Tottenham Hotspur 3 Manchester United 0
Tottenham Hotspur Alli 70', Alderweireld 74', Lamela 76'
Man of the match Erik Lamela (Tottenham)
The last time Dele Alli started against Manchester United, his Milton Keynes Dons side recorded a famous 4-0 victory over Louis van Gaal's charges in the second round of the League Cup in August 2014.
Twenty months on, Alli scored his first goal against the 20-time English champions in his final match as a teenager, helping Tottenham Hotspur to a 3-0 win that keeps their hopes of winning the Premier League title alive.
Whatever happens in the final five matches of the domestic campaign, Mauricio Pochettino and his players deserve a huge amount of credit for their accomplishments this term, with Tottenham now virtually guaranteed of a place in the Uefa Champions League next season.
The exploits of Leicester City, still seven points clear at the summit of the standings after a 2-0 triumph at Sunderland, have been extraordinary, but many of the best performances in the Premier League this year have come from Pochettino's men.
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In truth, their display against United was not one of them for long periods, with Van Gaal’s men starting the stronger of the two teams and remaining in with a chance of taking all three points right up until Alli opened the scoring in the 70th minute.
That strike kick-started a whirlwind spell from the hosts, who pulled further clear through Toby Alderweireld in the 74th minute and added the icing to the proverbial cake when the terrific Erik Lamela made it three just over 90 seconds later.
In the end, United were well beaten by a more balanced, better coached and simply superior side, who again demonstrated just how outdated the cliched characterisation of Tottenham as flaky and easy to beat is.
When Alli reflects on his key contribution against such illustrious opponents in the coming days, he can be forgiving for pinching himself at how far he has come in a relatively short period of time.
The then 18 year old starred in MK Dons’ thrashing of United in 2014 but was somewhat overshadowed by goalscorers Will Grigg and Benik Afobe, who both netted braces in what was Van Gaal’s third game in charge.
Spurs, though, saw enough in his showings in the first half of the 2014/15 campaign to tie up a £5 million (Dh20.9m) deal for him in January of last year, with Alli remaining on loan at his boyhood club until the summer.
When he did arrive at White Hart Lane, the expectation was that he would either go out on loan again or play a bit-part role in a squad full of seasoned internationals and players of proven Premier League quality.
After beginning Tottenham’s first four matches on the substitutes’ bench, however, Alli soon forced his way into the starting XI and has barely looked back since.
He has turned in better all-round performances this term than the one against United on Sunday, but the exuberance and swagger that have won Alli so many admirers were nevertheless on display once more.
The breakout star of the season is expected to scoop the PFA Young Player of the Year award on Thursday, a prize that would act as formal recognition of the impact he has made for the division’s second-biggest surprise package.
“I believe his best position will be as an ‘eight’,” Alli’s former coach at MK Dons, Karl Robinson, told The London Evening Standard last year, referring to the more attacking of the two midfielders in Pochettino’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
“He is a throwback to the type of midfielder who can attack and defend.”
He is being deployed in a more advanced role just behind Harry Kane at present, but the most exciting thing about Alli is that he seems to be a wonderfully rounded, naturally talented footballer who is capable of impressing wherever he plays.
Manchester United can certainly attest to that.
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