Manchester United 0-3 Spurs
It was Mauricio Pochettino’s night in Manchester as his title-chasing Spurs had a rare win at Old Trafford in spectacular fashion.
After a first half dominated by the hosts, Spurs ripped the Red Devils apart with a brilliant display of counter-attacking football in the second to go joint top of the Premier League.
This game between United and Spurs is always one of the most anticipated matches of the season and there was plenty of intrigue in the build-up. Manchester United vs Spurs predictions may have been shaped by a candid interview with United boss Jose Mourinho when he said his team needed time. Did he mean his team or himself? Okay, the Red Devils lost at Brighton but the weirdest results come at either end of the season and surely it’s not time to panic just yet.
But the way Spurs dismantled the Reds tonight makes me start to wonder.
Highlights of the game
Jose’s players seemed to respond to the bosses’ pre-match comments and they had much the better of the first half. They simply bossed the opening 45 minutes with 54 per cent possession and 10 shots to two. The Red Devils played with more speed and urgency than we’ve seen for a while and should have been ahead at halftime.
Romelu Lukaku had a golden chance on 16 minutes when he latched on to a stray back pass from Danny Rose. He rounded keeper Lloris but failed to convert from a tight angle.
For all United’s domination centre-back Phil Jones was a lucky, lucky boy on 29 minutes when he bundled over Lucas Moura in the box for a clear penalty. But there was no whistle and the Red Devils heaved a big sigh of relief.
Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris hasn’t had the best of weeks off the pitch but he was on his game here, saving well from a Paul Pogba effort on 34 minutes to keep Spurs level.
Mauricio Pochettino would have been happy to get his team in level at the break, and he’ll have been even happier five minutes into the second half when his side went ahead.
It’s not often that Harry Kane scores a goal in August but he managed it for the first time last week at Wembley against Fulham and he did it again at Old Trafford. He hadn’t really had much to work on in the first half but when Christian Eriksen swung a cross in he headed brilliantly home.
United‘s anguish and Spurs’ delight was doubled just two minutes later when Eriksen was the provider again, cutting the ball back for Moura who fired into the net for his deserved goal.
The Red Devils strived to get back in the game but couldn’t find a way through, and then Kane had a glorious chance to put the game to bed with a point-blank header which he somehow put well wide.
The hosts gave everything they had and Lukaku and Jesse Lingard made desperate attempts to score. But the game was well and truly over when Kane fed Moura and the Brazilian left Chris Smalling for dead before shooting past David de Gea.
It was a cruel scoreline for United but a great night for Spurs.
Key statistics
Playing on Monday gives the title-chasing teams a chance to digest the weekend’s Premier League 2018 Results and while champions Manchester City had dropped points Chelsea and Liverpool had three wins from three.
Spurs were trying to match the pace-setters by winning the first three games for the first time since 2014 and they did it in style.
Unbelievably, this was Harry Kane’s first goal at Old Trafford and Spurs has lost more games at Old Trafford than any other team in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino has now won 200 matches in all competitions as a manager and his Spurs had lost two in 23. It’s looking good in North London.
But It hasn’t been the best of starts for Jose’s team.
What’s next?
SBOBET Premier League 2018 is warming up nicely and these two title hopefuls have intriguing tests around the corner.
Manchester United desperately needs a win and they travel the short distance to Burnley next Sunday. It might not be a bad time to play the Clarets. Sean Dyche’s team is in a new world, dividing its time and limited resource between the Premier League and the Europa League. Let’s see if they are fatigued after playing Olympiacos on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Spurs visits a neighbour too, heading up the road to Watford. You’d think that would be a good chance for a Spurs victory, but Javi Gracia’s Hornets have also won three from three. It’s a top of the table clash!
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