Harry Kane can now claim he has scored against every Premier League team he has faced in his career although he and Jose Mourinho were more concerned with the one that got away at Bramall Lane.
The England forward turned in Son Heung-Min’s 89th minute cross from six yards, but it was scant consolation for him and his team after VAR had ruled out a first half effort from Kane.
Goals from Sander Berge, Lys Mousset and Oli McBurnie inflicted a potentially costly defeat on Mourinho’s side.
But the game had swung in the first half when Spurs trailed by just one and an accidental Lucas Moura handball ruled out what looked a valid first half equaliser for Kane.
Before the game, Mourinho’s counterpart Chris Wilder had bemoaned his own side’s supposed bad luck with VAR, most notably in this corresponding fixture in November.
Then, VAR had ruled that John Lundstram’s toe was offside in the build-up to a David McGoldrick “goal” in a 1-1 draw.
And if Wilder was hoping that the footballing fates would redress the balance, they did so spectacularly last night when Spurs fell foul of the remote video official.
The controversy came after 32 minutes when Spurs, having fallen behind to Berge’s opener 60 seconds earlier, thought they had levelled.
Moura picked up a John Egan clearance, was tripped by the same defender, stumbled then had the ball cleared against him by Jack Robinson.
The rebound ricocheted kindly to Kane who easily wrong-footed Chris Basham before beating Dean Henderson with a cool finish.
It looked a perfectly good goal but VAR Michael Oliver had other ideas, spotting that the ball had struck Moura’s arm and therefore had to be ruled out under the new guidelines that forbid any handball – deliberate or not – in the build-up to a goal.
It was correct, but wretched luck for the visitors – and a mask-less Mourinho was certainly in no mood to observe social distancing niceties as he remonstrated with fourth official Peter Bankes.
And, to add to the Spurs manager’s unhappiness, he had seen his side succumb to the Blades’ first real opening of the game just moments earlier.
It came, like so many of their best attacking moments this season, from one of their over-lapping centre-backs, Chris Basham, who took George Baldock’s through ball then pulled the ball back for Berge who finished impressively from a tight angle.
Wilder’s team have exited the FA Cup and picked up one point from nine since the restart but they looked more like their old selves from kick-off against Spurs.
But Tottenham, fielding a particularly attacking line-up, looked a threat on the break with Son and Steven Bergwijn combining to set up Kane for a shot that flashed into the side-netting.
Moussa Sissoko tested Henderson, although not too severely, from distance and, after their VAR disappointment, Giovani Lo Celso’s free-kick was deflected over.
And, as United doggedly held onto their lead, Oliver Norwood, already on a yellow card, escaped another booking when his elbow caught Son.
It was shaping up to be a frustrating evening for Mourinho and it could have worsened on the hour when Hugo Lloris pushed out a Berge cross to McGoldrick who fired the rebound into the side-netting.
Spurs continued to enjoy the bulk of possession but lost shape and discipline as the game wore on, most evidently after 69 minutes when Enda Stevens played a one-two with Ben Osborn and crossed for unmarked substitute Mousset to tap in.
And, six minutes from time, they were equally negligent as Baldock freed Berge whose excellent cross was turned in from six yards by McBurnie.
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