to mount a thrilling comeback.
As United narrowed the gap to 3-2 and pressed for an equalizer, Son curled a right-footed shot into the net, bypassing goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. Tottenham’s head coach, Ange Postecoglou, expressed his mixed feelings: “Obviously we made it harder than it should have been, for sure,” adding with a grin, “Are you not entertained?”
Following Son’s strike, complaints arose from United’s players that Bayindir had been impeded by Lucas Bergvall, who was involved in the play as Son’s effort went in. Video replays showed some contact; however, no VAR reviews were available at this stage of the competition to overturn the decision.
In stoppage time, Jonny Evans scored for United, bringing the score to a nail-biting 4-3, but Spurs managed to hang on to their lead—a lead that had appeared secure just moments after halftime.
The scoring opened in the 15th minute with Dominic Solanke’s close-range effort putting Tottenham ahead. Spurs demonstrated control early in the second half, as Dejan Kulusevski increased their lead right after the break, followed by Solanke adding his second goal in the 54th minute.
In response, United’s manager Ruben Amorim made a significant tactical shift, introducing Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo, and Kobbie Mainoo. This substitution made an immediate impact, as Zirkzee forced a brilliant save from Fraser Forster and then capitalized on an error from the Tottenham keeper to pull one back for United, making it 3-1.
Forster made another mistake in the 70th minute, leading to a goal that was again set up through Diallo, bringing the score to 3-2 despite the growing pressure from United. However, Son’s stunning goal provided Tottenham with crucial breathing room, ultimately proving to be the decisive moment as Evans’ late goal was not enough to change the outcome.
Postecoglou humorously noted the reaction from pundits regarding his strategic decisions, stating, “I know the studio is probably going into meltdown over my lack of tactics. I love the fact that we go out there and take it to oppositions.”