| Match report
Tottenham were slightly off the
pace in the first half at Old Trafford, but by the end they had
out-stripped the home team, easing to a 3-0 win that maintained a
100% record after three games and more importantly, a blow against
the constant focus on our record against other top six sides away
from home. Harry Kane and a brace form Lucas Moura heaped
pressure on Jose Mourinho and his side and while they had first half
chances, Spurs should have been ahead with a blatant penalty ignored
by the referee.
Having lost Erik Lamela in
the kick up before the game, Pochettino had to change the bench with
Amos joining the subs, but the side was changed moving to a
back four with the re-introduction of Danny Rose, while Mousa
Dembele came in to pair up with Eric Dier in front of them.
Lucas Moura continued up front with Harry Kane.
An early chance came Manchester United's new signing Fred’s way on
15 seconds, when Lingard’s flick header saw the Brazilian benefit
from a bounce of Toby Alderweireld and his quick shot was sliced to
Lloris’ left but wide. The home side tried to impose
themselves physically on Spurs, as Jan Vertonghen went down under a
heavy tackle from Valencia and was holding his ankle, while his back
was paining him after getting clattered by Lukaku, but Lucas Moura
was the first in the book for a raised foot that caught Jones in the
face. The first clear opening of the game came after Danny Rose hit
a poor back pass and Lukaku was in on it. Lloris was out quickly to
his left and while the Man U striker went around the keeper, he was
pushed wide enough to force him to put his shot across the face of
goal and out for a goal kick. It was a big opportunity and should
really have been on target at the very least, but Hugo did well to
make him take it wider than he wanted.
Spurs had a move break down
on their right wing and United took advantage of the space where
Trippier should have been to play in Shaw, whose low ball pulled
back to Lukaku was scuffed and Lloris got his body behind the shot.
Valencia tried an effort from range, but it was well wide and that
followed Herrera crude hack on Moura that saw him go in the
referee’s book. Pawson got a bit trigger happy booking Kane for a
foul on Valencia when the United captain rolled around after losing
a tackle. It hinted that the obvious would happen sooner or later.
United were living dangerously at the back with de Gea lofting a
ball just over Moura’s head and
then when it got to Matic, Eriksen closed him down and Dele was into
the box, but he was caught between shooting or playing Kane in and
lost the ball. Lukaku put a 10 yard header wide as he tried to
glance it across Lloris, but a quick free-kick sent Lucas Moura
spinning away from Jones and leaving him for dead until the defender
bundled into him from behind in the box, but the referee didn’t seem
inclined to give a penalty against United. Once more, Spurs are
denied by weak refereeing at Old Trafford. Making the most of their
good fortune, the home side burst forward and Fred cut in from the
right to bend a left foot shot just wide with Hugo at full stretch.
United built a bit of
pressure when they worked a ball to Pogba, but Lloris parried his
low shot away, although it went back in for the ball to bounce off
Jan’s leg and agonisingly drift narrowly wide. A couple of corners
saw United players try to box Lloris in, but he got one away and
then punched the second after the corner came in. United’s fans felt
robbed every time their players lost the ball and didn’t get a
free-kick, while Tottenham nearly had a chance, when Vertonghen’s
long ball into the box unexpectedly dropped at Moura’s feet with his
back to goal. He ran it out to Eriksen, but his shot bobbled through
to de Gea without causing him too much worry. Moura was involved
again, as a long ball from the right went over his head (and he was
baulked by Herrera) to Dele at the back of the box. He took a touch
and lined up a shot that was blocked by the recovering Herrera.
Lucas was just a foot away from Dele’s pass into the middle of the
box and that was about the last notable
incident of the half.
United started the second
half as they did the first, with Dele getting brought down and not
being given a free-kick allowing the home team to break up the left
with Shaw, whose pass inside found Pogba. His curled effort had Hugo
scrambling, but went wide. Spurs got up the other end with Kane
getting away on the left and looking for Moura in the centre of
goal, but de Gea knocked his low cross up into the air and once
again, just over Lucas’ head. Then, a long pass down the right and
Eriksen’s first time ball back across the box was met by Dele, whose
controlled shot touched off a defender for a corner. Kieran Trippier
took it and with Kane losing the weak presence of Jones to plant a
header back across the goal and in at the far post with de Gea only
able to look on as the lead went to Tottenham.
