Dominic Solanke netted a brace as Tottenham Hotspur survived a Manchester United fightback to reach the Carabao Cup semi-final with a nervy 4-3 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were cruising at 3-0 up in less than an hour until two calamitous errors from goalkeeper Fraser Forster opened the door to an unlikely Manchester United revival.
Solanke, born in England to a Nigerian father, pounced on United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir’s error after 15 minutes as Spurs edged a tight, entertaining first half – and the real drama unfolded after the break.
Dejan Kulusevski drove home an emphatic finish seconds after the restart and, when Solanke struck his second after 54 minutes, United looked like they were being brought down to earth with a crash after Sunday’s stunning 2-1 derby win at Manchester City.
Forster made his first mistake after 63 minutes when an attempted pass from his goalline, intended for Radu Dragusin, was intercepted by Bruno Fernandes, who provided substitute Joshua Zirkzee with a simple finish.
The keeper was the villain of the piece again seven minutes later when he hesitated over another clearance before a poor first touch allowed Amad Diallo to charge in and profit from his moment of indecision.
Tottenham eased the rising tension two minutes from time when Son Heung-min’s corner drifted straight in, with more questions asked of Bayindir.
There was still time for Jonny Evans to head home a Manchester United third, four minutes into stoppage time with Forster again making an error, but Spurs managed to hold on for victory.
They join Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United in the semi-finals.
