There were times during the first half when it felt as if Manchester United were toying with the Tottenham, their 2-0 lead at half-time a poor reflection of a game that felt mainly about how the home team would react to what had happened at Newcastle on Sunday.
Spurs looked inhibited, the 6-1 hammering in their minds – along, perhaps, with all of the other craziness that had made them the crisis club of the moment. And yet as they stared into the abyss, they found strength. From somewhere.
