Mancashter United (Away) 14.01.2024

The illness kept Dejan Kulusevski at home and reduced the subs bench to eight players, but it gave Timo Werner a first start and Micky van de Ven was joined back in the middle of the Spurs defence by Cristian Romero, who took the captain’s armband.  Meanwhile a big fuss was made about the home club’s new investor being in attendance for the first time and how it will encourage the side to raise their game.

And that was what they did, as most sides do against Tottenham these days.  However, much has changed and it is not the daunting experience it used to be going there, with United one of the lowest scorers in the league and having been beaten by some clubs below them with ease.  We have been beaten by United sides at Gold Trafford in the past when they haven’t been at their best, but this time, Spurs were worth more than the point they returned home with.  Topping all the key stats apart from fouls committed, Tottenham were easing their way through the match, with the home team not posing a great threat other than the odd breakaway until the final minute.

But it was United who struck first and struck within minutes of the kick off.  A ball to the left for Rashford from Fernandes saw him take a bad touch to go wide, but he came back across goal and after he was tackled in the box, the ball ran nicely for Hojlund to smash the ball high into Vicario’s top right hand corner to give the home side a very early lead.  It was an instinctive finish, created by a bit of luck, but it was a indication that they could be a threat on the break.

Spurs won a corner at the other end, but it was cleared and United broke to win a corner that Eriksen played deep for Rashford, but he could only weakly volley wide.  It was almost end to end with Spurs then building a passing move to get Porro to the edge of the box that he couldn’t quite get enough behind and it was a simple save for Onana.  Then back to the other end, Johnson lifted a cross over the home defence for Timo Werner to head at goal, but Evens glanced it out for a corner.  From it, Bentancur won the header and Dalot had to duck to head it off the line and in the second phase, we won another, but it was headed away.

Having picked off a forward pass, Destiny Udogie took a return pass and his cross was put behind for a corner.  Porro played it into the middle of the six-yard box and Onana was nowhere, leaving Richarlison to rise and head into the far side of the goal. It was a great leap and a well-directed header to bring Spurs back into the match.

The two sides swapped bookings, with Wan-Bissaka going through Johnson and then Bentancur kicking the ball away.  Yes, both were justified, but they carry the same weight, which is wrong.  Pedro Porro was having a tough time as United worked out that he wasn’t well protected on his flank, but he was doing enough to block crosses and see the ball off.  With 35 minutes gone, United had shut off all the avenues for Micky van de Ven to play the ball out and he lost it, with Garnacho playing it to Hojlund in the box, but Udogie made a fine recovery tackle to prevent an effort on goal.  United almost got a goal out of nothing, when Rashford’s cross into the Spurs box looked to have gone over Hojlund and Destiny headed it inexplicably against his own post.  Fortunately, it bounced to safety.  But soon after United did get the ball in the net with another messy goal when Rashford came inside and played it to Hojlund, got it back and slid the ball past Vicario’s left hand to put them back in the lead.  There were a lot of bodies about in and around the ball again, but we couldn’t get a telling touch on it. 

A minute before half-time Olly Skipp played a great ball out to the left for Werner, who took it forward to shoot with his left-foot, but he dragged it wide of the far post. Corners were won at each end.  United first that ended with Fernandes blazing over the bar and Tottenham’s brought a determined header by Romero that rattled back off the crossbar and then Hojbjerg dragged a shot wide.

It was United who kicked off the second half, but when Spurs got the ball, Skipp’s ball out to the left looked as though it had put Werner too wide on the left, but he controlled the ball and passed inside in the box to Rodrigo Bentancur.  With Evans in front of him, he took a touch with his right foot to give him a yard and then smashed the ball with his left powerfully over Onana’s left shoulder as the keeper went down on his knees at the near post.  It was an excellent passing move, quick and simple, with Romero starting it by dissecting the United midfield with his pass out from the back to Skippy and Werner doing very well to make the opportunity for Rodrigo.

