Division One 1965 1966 Tottenham Manchester United

White Hart Lane London
Saturday 16 October 1965

 Along with Manchester United 5 Tottenham Hotspur 1 atOldTrafford, Saturday 18 December 1965, this was probably Match of the Day's best double bill. 

The matches were played two months apart, but the cavalier spirit of the times, personified by two clubs who always put the accent on entertainment, produced 12 goals and filled both grounds. In their black and white transmission on BBC 2, Match ofthe Day listed the teams in the old 2-3-5 formation. And that's how they played, in a fixture that was to take on a classic status over the years.
Spurs went 4-0 up at White Hart Lane, with Jimmy Greaves beating four defenders and the goalkeeper with a stroke of genius for the third goal. He missed the return match through illness, but this was United's day. Law scored two and Bobby Charlton beat Jennings from distance, as he had in their first encounter.

 Tottenham: Jennings, Norman, Knowles, Mullery, Brown, Mackay, Johnson, Clayton, Gilzean, Greaves, Robertson. Scorers: Gilzean, Johnson, Greaves, Clayton, Robertson (For the second match, Beai, Jones and Saul replaced Norman, Johnson and Greaves. Jones was Spurs
Manchester United: P. Dunne, Brennan, A. Dunne, Crerand, Foulkes, Stiles, Connelly, Best, Charlton, Law, Aston. Scorer: Charlton (At Old Trafford, Gregg, Cantwell and Herd replaced P. Dunne, Brennan and Aston. United's scorers were Law (2), Charlton, Herd and an own goal by Beai.)

The BBC's blanket coverage of the big event in the summer of 1966 does not come under the Match ofthe Day title. But the new technology that sent crisp, pertinent pictures flashing around the world was to precipitate a major revolution in BBC football in the season to follow.
Never again would Match of the Day be tucked away on the second channel.
This would prove the most momentous season  in the history of English football, climaxed by the winning of the World Cup on home soil. Those whose goals would prove invaluable to England set their stall out on Match of the Day in the preceding months. Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were on target for West Ham, Roger Hunt for Liverpool, Bobby Charlton for Manchester United and there was even a televised goal by little Nobby Stiles.
Manchester United gave way in their League Championship power battle with Liverpool, who were applauded on to the pitch by their opponents when Match of the Day covered their last home game against Chelsea. Not that Tommy Docherty's team were too worried about a 2—1 defeat that day. They had already won at Anfield in front of cameras in the third round of the FA Cup, and the first extended coverage of the competition by Match of the Day also captured a titanic Chelsea victory over Don Revie's Leeds in the fourth round.
Sheffield Wednesday ended Chelsea's hopes in the semi-final at Villa Park, but BBC cameras brought no luck at ail to the other Sheffield club. United were on the wrong end of a 6—2 scoreline at Arsenal, and then crashed 4-0 at West Ham.
But in a season when BBC 2 viewers were swamped with goals, the Hammers were also on the receiving end. Nottingham Forest put five past them, and there were four apiece for Fulham against Sheffield Wednesday, with future England manager Bobby Rob-son among the scorers, and for Tottenham against Blackburn Revers.
This match, at White Hart Lane at the end of January, marked the return to action of Jimmy Greaves, who had been out for three months with hepatitis. He scored, of course, but his draining illness was felt by many to be a contributory factor to his disappointment in the World Cup.

A game that is remembered for the score line and also for the outstanding goal scored by Jimmy Greaves.  He picked the ball up inside the United half, ran at their defence , going past a number of defenders before rounding the keeper to tap the ball into an empty net - a classic Greaves goal!  All five forwards scored that day – the other goals coming from Jimmy Robertson, Alan Gilzean, Eddie Clayton and Neil Johnson making only his third appearance.  Amazingly and unfortunately for Spurs, the return game in December also ended 5-1 to the home team.