Top 10 iconic Tottenham Hotspur games of the decade (2010-2019)

#4 Manchester United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League – 29 September, 2012

Clint Dempsey scored the key goal as Tottenham won at Old Trafford for the first time in 23 years

After Harry Redknapp gave Spurs their first win at Arsenal for 17 years, his successor Andre Villas-Boas handed the Lilywhites their first victory at Manchester United for 23 years, in a strong performance that again highlighted the importance of Gareth Bale to the cause. The flying Welshman scored once and set up the other 2 Tottenham goals in a thrilling victory.

The fans at Old Trafford were stunned after just 2 minutes, with Bale playing a one-two with defender Jan Vertonghen, who somehow found his way into the box before shooting, and the ball took a wicked deflection off Jonny Evans and into the net. After continuing to dominate the Red Devils, Spurs doubled their lead with an amazing move that saw Moussa Dembele and Bale break from their own area and ended with the Welshman scoring a right-footed shot past Anders Lingegaard.

United hit back early in the second half through Nani, who poked home from a Wayne Rooney cross, but just one minute later, Villas-Boas’ side were two goals ahead again, with Lindegaard’s save from Bale finding its way to Clint Dempsey, who finished from close range. Incredibly, United pulled another goal back a minute later through Shinji Kagawa, but the usual Red Devils comeback was not on this time.

Rooney’s free-kick struck the post, Robin Van Persie saw a goal correctly disallowed for offside, and Michael Carrick also hit the woodwork, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s side couldn’t find a way through as Tottenham’s defence stood firm, giving Villas-Boas a famous victory in his first season in charge of the club.