Tottenham 1-3 United

United games always have a story. And that's the best part of it. Till last season the most common start-of-the-season story used to be - United up by a goal relatively early and falling back and defending for the rest of the game and doing a pretty good job at cushioning the blows from the opposition attack. Of course the story of the games changed as the season progressed.

And that is what I think United is doing different this time around. More goals are coming in at the beginning of the season and the come-back-from-behind wins are becoming so common that you start expecting them. In essence, they are definitely quick off the starting blocks.

I started watching the game around the 10th minute and United were already down by a goal. Although I was not happy about it, I definitely wasn't alarmed. There is something about this side - a combination professionalism and heart - that makes you believe that they will win - no matter what. That reminds me of what a commentator said seconds before United mounted a historic comeback in the finals of the Champions League in 1999 - " Can United score? They always score!!"

Anyway, coming back to today's game. I didn't see the first Tottenham goal but I read that it was an overhead kick inside the first minute - sounds pretty amazing! But everyone knew that the it will not end 1-0. And after the first 15 minutes or so, it was all United. They HAD to get an equalizer before halftime. I didnt know where it was going to come from but I was so sure that its gonna come in the first half.

Seeing Giggs score always brings a smile to your face. The fact that it was a masterful free kick only makes you smile wider. The fact that it sees United get back on level terms makes you wanna say - "I knew it!". 811 games, 149 goals and still going strong. But there's something about him more than the stats. He embodies something I call Unitedism. He represents a class of players who play for a club because they love it and not because of the money or fame. There are other players with meteoric rise to super-stardom over a season or so. And then there are players like Ryan Giggs- those who are in for the long run. And we all know that winning a marathon needs more than winning a sprint. It like comparing Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh.

Ando's goal (United's second) was a bonus. This lad has been toiling hard for more than two years now and finally, FINALLY he's got his first goal. And was it sweetly struck! And it capped off a 15-20 minute period of United dominance. And I feel it was that period - the second part of the first half - that won the game for United. Dominance in terms of possession is what United are good at and they did just that.

2-1 at half-time and it was perfectly poised for a United rout in the second half. But I must say that Tottemhan came out strongly in the second half. Far from a United rout, it looked more like a Spurs comeback. And on top of that, United went down by a man. Paul Scholes of all people!! Even the most enthusiastic of United fans will not complain too much about the two yellow cards that resulted in Scholes being sent off. I can think of referees who would have given a straight red for the first tackle.

After that, White Hart Lane was probably at its vocal best (no where close to Old Trafford, but nonetheless). The next phase of play - about 20 minutes or so- reminded me of the usual start-of-the-season story for United. Waves of opposition attack soaked in by Rio and company. Midfielders were dropping back to form a second line of defense. Tense. There were a couple of times when I was even expecting to see the bulge in the net behind Foster - only to realize that it went just wide or off the crossbar. Lennon wasnt at his lethal best, but I thought Crouch was quite impressive. He was definitely more threatening than the image I had developed of him from his Liverpool days - a sorry looking tall lanky fellow who secretly believed that he should have gone into long-jumping instead. But today he was different - a constant threat.

But then the game was put to bed. A United breakway in the period of Tottenham dominance - and dont we love those! I thought it was a beauty of a ball from Fletcher to find Rooney who went past the last defender as if he never existed. Cudicini couldnt do much about that either. And there it was. A 3-1 turnaround. Rooney's 5th in as many games (He truly is keeping up to his promise of scoring Ronaldo's share of goals as well!). And there was joy in the world again!

United played the rest of the game with a attitude that said - "Ya, you guys thought you could beat us!"

Oh! And I almost forgot Evra. If there is anyone whose attacking style reminds me of Ronaldo then its Evra. Whenever he gets the ball, you almost wanna say "Run Evra run!". And more often than not, he obliges. How often do you see someone making a tackle in his own penalty box and 30 seconds later taking a pop at the opposition goal after bursting down the length of the pitch and making quite a few opponent players look like clowns in the process. I even remember towards the end of the game there was a United attack with Rooney with the ball out on the left wing. And guess who was bursting down the pitch to the centre forward position -it was Evra.

All said and done - 3 points in the bag. Tottenham's winning streak ended and they were brought back into line. Hopefully by next weekend there wont be any unbeaten teams left in the league - if you know what I mean.

Oh! And Champions League action starts this week!!