Porro was finding plenty of space going forward, but, with time to cross, he put it over to the far side of the box where Werner won a corner.  It was cleared, but Spurs worked it back and Bentancur slid a nice pass on to Skipp, who picked out Richarlison to his left.  His low shot lacked power and Onana flopped behind the ball to gather it in.  Spurs were still pushing forward, as they were playing the ball around nicely, winning three corners in quick succession, with the final one played beyond the far post for Werner, but with the ball a little behind him, he could only hook it over the bar from ten yards out.  To try and counter the possession Tottenham were having, United took off Eriksen and brought on the more utilitarian McTominay.  They managed to work the ball to Hojlund, who ran past van de Ven, but Udogie cut out the cross for a corner that Fernandes played straight off the pitch beyond the far post.  After that corner had been won, the United striker had to urge the crowd to make some noise, as Spurs had been doing a good job in silencing the somnambulant Gold Trafford crowd.

Another Spurs corner was claimed by Onana and from the back, they set Garnacho away on their right, but Micky covered for Destiny, who was pressing, making a fine sliding tackle.  Spurs were getting caught short on that side, with Udogie pushing forward, but United’s next substitution was to bring on Martinez for Evans, so not an attacking one, although the other sub McTominay pulled a shot wide when he should have hit the target and then he stamped down on Udogie’s ankle, but the referee decided that was not a foul.  As we got to about 75 minutes on the clock, a Spurs corner was headed out to Skipp, who hit it low first-time, but it was blocked for Tottenham’s 12th corner of the match.  That again was cleared, with play for about 10 minutes after that breaking down for both sides as they tried to move the ball forward.  With 13 minutes left, Garnacho crossed from the right to try to pick out Hojlund, but it was too high for him and Porro put the ball behind for a corner, but Tottenham defended it well, with Udogie conceding another corner, but United couldn’t make anything of it.

Ange brought on Dragusin for his debut, with Skipp leaving the field and then Micky worryingly pulled up.  Fortunately it was only cramp, but he couldn’t carry on, so Royal moved to right back and Dragusin dropping into a back five. Johnson took a kick on the ankle and despite the referee handing United soft free-kicks and then McTominay heading over from five yards out when totally unmarked, the game ended in a draw.

In the decrepit surroundings of the “Theatre of Screams”, the home side didn’t look out of place.  Broken down, bits falling off and leaky in parts.  While the Palaces, West Hams and Bournemouths are in opposition, United relax thinking the results will come as in days gone by, but they play better when they feel that they have to.  So, perhaps the result is not as important to them as a glimmer of hope.  But for Spurs, the performance shows how magnificently Ange Postecoglou has transformed Tottenham in such a short time.  Dominating possession, shots and shots on target, it shows that it is possible for this team to take the upper hand and look oh so comfortable in doing so.

With a full first team, even if United had the same, I would wager that we would have an even happier return to London.

Pete Parsons

PS  I caught a video of a pre-match chat between part-owner Jim Ratcliffe and Alex Ferguson, with David Pleat sitting in the row behind, craning his neck to try and ear-wig their conversation !  I’m not sure how much he could learn from them now and you have the feeling that they should have been listening in to any conversation between the Spurs representatives there, with our new ground a team who have now scored in 33 straight Premier League matches, playing the sort of football the club is associated with.  Dream on Ratcliffe.

• Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin made their Spurs debuts.
• Spurs scored in their 16th consecutive away games.
• Spurs scored in their 33rd consecutive Premier League match setting new club record beating the previous best for scoring in
  consecutive league matches set in 1949.
• Pedro Porro’s assist for Richarlison’s goal was his seventh of the season – the most recorded by a Spurs defender in a season in the Premier League.
• This was the 100th time Spurs had played away to Manchester United.
• Tottenham’s first goal was their 100th in away matches against Manchester United.
• Tottenham’s second goal was their 250th in all competitive matches against Manchester United.