Incredible Man United comeback stuns Spurs

Manchester United 5 Tottenham Hotspur 2. Manchester United swarmed back to the top of the Premier League thanks to an extraordinary comeback from two goals down against a shellshocked Spurs at Old Trafford.

If United do go on to win the league as now looks likely, this is the game that people will look back on as the one where United rediscovered their belief - although they had a very dubious penalty award to thank for sparking the recovery.

After defeats against Liverpool and Fulham and some shaky performances against Villa and Sunderland, United looked a shadow of the team that appeared to be cruising to the title earlier this year.

And having seen Liverpool sweep past Hull to maintain the pressure at the top of the table, United knew they need to win to avoid being sucked back into a title race that should have been over weeks ago. Yet they responded with a dismal first half performance that would have had Sir Alex Ferguson seething.
 
United seemed to be in disarray as Spurs scored twice in the space of three minutes either side of the half-hour mark thanks to Darren Bent and Luca Modric, and some terrible defending.

Ferguson must have turned the hairdryer up to 10 during the break as the side that emerged in the second half proceeded to rip the visitors to shreds in front of an ecstatic Old Trafford crowd.

But it was a controversial referring decision from Howard Webb that got the ball rolling when he ruled that Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes had brought down Michael Carrick in the box when he had appeared to get the ball.

Cristiano Ronaldo fired home the spot kick and suddenly United clicked into gear. Rooney equalised soon after and just a minute after that United went in front when Rooney crossed for Ronaldo to head home their third.

Rooney made it four in 14 minutes when his volley crept over the line despite some desperate defending from Jonathan Woodgate. The final goal came from Spurs old boy Dimitar Berbatov who scored the fifth late on.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYINGDaniel Taylor, the Observer: There is always one moment, one defining day, when everything comes together for the team who are going to finish as champions. Until yesterday Manchester United's supporters might have wondered whether it could be ­Federico Macheda's stoppage-time heroics against Aston Villa. But then Tottenham Hotspur had the temerity to take a two-goal lead and, once again, Sir Alex Ferguson's men demonstrated their unique ability to pull off the most astounding feats of escapology.

Duncan White, Sunday Telegraph: To have been a fly on the wall of Manchester United’s dressing room at half time. At the break of another compelling Premier League game, Tottenham were leading 2-0 and every red pub in Liverpool was jubilant. What Sir Alex Ferguson said — or rather roared — clearly worked because United came out and tore Tottenham to pieces in a magnificent second-half display, vivid with echoes of 2001 when they came from three goals down to beat the same opposition 5-3 in one of their great comebacks. ·