Date:
Venue:
Competition: First Division.
Score:
Scorers:
Attendance: 31,342.
Teams:
Tottenham Hotspur: Thorstvedt; Bergsson, Van den Hauwe; Sedgley, Howells, Mabbutt;
Stewart, Gascoigne, Nayim, Lineker,
Allen.
Referee: Mr R. Hart (
With
players like Paul Gascoigne and England Skipper and striker Gary Lineker in their line-up, Tottenham
Hotspur presented a formidable challenge for any side. That was certainly the
case for a team newly back in the top flight, as was the case when Spurs
visited
Striker
Paul Stewart had recovered from illness and Tottenham
boss Terry Venables was able to select his side from
full strength. That proved to be too great for United as the harsh reality of
First Division football was brought home to them by an accomplished and
uncompromising Spurs performance. Hard as United tried, they could not muster
that little bit of something special needed to topple a side such as Spurs in a
game that was won and lost in a dramatic two minute period in the second-half
when Spurs scored twice and United were somewhat unfortunate to have a ‘goal’
disallowed. Darlington referee Robert Hart was hardly flavour
of the month with United supporters, or for that matter Imre
Varadi, when he ruled out the striker’s instant reply
to David Howell’s fifty-sixth minute opener.
The
visitors had rocked United when Howells, running from midfield took up
possession from the tireless Stewart to beat John Lukic
with a hard low shot. United, however, felt that they had made the ideal
response when Imre Varadi
appeared to turn Gary Mabbutt well to knock the ball
into the Spurs net. United hardly had time to digest the referee’s ‘no goal’
decision than Spurs were back at the other end scoring their second goal
through the lively Lineker, again after Stewart had
done the spadework. “These are little twists of fortune you cannot do much
about unless you are so superior that you can ride them, but on the day we
weren’t and once Spurs knocked in their second goal it was Goodnight Vienna for
us,” said the United manager.
Paul
Gascoigne showed he was only human by missing the simplest of scoring opportunities
late in the game but had he been successful it would have been hard on David
Batty, who delighted his manager by keeping soccer’s man-of-the-moment
relatively quiet.
Match Action:
Imre Varadi scores the ‘goal’ which was
disallowed
Gary Lineker wins a heading
duel with Mike Whitlow David Batty beats
Paul Gascoigne
Lee Chapman beats Gary Mabbutt
to header as David Howells watches Gordon Strachan
is all over David Howells
Players:
Leeds considered Imre
Varadi unlucky
but David Howells and Gary Lineker scored for
Spurs
not to have scored
David Batty kept a tight hold on Paul
Gascoigne Erik Thorstvedt
kept a clean sheet Gudni
Borgsson and Pat Van Den Hauwe
were the full-backs
Gary Mabbutt was in
central defence with Steve Sedgeley Paul Stewart partnered
Gary Lineker upfront
Paul Gascoigne, Nayim
and Paul Allen were in midfield with David Howells