Anthony Martial, Angel Gomes Score as Manchester United Beat Tottenham in ICC

Manchester United maintained their winning record in the International Champions Cup on Thursday with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai. 

The Red Devils were comfortably the better side in the opening period and took the lead in the 21st minute, when Anthony Martial managed to squirm a shot past Paulo Gazzaniga in the Spurs goal.

Tottenham improved in the second period, and Lucas Moura was able to level the game when his deflected shot found a way in. However, with 10 minutes left on the clock, United starlet Angel Gomes offered a glimpse of his potential, when his shot from a narrow angle fizzed past Gazzaniga. 

Victory for United continued their excellent pre-season form, as they have won all four of their matches.  

As Paul Hirst of the Press Association noted, the players were having to cope with difficult conditions in Shanghai:

Of the two sides, United fared better early on, as their passing was crisper and their attacking football more lively.

Martial was at the heart of most of their good work. The Frenchman slapped the post with a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area, and his movement as the lone striker in United's attack was causing problems for the Tottenham defence.

In the end, Martial got the goal his positive start to the game deserved. The forward was played in behind the Tottenham defence and into the right channel, before rattling a shot off at goal, which squeezed in at the near post after a touch from Gazzaniga.

Still, the movement was sharp from Martial, and football journalist Peter Hall said he would like to see more of the 23-year-old through the middle: 

Football blogger Liam Canning thinks being at the point of the attack suits Martial:

Chances for Spurs were rare in the first half, as they struggled to click into any sort of gear against a much livelier United side.

At half-time, there was a cumulative 16 changes from both sides, leading to a lull in proceedings after the players got the second half under way.

However, Spurs slowly started to find their groove, and Moura had Tottenham back on terms 20 minutes into the second half. The Brazilian fired off a shot from the edge of the penalty area that took a huge deflection on its way past Sergio Romero in the United goal.

B/R's Rob Blanchette noticed a drop-off in the quality of the Red Devils' performance in the second half: 

One of the second-half substitutes got United back in front in the final stages, though, as Gomes thrilled the Shanghai crowd.

The 18-year-old burst into the box, played a sharp one-two with Juan Mata and then kept his composure when through on goal, stroking the ball into the corner past Gazzaniga. 

What's Next?

Tottenham will continue their pre-season preparations with another high-profile clash on Tuesday, when they face Real Madrid in the Audi Cup.

The Red Devils are also next in action on Tuesday; they go up against Kristiansund at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway.