Shearer: This is why Manchester United beat Tottenham

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Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.

Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer says Tottenham Hotspur were lacking big players to give their side a lift during their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, the BBC reports.

Spurs were looking for a place in the final and an opportunity to end their ten-year wait for a piece of silverware as they faced a Manchester United side coming off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

Tottenham were favourites at Wembley considering the venue has been their home for the season, and Spurs got off to a perfect start as Dele Alli put them 1-0 up after just 11 minutes, finishing off Christian Eriksen’s cross.

But for all their early dominance, Spurs were pegged back by an Alexis Sanchez header before Spaniard Ander Herrera completed the Manchester United turnaround in the second period with a low, drilled effort.

Spurs were in need of some inspiration, but they ultimately lacked ideas in their bid to find an equaliser – prompting Alan Shearer to highlight their lack of big players who can come in and change the game,

“I think (Manchester) United deserved it. I thought they managed that second-half brilliantly. When you look at the touchline, they have got a serial winner in Jose Mourinho and they used all of that experience and guidance. From a Tottenham point of view, when you look to their touchline and their big players to give the side a lift, they were lacking,” the former England man told the BBC.

Manchester United had the luxury of Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to come off the bench, but Tottenham, in contrast, were short of game-changing options – with Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura failing to impress.

On their day, Pochettino’s Tottenham side are undoubtedly as good as Europe’s elite, proven by their 3-1 Champions League win over Real Madrid, but they are a side who struggle when they are on the back foot.

The club’s strict wage structure means they don’t have that strength in depth compared to their nearest rivals, and unless they adopt a different approach, they ultimately need to be at their very best every single game in order to challenge for the biggest trophies.