Will Manchester United spoil Tottenham's White Hart Lane farewell?

By Peter Smith

Image: Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored Manchester United's winner over Tottenham earlier this season

Tottenham will bid farewell to White Hart Lane on Sunday - but could Manchester United spoil their celebrations?

Spurs will wear a commemorative kit to mark their final game at the north London venue - their home for 118 years - and the club have planned a post-match ceremony featuring former players and musical performances to make it a memorable send-off.

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However, United got the better of Mauricio Pochettino's side earlier this season at Old Trafford and have the potential to dampen the mood this weekend.

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It wouldn't be the first time a special occasion has been spoiled by an opposition team.

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Premier League clubs have generally signed off in style in their last home matches before moving stadium. In 2016 West Ham enjoyed a memorable 3-2 win over Manchester United as they waved goodbye to the Boleyn, while Southampton, Leicester, Arsenal and Sunderland have all been victorious on their final appearances at their former stadiums.

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Image: West Ham wave goodbye to the Boleyn Ground after their 3-2 win over Man Utd

However, Derby's final match at the Baseball Ground - 20 years ago this week - didn't go as well, as a full house watched the hosts lose 3-1 to 10-man Arsenal.

Image: Shaun Goater after Manchester City lost their final game at Maine Road

Manchester City suffered a similar fate in their final fixture at Maine Road in May 2003, when Michael Svensson scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for Southampton, before a post-match music concert.

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In recent years there have also been key figures in Premier League history who have been denied a fairy-tale finale.

Image: Steven Gerrard scored on his final appearance for Liverpool - but lost 6-1 at Stoke

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, for instance, had his Anfield farewell spoiled by Crystal Palace, who pulled off a surprise 3-1 win in 2015. His last-ever Premier League appearance was even more off-script; the Reds skipper did get on the scoresheet but Liverpool were thrashed 6-1 at Stoke.

Image: Sir Alex Ferguson's reign ended in unpredictable style at West Brom

Sir Alex Ferguson also missed out on a final victory in his last game in charge. Manchester United led 3-0 and 5-2 at West Brom in May 2013, but a Romelu Lukaku hat-trick helped the Baggies deny Ferguson a 1,500th win with United. The remarkable 5-5 draw also marked Paul Scholes' final appearance for United.

When it comes to the international stage, there are plenty of tales of opposition countries spoiling supporters' moments to treasure.

Image: Germany - and the weather - rained on England's parade in their final match at the old Wembley

Germany beat England 1-0 in the final international game at the old Wembley - a result which sparked Kevin Keegan's resignation as manager - while both Greece and Portugal have beaten host nations in European Championship finals in the past 13 years.

Brazil - featuring a 17-year-old Pele - defeated Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final in Stockholm but suffered their own shock on home turf when eventual winners Germany thrashed them 7-1 in the semi-finals of the 2014 edition.

Image: Brazil were humiliated 7-1 in their 2014 World Cup semi-final against Germany

So history shows Tottenham aren't guaranteed a victorious finale to the White Hart Lane era.

Watch Tottenham v Manchester United live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 4pm.

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