Gibson 16, 39

Two long-range strikes from Ireland international midfielder Darron Gibson were enough for Manchester United to see off an insipid Spurs challenge and book a place in the Carling Cup semi-finals.

This repeat of last year’s final was over as a contest almost as soon as Gibson opened the scoring.

Spurs had started brightly and fashioned a number of early half-chances. But they lacked belief and penetration after falling behind and United cruised home.

Both sides fielded weakened starting line-ups. Spurs rested five players while United fielded a young side with experienced reinforcements on the bench.

But it says much of Spurs’ challenge that Darren Fletcher, Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs were not needed.

It had seemed rather different in the game’s opening exchanges, with United’s Tomasz Kuszczak the only keeper called into action, saving Jermaine Defoe’s sixth minute snapshot from the edge of the box.

Nemnja Vidic, alongside Wes Brown as the only two centre-backs available, also got in two vital blocks as Tottenham, with Aaron Lennon prominent, threatened consistently.

So it was against the run of play when Darron Gibson picked up Anderson’s pass and drove the ball sweetly past Spurs’ keeper Heurelho Gomes on 16 minutes.

Young full-back Ritchie de Laet took his turn to block a Defoe effort four minutes later.

But Spurs were already running out of ideas when Gibson doubled United’s advantage seven minutes before half-time, with an even better goal than his first, combining with Danny Wellbeck before curling the ball round Gomes from 20 yards.

It was an incisiveness which proved beyond Spurs, despite their introduction of Tom Huddlestone for the second-half.

Had David Bentley pulled a goal back on 57 minutes, matters might have taken a different turn. But he shot straight at a grateful Kuszczak after being set up by Gareth Bale. And the rest of the evening drifted towards an inevitable anti-climax.