Tottenham Hotspur suffered a sour 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United, in what was Jose Mourinho’s much-awaited return to Old Trafford.
The Lilywhites looked out of shape throughout the game, especially in the first half. Marcus Rashford’s early opener acted as the catalyst to the complete domination that followed from the home side. The English international, along with his partner in crime, Jesse Lingard caused a lot of trouble for the Spurs backline – making a host of dangerous runs into the final third.
Dele Alli, however, restored parity in the 39th minute with a moment of brilliance. And despite United’s dominance, the first half still ended with both teams drawing level. That was, until, Moussa Sissoko attempted a foolish tackle on Rashford and though the penalty looked soft on the eye, the United forward made no mistake, netting his second of the night.
The visitors did push for the second equaliser in the final 15 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to destabilise the United backline as Mourinho tasted his first defeat at his new club. Here is how his men have performed this evening.
Paulo Gazzaniga 7
Gazzaniga performed really well notably denying the likes of Mason Greenwood and Daniel James. He was busy throughout the night and did quite well to respond to that pressure. He could have done a little better in saving Rashford’s opener.
Serge Aurier 4
Aurier made some threatening runs down the right flank, especially during the final phase of the game. But defensively, the Ivorian was all over the place. His marking wasn’t good as it allowed Rashford way too much space on the flanks.
Davinson Sanchez 5.5
Sanchez’s inability to pass out from the back when opponents are pressing high was clearly evident in this performance. The Colombian lacked the composure and also failed to keep out the threat of Lingard and Co.
Toby Alderweireld 6.5
Led the side well despite the acres of space United attackers had received. But, one would argue that the Belgian should have been much more assertive as far as his defensive game was concerned.
Jan Vertonghen 6.5
Had a difficult time dealing with the threat of James on the left flank. He also had to stop Aaron Wan-Bissaka from making a mark into the game. But in hindsight, the veteran defender was surprisingly good going forward, notably playing a key role for Alli’s equaliser.
Moussa Sissoko 5
It was always a risk starting with Sissoko ahead of Ndombele and Lo Celso. And the Frenchman didn’t do justice to his selection either by applying unnecessary pressure to Rashford after he had beaten Aurier. It was his foul that led to the penalty for United’s second goal.
Harry Winks 4
The youngster’s struggle against the big teams continue. Indeed, Winks was extremely susceptible in midfield and barely provided any sort of solidity in the middle third of the pitch.
Lucas Moura 5
It wasn’t the best of games for the Brazilian, who was barely involved in the proceedings. But, it’s fair to point out that he was mainly utilised as a runner by Mourinho.
Dele Alli 8
Alli’s sensational goal in the first-half indicated the playmaker’s swift revival under Mourinho. The England international looked menacing whenever he had the ball, and he was, more or less, the only real spark in the Tottenham attack.
Son Heung-Min 6
It was one of those rare nights when even the ingenuity of someone like Son Heung-Min, simply didn’t work. The South Korean was often overwhelmed by the United pressure and had a pretty quiet evening.
Harry Kane 6
Kane looked seemingly desperate as he was rarely getting the ball. As a result, he even had to track back and pick the ball up from midfield. It pretty much sums up Spurs’ performance tonight.
SUBSTITUTES
Christian Eriksen 5
Replaced the ineffective Moura in the 64th minute with a lot of promise. But, the Dane struggled to make any real impact on the proceedings.
Tanguy Ndombele 7
Should have been the one to start ahead of Sissoko in midfield. The Frenchman looked influential ever since he replaced Winks during the final phase of the game.
Giovani Lo Celso N/A
A late substitute for Sissoko, who was pretty much Spurs’ culprit tonight.
