Wanyama, Kane clinch second spot in Lane swan song

Goals from Victor Wanyama and Harry Kane saw Tottenham defeat Manchester United 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Published : May 14, 2017 23:15 IST , London

Tottenham beat Manchester United 2-1 courtesy of goals from Victor Wanyama and Harry Kane to clinch second spot in the Premier League in its final game at White Hart Lane.

Spurs say farewell to their home ground at the end of the season after 118 years and made sure they leave the Lane on a high, Wanyama beating David de Gea with a strong header early on before Kane doubled their lead after the interval with his first goal against United.

Match Centre

Wayne Rooney pulled one back with 20 minutes left, but there would be no comeback as Spurs held on for the win.

Sunday's defeat means United is now out of the race for a top-four finish with two games to go, although Jose Mourinho has been quite vocal in recent weeks that Europa League success is its main priority.

Indeed, the Portuguese made eight changes to the team that saw off Celta Vigo on Thursday to reach the final against Ajax in Stockholm on May 24.

Mourinho will not be overly pleased with how his side's fringe players performed, however, and he could very well decide to shuffle his line-up again when it takes on Southampton on Wednesday, with Crystal Palace awaiting next week in its final league game before the clash with the Eredivisie giant.

Spurs got off to a great start and needed just six minutes to open the scoring via Wanyama. Ben Davies curled in a pinpoint cross from the left after Christian Eriksen's corner and the Kenya international rose above his marker before beating goalkeeper De Gea with a strong header.

Anthony Martial came close to levelling in the 18th minute after outmuscling Toby Alderweireld on the edge of the area, but the former Monaco star was unfortunate to see his curled effort go inches wide at the far post.

The home side remained well on top, though, and created a number of chances to double their lead. Son Heung-min fired straight at De Gea after a good run through the middle, Kane saw his header after a corner skim the crossbar, while Dele Alli was denied by the United goalkeeper as well.

But there was no denying Mauricio Pochettino's men after the break and it was Kane who made it 2-0 with a clever finish, poking the ball past De Gea from close range after shrugging off Chris Smalling.

Mourinho brought on Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ander Herrera in an attempt to turn things around and United pulled one back in the 71st minute, Rooney finding the net with a clever finish after some good work from Martial down the left.

Alli was then unfortunate not to add a third when Phil Jones headed his shot off the line before Marcus Rashford aimed just wide in the dying moments of the game as it ended 2-1.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment