Ange Postecoglou took the three points from his first home game as Tottenham Hotspur manager, defeating Manchester United 2-0.
It was an entertaining first half, despite neither side making the breakthrough. Guglielmo Vicario had to be at his best to deny Marcus Rashford after he was played through by Antony, while Andre Onana matched him with an impressive stop from Pape Matar Sarr.
A talking point arose midway through the half when Alejandro Garnacho’s attempt was deflected wide off the arm of Cristian Romero. VAR checked for a penalty, but the on-field decision stuck.
The best opportunity of the half fell to Bruno Fernandes, who should have found the net. The Portuguese was picked out by Luke Shaw with a cross but skewed his free header horrendously off target.
Moments later, Spurs twice came within inches of taking the lead. Heung-min Son laid off for Pedro Porro, whose thunderous effort clattered the crossbar. The ball soon found its way to Sarr, and his cross was deflected onto the post by Shaw.
The hosts kept the pressure up after the break and soon opened the scoring. Dejan Kulusevski’s cross deflected kindly into the path of Sarr, who slammed his effort into the roof of the net.
The Red Devils initially responded well, twice coming close to grabbing an equaliser. First, Antony saw his shot crash off the post after being fed by Fernandes.
Fernandes was the creator again shortly afterwards, finding Casemiro with a set piece. However, the Brazilian’s header was well saved by Vicario.
Man Utd’s spell of pressure soon ended, with Tottenham taking control. Yves Bissouma dragged one wide at the near post, and Son had a goal-bound shot deflected wide by Shaw.
The Lilywhites’ dominance eventually told as they grabbed a second goal late on. Substitute Ben Davies miscued his shot, but Lisandro Martinez diverted it into his own net.
It was an impressive performance by Postecoglou’s men, who will go into next week’s fixture against Bournemouth in high spirits. They remain unbeaten, with four points from two tough games.
As for Man United, it was another underwhelming display from a side yet to get going. They have three points from two games, following last week’s unconvincing home victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Tottenham Hotspur
Guglielmo Vicario (7/10) – Made important stops to deny Rashford and Casemiro either side of half-time. A much improved display after a shaky debut.
Pedro Porro (6/10) – Looked good going forward, but struggled defensively. Hit the crossbar with an excellent strike in the first half.
Cristian Romero (7/10) – Kept a cool head and let little past him. Perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty in the first half.
Micky van de Ven (7/10) – Struggled with the pace of Rashford in the early stages, but grew in confidence. Strong second half performance.
Destiny Udogie (8/10) – Relentlessly energetic down the left. Defended well and caused some problems going forward.
Pape Sarr (9/10) *MOTM* – Ran the show in the middle of the park. Broke up play excellently, looked comfortable on the ball, and took his goal well.
Yves Bissouma (9/10) – Dominated the midfield along with Sarr. Some lovely touches and great energy.
Dejan Kulusevski (7/10) – Got in behind Shaw several times. End product wasn’t always the best, but provided the opener.
James Maddison (8/10) – Settled in well at his new club. Always looked likely to make something happen.
Heung-min Son (8/10) – A constant threat. Created a couple of chances and could have had a goal.
Richarlison (5/10) – Held the ball up reasonably well, but failed to provide much threat.
Substitutes
Ben Davies (7/10)
Ivan Perisic (7/10)
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (6/10)
Manor Solomon (NA/10)
Emerson Royal (NA/10)
Manchester United
Andre Onana (7/10) – Excellent distribution. Made a few good stops. Maybe a little slow to react to the second goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (5/10) – Given a tough time by Son. Offered little going forward.
Raphael Varane (5/10) – Often allowed Son to get the better of him. Didn’t do enough to stop Spurs’ frontline.
Lisandro Martinez (6/10) – Had to cover for Shaw, making a couple of crucial blocks. Misjudged the ball horribly for his own goal.
Luke Shaw (5/10) – Caught out of position far too often, allowing Kulusevski plenty of space. Created a wonderful chance for Fernandes with the game goalless.
Casemiro (4/10) – Looked way off the pace. Beaten far too easily on numerous occasions.
Mason Mount (4/10) – Offered very little at either end of the pitch. Couldn’t physically match Sarr and Bissouma.
Antony (5/10) – Lost the ball carelessly on multiple occasions. Unlucky not to score in the second half.
Bruno Fernandes (6/10) – Created a few chances. Will have been disappointed not to have scored in the first half.
Alejandro Garnacho (5/10) – Got into a couple of promising positions, but didn’t do enough to really threaten.
Marcus Rashford (5/10) – Showed some threat early on, but was anonymous after the break. Looks out of place up front.
Substitutes
Christian Eriksen (5/10)
Diogo Dalot (5/10)
Jadon Sancho (5/10)
Facundo Pellistri (NA/10)
Anthony Martial (NA/10)