United looked to hit back
straight away and when a bobbling ball around the edge of the box
was controlled by Dembele, but straight into the path of fellow
countryman Lukaku, his immediate shot was well pushed wide by
Lloris. Chances came thick and fast, with Spurs capitalising. It was
Eriksen on the right again, this time ignoring Kane’s run to the
near post to drag the ball back to Moura, who beat Herrera to it and
steered a low shot into de Gea’s right hand corner to make it 2-0
within a couple of minutes.
A rash of United substitutes brought about a chance for Lingard when
he got onto the end of Lukaku’s knock down, but Toby made an
excellent recovery to get back and knock the ball over the bar as
Lingard closed in on goal six yards out. Rose brought down Pogba a
yard outside the box to the left side and Fred whipped it in for
Lindelof to rise at the far post, but only heading it into the side
netting. The Swede put a back pass well short of de Gea and straight
to Dele. He took it wide around the keeper, but his shot was kept
out by de Gea and 3-0 would have wrapped the game up. From the
corner, Kane could have scored, as he got free of Lindelof, but with
a straight header into an unguarded post, he put it wide.
As ever, a 50-50 went
United’s way and a free-kick was given when Pogba should have been
penalised. The free-kick came to nothing, but it needed some
determined chasing the ball down to deny United any momentum. Spurs
managed a couple of balls into the box, which were just a little
ahead of the runners, but Tottenham were still looking to hit United
on the break. Fellaini went down as Trippier engaged with him by
grabbing his arm, but there had already been a nudge by the Belgian,
so no penalty was given despite the crowd’s imploring.
Smalling was getting much tighter to Kane than Jones had, so it was
difficult to hold up play. United were pushing hard and Shaw’s shot
come cross flew off with Lukaku unable to get a finishing touch on
it. Lingard had a shot from 12 yards out, which Mousa Dembele got a
touch on to take it over the bar a couple of minutes before Sanchez
fired a volley way into the Stretford End. Christian Eriksen
won the ball in midfield, strode forward and hit a 20 yarder that
didn’t quite dip enough to trouble de Gea. Another soft free-kick
for United as Lingard couldn’t withstand the strength of Dembele’s
challenge, but it mattered not. Tottenham won the ball back, Kane
let it bounce over a red shirt in midfield and found Lucas in the
centre of the pitch with space and Smalling in front of him. The
Brazilian ran straight at him, leaving him for dead before moving
right and sweeping his shot across de Gea and into the inside of the
side netting to give the score-line a healthy 3-0 look to it.
Could United find a goal to get a way back into the match ? Well,
Fred had a header when well placed eight yards out but put it wide
and Sanchez tried to beat Lloris with a 25 yard free-kick, but Hugo
took it comfortably under his bar. Like West Ham, the seats
emptied well before the end and the faithful United fans showed what
they think of their team’s performance by voting with their feet. It
was only the Spurs fans that you could hear singing as Tottenham saw
out the five added minutes. United were undone by their
weakness in the middle of their back four. It didn’t matter who were
in that back four tonight, as Spurs made the most of the chances
they created. United did have chances of their own, but they were
mostly off target. Fred looks way off Premier League pace and Pogba
had another game that he flitted in and out of but didn’t dominate.
But United’s problems are well documented and problems of their own
Tottenham are nine points out of nine and clinically put United away
tonight, with a solid and disciplined performance.
Lucas Moura showed that his
fitness has made him a player who can make a difference in games, so
is like a new signing. His effort as well as his finishing showed a
player who is revelling in playing regular football. His link up
play with Kane up top might need a little polishing, but if they
score like this, they will continue to improve. Eriksen made a
telling contribution to our attacks, but the midfield worked hard
and the defence were sharp to keep United at bay. It was also
the way that we created our goals. Kane losing Jones for the first,
Eriksen’s run into space and the well weighted ball in front of
Moura for the second and then the sleight of foot to leave Smalling
for dead by Moura to slot past de Gea for number three. All quality
goals and using the weaknesses in United’s defence.
Pochettino deserves great
credit for his choices and the way the team was set up. Mourinho
sprung a surprise at the back, but despite having some half-chances,
with Lukaku’s from Rose’s back pass the best. Spurs could have had a
penalty and then Dele had a similar chance in the second half, but
couldn’t make the most of the poor back pass. The three goals came
against one save that Lloris had to make from Lukaku and the lack of
threat showed how far United have fallen.
So, United suffer their biggest home loss to Spurs in nearly 50
years and have their worst start since 1992-93. As for Spurs,
not a lot was said, as it was all about Jose Mourinho and Manchester
United. And that's the way I like it.
Sid E Netting |
