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When a ‘pulsating’ Tottenham ended the England career of a Premier League legend in 2012

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Tottenham have enjoyed some fine days out against Manchester United in recent memory, however one stood above the rest as they announced themselves as a genuine threat to the big dogs in the Premier League.

Spurs narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League at the conclusion of the 2012/13 season, however were really becoming a serious prospect with the likes of Gareth Bale leading the attack.

One of their biggest wins of that campaign came at Old Trafford, when Andre Villas-Boas led his side to a famous 3-2 win against the Premier League giants.

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

When a ‘pulsating’ Tottenham destroyed Manchester United

First half goals from Jan Vertonghen and Bale put them up 2-0, however they were pegged back level by Nani and Shinji Kagawa.

They could easily have showed signs of ‘typical Spurs’ here, but instead pushed on and found a winner through Clint Dempsey.

BBC Sport described the game as ‘pulsating’, and Spurs certainly rode their luck late on when the likes of Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie went close.

There were a number of big names on display for the hosts that day, however a torrid afternoon for one of them up against an electric Spurs attack effectively put an end to his career at the international level.

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Tottenham victory put an end to Rio Ferdinand’s England career

Rio Ferdinand had recently been left out of the England squad by new manager Roy Hodgson, and he was in attendance to watch two of the best sides in the Premier League go head-to-head.

The centre-back had no answers for a blistering attacking line, doing his chances of returning to the national team squad no favours going forwards.

Ferdinand’s last appearance for England came in 2011, meaning he did never return to the international scene after this game.

As Spurs were on the way to becoming a serious challenge to the big sides in the Premier League, they seemingly put an end to Ferdinand’s time at the top at the same time.