Amad Diallo’s brilliant individual effort for Manchester United was not enough to prevent his side from being eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup quarter-finals on Thursday night.
Despite the Ivorian international’s remarkable goal, United fell to a 4-3 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, ending their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals.
Tottenham took an early lead in the match through Dominic Solanke, and despite a subdued response from United in the first half, they went into the break with a 1-0 advantage.
However, Spurs quickly doubled their lead early in the second half.
Dejan Kulusevski and Solanke both found the net within ten minutes, putting United in a difficult position.
Just when it seemed like United’s hopes were dashed, they were given a lifeline through Tottenham’s defensive lapses.
Joshua Zirkzee capitalised on a pass from Bruno Fernandes, slipping the ball past goalkeeper Fraser Forster to make it 3-1, reigniting the visitors’ chances.
Moments later, Diallo produced a moment of magic.
Tottenham’s goalkeeper Forster made a poor decision to pass the ball back, underestimating Diallo’s pace.
Amad Diallo vs Tottenham!
Incredibly good footballer!! 👏
[🎥 – @_Utdbaki]pic.twitter.com/91H09qlGK4 https://t.co/UOGKxUqLlp
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) December 20, 2024
The young Ivorian anticipated the misjudgment, closing down Forster, tackling him, and calmly scoring United’s second goal to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
The visitors pressed hard for an equaliser, but in the final stages of the match, Tottenham sealed their victory.
Heung-Min Son delivered a corner that sailed directly into the net, with United’s goalkeeper, Altay Bayindir, claiming he was obstructed.
Despite protests, the referee allowed the goal to stand, giving Spurs a 4-2 lead.
United managed to pull one back in injury time through Jonny Evans, but it was too little too late as Tottenham secured a 4-3 win to progress to the semi-finals.
The defeat marked the end of Manchester United’s League Cup campaign.
The Amad Diallo cycle. pic.twitter.com/gO8wJxz3sH
— : (@MDE________) December 19, 2024
In the aftermath of the match, the draw for the semi-finals revealed that Tottenham will face Liverpool, while Arsenal, led by Thomas Partey, will meet Newcastle United.
The first leg of the semi-finals is set for the week of January 6, with the return matches scheduled for a month later.
