Manchester United vs. Tottenham: Score, Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Manchester United gave manager Louis van Gaal the perfect 64th birthday present on Saturday, as the Red Devils kicked off their 2015/16 Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

A Kyle Walker own goal midway through the first half was the difference between the sides, as United emerged on top in a rather uninspiring encounter.

Van Gaal handed debuts to Sergio Romero, Matteo Darmian, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin from the start, but it was Spurs who began on the front foot.

Harry Kane clipped a ball through to the mercurial Christian Eriksen with just three minutes on the clock, yet his lob over the onrushing Romero nestled on the roof of the net.

That let United very much off the hook, and it wasn’t until Walker put through his own goal that the hosts started to settle.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Ashley Young found Rooney unmarked in the box after being played in down the right-hand side, and Walker’s attempts to get back and dispossess his England colleague got United off the mark.

It was the first glimpse of the Red Devils playing with the kind of attacking flair we’d all expected to see, as they’d looked lost for ideas up until that point. ESPN FC’s Miguel Delaney echoed that sentiment:

It was the same old story for Spurs, too: starting brightly and failing to take advantage. Journalist Jonathan Wilson was one of many remarking on Tottenham’s inability to cement their dominance:

Juan Mata’s snap shot toward the end of the first period was as close as United came to doubling their lead before the break of what was a rather drab affair.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, all the pre-match talk was about how Romero would fill the boots of wantaway goalkeeper David De Gea, but he coped with everything that was thrown at him.

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He gathered a free-kick from Eriksen at the start of the second half well and also made a vital interception when Nacer Chadli looked like getting in.

Romero didn’t look particularly comfortable with the ball at his feet, though, and Offside Liam commented on the 'keeper’s distribution:

However, neither the Argentinian nor his opposite number, Michel Vorm, had a particularly busy afternoon in a game that lacked a creative spark.

Still, the defensive resilience of United will have given fans encouragement. BT Sport's Man of the Match, Chris Smalling, made some important challenges, and Darmian didn’t put a foot wrong.

Kane was virtually nonexistent for the duration—and that’s saying something.

Spurs pushed for an equaliser as the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, but Romero was equal to everything Mauricio Pochettino’s side offered.

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A raucous cheer went up as the final whistle went, which rather tells you everything you need to know about the victory, but United know performances will need to improve if they’re to make a realistic push for the title this year.

They say playing badly and winning is the sign of champions, yet you have to think that any side with a bit more about them up front would have put United to the sword on Saturday.

A win is a win, though, and it represents a much better start to the campaign than this time last year.

Reaction to follow…