Match Review
Tottenham Hotspur 0 v 4 Manchester United, White Hart Lane, 16.00pm K.O. Sunday 4th February 2007.
Goals: Tottenham Hotspur: n/a Manchester United: Ronaldo (45 pen), Vidic (48) Scholes (54), Giggs (77)
Attendance: 36,146

Irelands number one kept a clean sheet & United scored another 4 goals as the charge for the title picked up pace at a hard away venue, Tottenham simply couldn't live with a rampant United side who did all the right things & pressed all the right buttons in a fantastic 2nd half display. Spurs after a dismal week came out the brighter side at the start, the game was quick paced and tackles were flying in from all angles giving referee Clattenburg some responsible decisions to make which in all fairness he fecked up.

Spurs lived with the Reds for the entire 1st half and United were guilty of missed chances which was proving frustrating for the visitors, Ronaldo blazed over a golden chance after Robinson saved a Carrick header & minutes earlier Henrik Larsson might have had a penalty after he tangled with Anthony Gardner, but the ref said "No", Spurs also would be cursing the referee as Pascal Chimbonda was clearly held in the penalty box by Gary Neville and still no penalty.

It finally took until the 45th minute before United would open the scoring, Ronaldo who was again simply brilliant throughout, burst into the Spurs box where he was given a penalty from Clattenburg as the referee had though Steed Malbranque had fouled the forward, up stepped the United attacker and he dispatched the penalty and United went in 1-0 at half time & also made Ronaldo a £400 bonus as he collected on his bet with SAF that he would reach the 15 goals marker.

Like a relentless predator hunting wounded prey United pressured Spurs immediately after the break & smelling blood both Vidic & Carrick went close with chances from a sustained bout of pressure in the Tottenham penalty area, both players would combine for United's 2nd goal as Carrick who is improving now with every game continued his fantastic set piece corners as the Serbanator rose above all to thump home a headed goal.

For United's third Ronaldo again would destroy the opposition as he beat his opponent he checked out Young-Pyo Lee in his rear view mirror, before feeding Scholes, it seems an age ago when "that Boy Ronaldo" would constantly make United fans & Ruud's blood pressure go sky high after wasted crosses & elaborate no end product tricks would result in a goal kick or loss of possession, now he has come of age and matured into a world class talent.

On receiving Ronaldo's cross Paul Scholes had the simplest of tap ins to score, but the Ginger Ninja took two stabs as the Reds pored on more agony dismantling a decent Spurs side. Louis Saha then provided an assist for United's final goal as Ryan Giggs ran onto the French striker's ball which tore Tottenham's defence apart before the Welshman making his 682 competitive appearance finishing the move well past Robinson.

A late flurry on United's goal saw Van der Sar called into action from Dimitar Berbatov before eventually catching an unintentional Robbie Keane knee full in the face, the Big Dutch stickman received a broken nose for his troubles and with United not having any more substitutes left, SAF had a big gap in the goals to plug as the keeper had required treatment, Ferdinand & JOS then debated debating over who would wear the spare green keeper shirt.

Tottenham tested O'Shea in the final minutes as the big Irish Defender/Midfield/Goalkeeper came off his line to punch the ball away & a brilliant tackle from the man from Waterford as he anticipated a Spurs attack with the United away support chanting "Ireland's No1" & "You'll never beat O'Shea", a clean sheet was kept.

United Starting Line-up
Rant Ratings in parenthesis
van der Sar (7); Neville (8), Ferdinand (8), Vidic (9), Evra (8); Ronaldo (9), Scholes (9), Carrick (8), Giggs (7); Rooney (8), Larsson (7).

Subs Used: Saha (7) for Rooney (64 mins), Park (7) for Ronaldo (68 mins), O'Shea (7) for Giggs (80 mins).
Subs not used: Kuszczak, Heinze.

United's Man of the Match
The Serbonator was a complete monster doing it all, booked early he showed composure to last the distance & a goal, Ronaldo & Scholes were also in the same bracket.

Rants Reaction
A fantastic team performance with several key players playing to there full potential, another hard fixture scratched off & the countdown continues.

Was Rant's Prediction Right?
We said 2-1, United Rant 7 v 29 Wrong Predictions.

Milestones
Ronaldo's 33rd Premiership goal of his United career & 42nd goal overall.
Nemanja Vidic's 3rd Premiership goal of his United career & 4th goal overall.
Paul Scholes's 94th Premiership goal of his United career & 136th goal overall.
Ryan Giggs's 97th Premiership goal of his United career & 138 goal overall.

Miscellaneous Info
United’s next match is on Saturday 10th February 2007 (H) to Charlton Athletic in the Premiership, 15.00pm K.O.