Manchester United vs. Tottenham: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United opened the 2015-16 Premier League season with a low-key victory at Old Trafford against Tottenham Hotspur.
Kyle Walker's own goal in the first half was the only strike in a 1-0 United win, with clear chances few and far between over the 90 minutes. Christian Eriksen lobbed Spurs' best chance over the bar, while United's only shot on target came from Ashley Young.
Here are the winners and losers from the game as competitive action got back underway in England.
Winner: Eric Dier
1 of 5
Moved further forward than usual to play in a holding midfield role rather than at centre-back, Eric Dier impressed more than most on the Tottenham team sheet in the first game of the campaign.
The Spurs man was strong in the challenge, looked very agile and mobile in coping with Morgan Schneiderlin's occasional bursts forward and also used the ball simply but effectively.
He received a yellow card in the second half for a nonexistent challenge on Young, with manager Mauricio Pochettino opting to sub him soon after as Spurs chased an equaliser.
Loser: Nabil Bentaleb
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Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb was one of Spurs' top performers last season, but he didn't have a particularly happy or effective start to this one.
Bentaleb was sloppy in possession, took too long to pick a pass and several times conceded the ball far too easily—including in the buildup to the Manchester United goal. He didn't really control the space in the centre of the park and was overrun by Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick as the first half wore on.
He was subbed just a few minutes into the second half, with Ryan Mason coming on.
Winner: Matteo Darmian
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United fielded Memphis Depay, Sergio Romero and Schneiderlin for debuts, and each played his part in the win without being superb. Meanwhile, right-back Matteo Darmian was the standout new face for the Red Devils.
Comfortable in possession, quick to support play up the field and strong with his defensive work, Darmian looked a good fit for the team, offering balance going forward and tracking back, and he certainly warranted his starting spot.
A late substitution saw him replaced by Antonio Valencia, but it's fair to assume Darmian will be the regular starter in that berth.
Boss Louis van Gaal was impressed, per BBC Sport.
"I said to Memphis that he doesn't have to play too eagerly and with too much passion and that counts for the whole team. But it's always the same - the first time you play at Old Trafford it's always difficult, but I liked the performance especially from Darmian."
Loser: Mauricio Pochettino
4 of 5
Last season, Spurs had match after match in which, for all the reasonable possession they had, there was simply not enough in attack in terms of movement beside or beyond Harry Kane.
After no investment in that area of the pitch over the summer, it can't be a surprise to the manager that the same issue remains: Getting the ball to Kane isn't the problem; it's what happens next. The forward plays outside the area but has nobody to feed play into and run off, nobody bursting beyond him with regularity and little in the way of support inside the penalty area to attack crosses.
It's unfathomable how Spurs did not see that this will be a problem again for them, yet Pochettino looked frustrated and demanding on the touchline when his side continually failed to create chances. News flash for Poch: Nacer Chadli, Mousa Dembele and Eriksen aren't going to do this job.
Ever.
It needs to be altered if Kane remains the lone frontman.
Winner: Chris Smalling
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BT Sport's Man of the Match and probably a good shout for it, Chris Smalling didn't put a foot wrong at the back—although he wasn't exactly overly tested by Spurs' timid front line.
The centre-back was dominant in his direct confrontations with opponents, winning a number of tackles and interceptions cleanly to alleviate danger. After the early minutes when Eriksen broke free to lob in a shot over the bar, United's back line never really looked like it would be breached.
A clean sheet in the first game of the season, and Smalling certainly looked the more assured of the two United centre-backs.
