When United came back from 3-0 down at Spurs

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Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 5 Manchester United (2001/2002 season)

Ahead of Manchester United's upcoming trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, European Super Football will recall a previous clash between these two sides from 15 years ago.

Author - Liam C

#Throwback to a memorable match from 2001/2002. Spurs 3 - 5 Manchester United youtu.be/RWdYAZQ0Uis?...

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— European Super Football (@superfootball.bsky.social) 14 February 2025 at 17:11

United arrived at White Hart Lane in September 2001 having won the previous three Premier League titles, not that you would not have known that after an awful first-half display from Spurs. 

Glenn Hoddle's men found themselves 3-0 up at half-time after goals from Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege.

United then brought on Mikael Silvestre and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the interval. They were a different side in the second half and staged a remarkable second-half comeback to silence the home support, who were in party mode at the interval.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side scored five times without reply thanks to goals from Andrew Cole, Laurent Blanc, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Juan Sebastian Veron. The England captain David Beckham then wrapped things up with a sweetly struck shot three minutes from time.


London: White Hart Lane Stadium (Tottenham Hotspur)
The old White Hart Lane played host to a number of memorable matches involving United and Spurs

How the comeback unfolded

Within a minute of the restart, Andy Cole nodded in a precise cross from Gary Neville to spark Manchester United’s fightback.

Laurent Blanc then powered home a header from David Beckham’s corner, leaving Tottenham Hotspur rattled. United’s players and fans began to sense that a draw was now a real possibility.

With 18 minutes left on the clock, Ruud van Nistelrooy levelled the score with another well-taken header.

Just four minutes later, the comeback was complete. Juan Sebastián Verón, who had been the driving creative force in midfield throughout the second half, latched onto Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s lay-off and drilled a left-footed strike past Neil Sullivan.

The final flourish came in the 87th minute. Beckham, showing impeccable control, chested down Solskjær’s pass on the edge of the box before rifling an unstoppable shot into the net.

This remarkable turnaround from 3-0 down to a 5-3 victory encapsulated the resilience and never-say-die spirit that became the hallmark of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

We spoke to a United fan who was there

JP was at this match and he told European Super Football that this remains one of his favourite matches. He said: "It turned out to be a crazy season where we didn't win any trophies. However, there were still some memorable moments such as the second half of this match. We played with so much passion and power and Spurs couldn't handle us for 45 minutes."

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