Tottenham vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League Match
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United both kept their recent unbeaten runs going in the Premier League as they fought out a back-and-forth 0-0 draw on Sunday.
Just two days on from the last fixture for each side, United made the better start and spurned several great opportunities to score, with Vlad Chiriches clearing one off the line, Phil Jones seeing a goal ruled out for offside and, in the second half, Juan Mata hitting the post.
Spurs went closest through Harry Kane in the first half and Ryan Mason in the second, finishing by far the stronger side as the game went on. Still, neither team managed to find a telling strike.
Here are all of our winners and losers from the draw.
Loser: Jonny Evans
1 of 5
Jonny Evans started on the left side of Manchester United's three-man defence and was, by and large, atrocious.
Andros Townsend got the better of him plenty of times by performing his own one-trick move of cutting infield to chip in a cross or shoot, while Evans also let Harry Kane run in behind him once or twice without tracking the run.
Passing-wise, Evans was very hit-and-miss, while it was no surprise to see him subbed for Chris Smalling in the second half.
Winner: Juan Mata
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Juan Mata was comfortably United's most dangerous attacking player in the first half, where the away team were well on top and really should have found a goal or two.
Mata's incisive passes, ability to pick spaces between the Tottenham midfield pivot and centre-backs and his willingness to move the ball quickly meant Spurs really couldn't get close enough to him to shut down United's attacking impetus.
The Spaniard did fade in the second half as Spurs grew into the game, but he still had a couple of chances to score—he clattered the post with a deflected free-kick, while also spooning a shot well over the bar late on.
Loser: Radamel Falcao
3 of 5
Whether it was playing twice in the space of two days or simply that he still isn't up to speed in the Premier League, Colombian striker Radamel Falcao looked off the pace and sluggish for United against Spurs.
Two of the best chances of the first half fell his way, with one in particular a gilt-edged opportunity to open the scoring. But where something as simple as a good first touch would have set himself up, Falcao instead lost the ball beneath his feet and could only scuff an effort toward the net.
In the second half he was essentially anonymous as the chances dried up for United, offering nothing in build-up or penalty-area presence. He was also booked late on, conceding a free-kick which spelled danger for his team.
Winner: Hugo Lloris
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The Tottenham 'keeper produced some superb moments in the first half to deny Manchester United, most notably with a magnificent sprawl to his left to claw away a top corner-bound shot from Ashley Young.
Lloris was quick off his line to thwart a few attacks before they even resulted in shots. He also denied Robin van Persie at close quarters, saving with his feet after the Dutchman took down a lofted pass on the edge of the six-yard box.
A good all-round display from Lloris; a clean sheet and a point for his team. In his current form, it will not be long before bigger clubs begin circling for the France international.
That could prove to be a major problem for the White Hart Lane club.
Loser: Louis Van Gaal
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United were well on top and looked a sure bet to eventually find a way through for most of an hour. That was until manager Louis van Gaal opted to switch tactics as Spurs started to get themselves a foothold in the game.
Switching from a 3-4-1-2 to a very narrow, lopsided 4-3-1-2, Van Gaal removed his team's ability to pass directly through Spurs' midfield to the offensive wing-backs. He instead clumped most of his players centrally and close to the halfway line, while the full-backs—Rafael and Luke Shaw both came on—ended up sitting back, not supporting moves forward.
It left United without an out-ball, with no movement through the centre and fighting a battle to keep a resurgent Spurs at bay.
Ben Nagle of the Daily Mail quoted Van Gaal as saying, "It was the best performance of Manchester United this season, in the first half. We could have scored four or five goals, but we didn't reward ourselves."
He added, "Of course [it was a missed opportunity]. You have seen also the match, you can review all the possibilities. Even when we were on the goal line, we couldn't score."
