If there is one thing in football which can raise the sagging fortunes of Manchester United it is the sight of Spurs at Old Trafford.
Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and mobile phones resembled offensive weapons the last time Tottenham won at Old Trafford and those famous white shirts from White Hart Lane again succeeded in lifting some of the red gloom.
United went into the game on the back of one point from their last 12 in the Premiership and a shock exit from the European Champions League at the hands of Portuguese champions FC Porto.
But, in a bizarre game where the swirling wind played tricks all afternoon, United ended up with a flattering scoreline and even managed their first clean sheet in the league since mid-January.
Ryan Giggs' 29th minute goal would have been a fair reflection of the game, but in a grandstand finale for the Reds substitute Cristiano Ronaldo and David Bellion grabbed goals in the last minute of normal time and third of injury-time to complete a 3-0 win.
A goalless draw in March 1995 is the only occasion since the inception of the Premiership that Spurs have avoided defeat at Old Trafford.
The last time they won at United was in December 1989 when Gary Lineker's goal gave the Londoners the points.
The wild and woolly conditions have caused havoc throughout with control difficult, highlighted best by one Paul Scholes free-kick which looked to be going over the bar and then boomeranged back into play.
Ruud van Nistelrooy blazed a 20-yard shot narrowly over the Tottenham bar in the seventh minute, but this was never going to be the Dutchman's day in front of goal.
Gary Doherty, a rock at the heart of the Spurs defence, seemed to get in the way of most of United's efforts in the first half.
His best intervention came in the 17th minute after good work by John O'Shea had sent Giggs away down the left.
The Welshman's weaving run opened the way for van Nistelrooy who wriggled into the Spurs box to create an opening which saw his shot beat goalkeeper Kasey Keller before being blocked almost on the line by Doherty.
Steve Carr and Christian Ziege both put efforts wide for Spurs - Carr's best chance coming after Jermain Defoe's mazy run from the left saw him beat Phil Neville, Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre, only for the Irishman to blast wide at the far post.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, enjoying his first start since recovering from a September knee operation, was picked out on the right by van Nistelrooy's raking pass before whacking his centre from the by-line well wide of the oncoming forwards.
In the 21st minute, Diego Forlan connected with a van Nistelrooy pass before firing his shot from the edge of the penalty area into the sidenetting.
Mauricio Taricco's attempted clearance let in van Nistelrooy seven minutes later, but he failed to control the ball and could only shoot straight at Keller from ten yards.
But, seconds later, United were ahead with a brilliant goal from Giggs.
Phil Neville found Solskjaer on the right corner of the Spurs box. He rolled the ball into the centre where Giggs scored with an audacious backheel flick from ten yards.
Solskjaer, playing wide on the right, sold a clever dummy to Taricco and Ziege on the wing, but could only follow his resulting surging run with a weak shot wide from 20 yards.
Scholes headed a Giggs cross wide at the far post, while Spurs only effort on target in the first half came from Carr's 25-yard shot which was parried by United goalkeeper Roy Carroll.
United almost added to their tally just before the break when Scholes set up van Nistelrooy to fire in a fierce 20-yard drive which was well saved by Keller.
Spurs brought on Stephane Dalmat for Taricco at the start of the second half and he fed Michael Brown, whose powerful shot was touched away by Carroll at full stretch.
United turned up the pressure at the start of the second half and Forlan missed a golden opportunity when he failed to control Keane's pinpoint cross from the left at the far post and the chance was gone.
Then, O'Shea set up Giggs for a mesmerizing run which took him from the left past three Spurs defenders into the box before his shot was well blocked at point blank range by Keller.
In the 69th minute, Keane sent O'Shea racing away down the left and the Irishman's excellent cross to the near post was lashed narrowly over the bar by Giggs' vicious near-post volley.
Van Nistelrooy drilled an effort just wide and United brought on Ronaldo for Solskjaer in the 74th minute.
He was instrumental in setting up a chance for Forlan soon after, with the Uruguayan's blistering drive from 20 yards out superbly turned over the bar by Keller.
United looked to have secured the points, but few people would have expected their glittering finish.
With less than a minute to go, Roy Keane challenged Brown for the ball midway inside the Spurs half.
The ball fell to Ronaldo, who took it forward several paces before hitting a glorious 25- yard shot into the net off the foot of a post.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson brought on Bellion for Scholes as the game ticked towards injury time.
His response was immediate and devastating.
With the match ticking towards the third minute of stoppage time, Bellion picked the ball up on the left before cutting across the box past Anthony Gardner and driving his right-foot shot into the net from 12 yards.
United boss Ferguson said: "We played very well but that is what you expect. We played some very good football in difficult conditions.
"On that form, Ryan Giggs is sensational. For 14 years, he has been up and down that line. Sometimes you expect too much of him. He has had injuries, but his rehabilitation has been meticulous and I was pleased for him." Tottenham manager David Pleat said: "That was possibly a flattering scoreline. United looked a bit more dangerous in the second half.
"Keane and Giggs were very influential. United have had bad results but they still have some great players." Man of the Match: John O'Shea - combined a composed display on the left side of the United defence with some devastating runs forward, linking up with Ryan Giggs to great effect on the flanks.