LONDON – Tottenham survived a second-half comeback to book their place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with a dramatic 4-3 win over Manchester United on Thursday.

Dominic Solanke opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a clever finish at the near post, before Dejan Kulusevski scored twice in eight minutes after the break and Solanke extended the home side’s lead again.

Man United coach Ruben Amorim responded with a triple change, introducing Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo. The former made an immediate impact as Spurs suddenly found a way to complicate what seemed like an easy path to victory. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster played a square pass to Radu Dragusin, who was caught on the heels of Bruno Fernandes and Zirkzee scored United’s first goal with a simple tap-in.

Things got even worse for Forster seven minutes later when he retained possession and Amad tackled him, with the ball flying into the empty net. Nerves ensued as Forster again looked unconvincing, this time when he blocked Amad’s long-range shot with his feet.

But it was his opposite number, Altay Bayindir, who would make the next costly mistake, deflecting in Son Heung-min’s corner in the 88th minute, allowing the Spurs captain to restore his two-goal lead.

Jonny Evans headed United’s third goal in the fourth minute of added time from an Amad corner, but Spurs held on to move a step closer to their first trophy since 2008 and ease the pressure on coach Ange Postecoglou.

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Tottenham are getting closer to the trophy they long for

Postecoglou is skeptical of any suggestion that a trophy would be a panacea to the club’s problems.

“I always say that my goal is to build a team and a club that has the chance of sustainable success,” he said on Wednesday. “No, I don’t think winning a trophy has done that, but it will help the cause.

It can definitely help the process, but it’s not the be-all and end-all if it doesn’t align with these factors. What are these factors? How is the team performing in all competitions and how is the team developing? Is it stable, is it consistent?”

This is not a Spurs team that feels particularly stable – the self-inflicted chaos of the second half is evidence of that – but Postecoglou is currently engaged in something of a battle of wills that has some fans wondering whether his all-out attacking style is compatible with the demands of English football. And quite simply, the fans here are desperate for a trophy after 16 years of knocking on the door, moving to this phenomenal stadium and building their training base.

They’re not there yet, but the home-and-away semi-final, which begins next month, is a positive addition to the calendar and helps address any immediate concerns. –James Olley

Defensive weaknesses cost Man United

Amorim will want to focus on the comeback from the 3-0 deficit, but it was United’s own fault that they were in this position in the first place.

They were the better team for most of the first half, but were down 1-0 at the break. United put no pressure on the ball as it was rolled to Pedro Porro and did not react when his shot was reflected back by Bayindir.

The next two goals, which came in the first 10 minutes of the second half, were both scored by Lisandro Martínez. The first came from a weak free kick that almost fell into Kulusevski’s path. The second was even worse. Martinez played Solanke onside and was then beaten too easily as the Spurs striker cut in from the left.

United’s ferocious press – an Amorim trait – got them going again with the helping hand of Forster, but they had too much to do. One of Amorim’s problems is that there are not enough goals in the squad he inherited. He cannot afford for his team to concede such fundamental goals and hope for a result. – Rob Dawson

The ownership protest continues despite Spurs’ victory

The backdrop to Tottenham’s 5-0 league win at Southampton on Sunday was negative cheering towards chairman Daniel Levy and club owners ENIC – and so it was again, even as Spurs took the lead thanks to Solanke’s 15th-minute strike .

“I don’t care about Levy, he doesn’t care about me, all I care about is Kulusevski,” chanted a sizable section of the home support, who later resorted to the time-honored phrase: “We want Levy out.”

Much of the dissatisfaction stems from the belief that the club is focused on profit rather than on-field success, particularly that Spurs are too conservative with transfers and wages to ever compete at the highest level. Those annoyances faded in the second half as the madness of this game took over – first as Spurs pulled away and then did their best to squander a 3-0 lead – but it is a reminder of the tightrope Postecoglou has to walk and the Board are traveling during the busy holiday season.

The feeling of mutiny is never far away, even on nights like these. – Olley

Rashford receives a message from Man United fans

Marcus Rashford has been left out of the squad by Amorim again, just two days after the striker hinted in an interview that he wanted to leave Old Trafford.

United’s head coach refused to reveal the reasons for his absence before kick-off, saying only that it was his “selection”. However, it was telling that Alejandro Garnacho was back in the squad against Spurs after, like Rashford, he had also watched Manchester City’s home game.

Rashford could be back in action for Bournemouth’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday, but if he does play he may not be particularly well received by United fans. A local boy who came through the academy, he has been a hero to most of them since he broke into the team as a teenager more than eight years ago. But they aren’t exactly kind to players who say they want to leave – especially those who are underperforming.

The fans who had traveled to Tottenham informed Rashford. A banner unveiled before kick-off in the away game read: “Apologies. Ta Ra Marcus.”

It will be interesting to see what happens if Rashford’s name is on the team sheet against Bournemouth on Sunday. –Dawson

Disaster evening for the goalkeepers

It was an entertaining evening for the neutrals, but the two goalkeepers probably don’t want to see a repeat. Forster, who came on for Spurs’ injured No.1 Guglielmo Vicario, had a nightmare and Bayindir, who got a rare start ahead of United’s regular André Onana, fared little better at the other end.

Tottenham were just 3-0 up when Forster’s simple pass to Dragusin was deflected and Zirkzee scored. He then had time to decide what to do with a back pass and inexplicably allowed Amad to shoot the ball into the net. Forster looked so shaken that he seemed nervous to pass the ball further and decided to block another Amad shot with his feet rather than pick it up.

Bayindir started in goal for United because Amorim decided to keep Erik ten Hag’s promise that he would start in the Carabao Cup. Now that he is no longer in contention, we may not see him for a while. His poor save allowed Solanke to score Spurs’ first goal and his night ended miserably when Heung-Min Son’s corner went over his head and into the net. He assumed it was a foul and argued with referee John Brookes after the final whistle, but probably mostly out of embarrassment. –Dawson