Manchester United narrowly overcame Tottenham Hotspur to ensure that they didn’t slip further away from league leaders Manchester City. It finished 1-0 at Old Trafford with Jose Mourinho stating “We played well. To do so against a very good team feels even better.”
United matched Tottenham’s formation of three at the back for this closely contested game. Neither side really troubled the goalkeepers in the first half, with both sets of defenders on top.
It all changed on 80 minutes though, when Romelu Lukaku flicked the ball into the path of super-sub Anthony Martial to finish as coolly and calmly as we’ve come to expect from him. A momentary lapse in concentration for Spurs cost them a share of the points on a day where Harry Kane may have made all the difference. However, this was a perfect Mourinho performance. We defended well, kept it compact, and took our chance when we got it. Impressively, we are yet to concede at home in the league this season.
Player Ratings
David De Gea 6
Had hardly anything to do all game.
Eric Bailly 7
Looked solid on his return.
Chris Smalling 7
Looked comfortable and dealt with Heung-Min Son well.
Phil Jones 6
Did well, minor mishap in the first half after he collided with De Gea and gave Moussa Sissoko a good chance.
Antonio Valencia 7
Mr Consistent. Going forwards and backwards, he was good.
Ashley Young 7
The best I’ve seen Young for a while.
Ander Herrera 6
Helped control the midfield but didn’t stamp his authority on the game. Needs to be stronger in the tackle.
Nemanja Matic 7
Same as always, very good at screening the defence.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan 5
Not great, no surprises he was the first to be subbed off. Going through a bad run of form.
Marcus Rashford 7
Was our most dangerous player for the majority of the game.
Romelu Lukaku 7
Good assist for the goal. Unlucky not to have scored earlier when he hit the post with a leaping header.
Substitutes
Jesse Lingard 6
Added something different to the team, produced a great cross for Lukaku’s header. Missed a one-on-one chance to score United’s second.
Anthony Martial 7
Showed great composure to score the winner.
Matteo Darmian –
All in all, a very good result. Next up is Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday. Subscribe below so you don’t miss the preview.
