KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: For one week at least Tottenham can dial down on the crisis talk. No such luck for Manchester United. Their 1-0 defeat in north London conceded a league double to Spurs for the first time in 25 years and will further test fans’ goodwill towards manager Ruben Amorim.

Since Amorim took charge in November, only five sides have picked up fewer points in the Premier League than Manchester United’s 14. He is also only the second United manager to lose eight or more of his first 14 top-flight games after old-timer John Chapman (10).

The final whistle saw Tottenham overtake United and edge up to 12th with their first home league win since beating Aston Villa at the start of November. United slipped to 15th, albeit at least a secure 12 points above the relegation zone.

Tottenham are the first side to win three separate games against United in a single season in all competitions since Chelsea in 2012-13. Manager Ange Postecoglou said: “Winning was everything. We’ve had it pretty tough for the last two or three months. We can play better but I think we will, once we get some of the other boys back up to speed.”

Match-winner James Maddison said: “It’s always tough being injured and we’ve had a lot of them. Our physio room was full of senior players. I know I can be the difference so it was nice to get on the scoresheet. We’re not in the position we want to be so I’m proud of the lads and also pleased for the fans.”

Immediate relief for Postecoglou will not assuage fans’ anger with owner ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy. More than 1,500 fans had marched in protest outside the ground before kickoff demanding the departure of Levy, with 20 years the longest-serving chairman in the league.

Postecoglou and Amorim had sympathised with each other’s injury crises ahead of kickoff. The Australian and Portuguese also know the burden of being heat shields for owners Levy and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Tottenham are emerging from their injury nightmare. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and playmaker Maddison returned while Bayern loanee Mathys Tel made a hard-working home debut in attack. United’s own problems were underlined by the fact that eight of their nine subs boasted only 10 minutes of first-team experience between them.

Vicario survived a quick-fire flurry of early United chances before Maddison opened the scoring. United keeper Andre Onana could not hold a low drive from Lucas Bergvall and made it easy for Maddison to score his first goal in 11 Premier games against United.

A bad miss by Alejandro Garnacho, shooting high over the bar with time and space, allowed Tottenham to hold their lead to the interval. Garnacho was guilty of wasting another opening in a frantic second half and Joshua Zirkzee glanced a header wide before Tottenham hung on for only their second home clean sheet of the season.

Amorim said: “We had opportunities but, in the end, they scored and we didn’t. I think we can recover some players for the next game. We have to be together to finish the season and start over. I am not worried. I understand our fans, what the media think about it. The rest I am not thinking about. I am confident on my work and I just want to win games. The place in the table is my worry, I am not worried about me.”

Both clubs now have a week in which to draw the appropriate lessons and reclaim more of their casualties. Breathing space for Postecoglou before Tottenham go to Ipswich, more questions for Amorim before United’s next awkward test at a reinvigorated Everton.

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