Tottenham vs. Manchester United: 6 Things We Learned at White Hart Lane

Manchester United pulled a robbery, and now it's officially a two-horse title race.

Wayne Rooney scored a sucker-punch opener, Ashley Young added two second-half goals and Manchester United embarrassed Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on Sunday at White Hart Lane. The result sent United within two points of league-leading Manchester City and left Spurs 11 points adrift of United.

Instead of chasing the Manchester Duo, Spurs will now have to fight off Arsenal, who are four points behind in fourth place.

Since taking a two-goal lead at the Emirates Stadium last week, Tottenham have now been outscored 8-1. In the bigger picture, Tottenham still haven't beaten United since 2001.

Can Harry Redknapp right the ship? Can Sir Alex Ferguson steer United to another title?

Sunday's game provided several pieces of intriguing evidence in both cases.

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Possession vs. Finishing

Possession is not everything in football. Spurs showed it Sunday.

Tottenham controlled possession in the first half, as well as large chunks of the second. But they lost 3-1. So what happened?

One problem was that, for all their game control, Spurs created relatively few clear-cut chances. Tottenham's first clear chance came in the 37th minute, and for a moment they seemed to have turned it into the opening goal.

Aaron Lennon crossed for Louis Saha, whose goal-bound shot was blocked by teammate Emmanuel Adebayor. The Togolese forward then put the ball in the net on his own, but the referee correctly ruled that Adebayor had stopped Saha's shot with his arm.

It was bad luck, really, but Spurs didn't create a better chance all day. In the 52nd minute, United keeper David De Gea made a fine save on Jake Livermore's deflected shot, but until Jermain Defoe's late consolation goal, that was about it for Tottenham in the second half.

By the final whistle, Spurs' possession advantage had been whittled down to 52-48, while their lead in shots on goal was just 6-5.

For much of the game, Tottenham played better football. But United were better when it counted, and in the end, the stats showed just how little Spurs actually dominated.

Wayne Rooney: Underrated?

Don't say it too loudly, but Wayne Rooney is playing fantastic football.

As B/R featured columnist Yoosof Farah commented during the game:

"Speaking of Rooney, he should be getting more credit this season. That's his 18th Premier League goal this term, his 22nd in all competitions from 30 games."

Yoosof is right on all counts, from the number of goals to his argument that Rooney should be getting more credit. While Arsenal's Robin van Persie has rightfully earned praise for his performances this season, Rooney has—how is this possible?—flown under the radar.

But even the rise of RvP—and the emergence of Manchester City—can't disguise the fact that Rooney is having a brilliant season.

United Will Push City All the Way

United weren't the only team to win this weekend despite being outplayed. But while such a performance is unusual for Arsenal, it's ho-hum for United.

This is the sort of thing United have been doing for decades under Sir Alex Ferguson. After all, you don't win a dozen titles by always playing your best. On days like this, when United aren't necessarily the best team on the pitch, they've developed a tendency to produce results anyway.

That's one reason why United will push Manchester City all the way in this season's title race. After Tottenham's capitulation on Sunday, the race now includes just the two Mancunian horses.

And though City currently have a two-point lead, United have genuine reason to be optimistic as well: They have the ability to win consistently when second-best—and the knowledge that they can do so at any time.

Spurs Have a New Fight on Their Hands

As recently as a few weeks ago, it would have been preposterous to suggest Arsenal had a chance to overtake Tottenham for third place in the Premier League table.

Yet after consecutive Tottenham losses, Harry Redknapp's men lead their North London neighbors by a precarious four points.

And in honesty, it feels like less, because right now, Spurs are hurting.

That's what happens when you lose back-to-back games by scores of 5-2 and 3-1. And it doesn't help that, since taking that 2-0 lead on Arsenal last week, Tottenham now have been outscored 8-1.

That two-goal lead at the Emirates feels like a million years ago. Now Tottenham need to focus on that other lead—the one they still hold over Arsenal for third place.

More Shine off Harry?

Not too long ago, it felt like the stars had aligned for Redknapp and Spurs. It was now or never for their dream of Premier League glory.

Today, that dream feels farther away than ever, and Redknapp's reputation has taken another hit.

Before Spurs fans defend Redknapp by pointing out that Scott Parker, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart all missed Sunday's match, consider this. The injury lists at Manchester United and Arsenal have been much fuller for much longer.

For United, the situation became so bad that Ferguson successfully begged 37-year-old Paul Scholes out of retirement. At Arsenal, Arsene Wenger has endured more criticism than ever before in his reign.

For Spurs, everything played out perfectly in the first half of the season. But for all their success, Sunday showed—not for the first time—that Redknapp's team is vulnerable when things don't go exactly their way. Now that sustained adversity has appeared, the train is in danger of running off the tracks.

It's an image that played out on the pitch Sunday as well. All season, early goals have been key to Spurs' success. Once they fell behind to a sucker-punch of an opener from Manchester United, Tottenham quickly fell apart.

Redknapp must take some of the blame. But he also must recognize the opportunity he and Spurs still have before them.

Young and Restless

It's been a fine week for Ashley Young.

After scoring in England's loss to Netherlands in a midweek friendly, the 26-year-old winger added two more goals—the second a stunner—against Spurs. Young also scored in the Europa League loss to Ajax.

Before then, though, Young had been mired in a run of indifferent form. As the season hits the stretch run, he seems to be rounding back into form.

That should bode well for United's title chances, as well as Young's chances for a spot in England's squad at Euro 2012.