Manchester United (Home) 30.10.2021

It was more like a first choice XI after Wednesday’s trip to Burnley, but by the end it was immaterial who were wearing the shirts, as without passion, price and determination, they could be guests at a Halloween party.

The first five minutes saw Tottenham dominate possession after United took the kick-off and played it into touch and those five minutes ended with Spurs working on the right wing and Emerson laid the ball back for Son to shoot from the edge of the box and it deflected wide for a corner.  In the seventh minute, United crossed in from the right by Fernandes and Cavani got across Dier at the near post, but his header went harmlessly across goal and then Dier blocked an effort from the Uruguayan a couple of minutes after. The second five minutes belonged to United, with Spurs defending well when the Reds tried to make their way into the Tottenham box.

Romero scuffed a couple of clearances at the back, but Spurs got away with them and then when Davies crossed at the other end, there was a shout for a penalty when it hit Wan-Bissaka’s arm, but he was turning his back, so it wasn’t going to be given. What was given was a free-kick a yard outside the box when Varane and Maguire brought down Gio and he took it, but hit the wall. Lucas recycled it and lifted it back over the back five to Son, whose first touch took the ball down and his second on his right foot lifted it high into the North Stand. United broke quickly and Fernandes was almost through, but Shaw’s raking pass pushed him right, but he dinked a cross that Cavani won and again, he glanced his header wide of Hugo’s right-hand post.

Sonny won a corner on our right, Son played it into the middle and Dier won the header, with the ball bundled over the line at the far post by Cristian Romero from a yard out, but then the linesman put his yellow flag up and the goal was wiped out on VAR. United went close in the 33rd minute, with Fred hitting a shot that was fading away from Hugo, but his dive allowed him to push the ball wide for a corner.

It looked like Spurs might have broken the United back-line when Kane sent Son away, but Wan-Bissaka got back to block Son’s shot in the box, but then the yellow flag went up again anyway.  After a series of swings and kicks at the ball around the edge of the Spurs box, it came out to Fernandes who lifted a cross to the far post over Davies’ head and Ronaldo had pulled off him to volley a right-foot shot across Lloris low into the opposite bottom corner. It was a blow as United had looked tentative at best and we had played well, but you don’t always get what you deserve in this game and it needed a response to knock the confidence out of United again.

Ronaldo got away with an arm across Romero’s face, but it wasn’t too bad, but indicative of his age meaning his legs might be letting him down. Emerson moved forward on the right and played a pass inside to Lo Celso, who fired high over the goal under pressure from Varane. Tottenham passed the ball well through the United midfield before half-time and Lo Celso won a corner that Davies headed over, with Romeo running onto it behind him.

There was little in it, but Spurs needed to play on Shaw and Maguire, who had early bookings.  Committing them to a tackle or pulling out of one would leave some space to make something of or would bring a second that might help our cause. That and not being so passive, as we needed to make something happen and being aggressive in the challenges would let United know we would not be pushed over.

With Hojbjerg giving the ball away early on in the second half, it looked as though that might not happen, but when de Gea gave it straight to Moura, he played it inside to Son, who hit it first time, but wide of the keeper’s left-hand post. Ronaldo thought he had a second when he smacked McTominay’s pass beyond Hugo two minutes into the second half, but the yellow flag was raised again and it seemed to take a long time for VAR to rule it out. Neither side could retain possession, with it changing hands until we won it off Fred, Romero fed Lo Celso, but his pass to Son was poor and was won by United.  Moura was hooked with Bergwijn coming on, it wasn’t to the liking of the Spurs fans. There was a bit of pressure on the United goal without producing an effort on it, but when a high bouncing ball was taken off Skipp, Fernandes slipped it through to Cavani, who ran on to slide it past Lloris for 2-0.

Skippy got pulled off with Tanguy Ndombele replacing him, but it mattered little, as United almost repeated the goal until Romero tidied up. Spurs looked content to pass the ball around without any notion of what to make of it. Balls into the box were never going to be won, as they were well delivered and with United dropping deep and readying Rashford to his Spurs on the break with 20 minutes to go, there seemed little chance of getting back into the game. Bringing Dele on for Lo Celso was a last throw of the dice, but it would be difficult how we could bring the best out of Dele, when we had struggled all game to get our forwards into the match.

Spurs had a great chance to break on United when Cavani presented the ball to Kane after Romero pressured him for 25 yards. Getting to the box, Kane stopped the ball and then put in a weak dinked cross that was easily cleared. It was shocking decision making by Kane and let United off the hook when a goal at that stage might have seen them wobble.

Emerson kept trying to get forward on the right and won a corner, but while this one at least didn’t hit the first defender, it looped up into the air and Dele couldn’t get his bearings to lay a boot on it.  United took Cavani off with Lingard taking his place, but Spurs could not make any impact as a good move out of defence saw Bergwijn play a cross from the left that found Kane in a similar position beyond Shaw and Maguire, but whereas Ronaldo knew what he wanted to do with it, Kane looked surprised that it got to him and it bounced off him and then Shaw for a corner.

Kane did chase back to win the ball in his own half, but while it was good to see his effort, we needed him in the box. Not that any crosses would have picked him out. Groans were  ringing out almost every time Kane did something. He hit the back of a defender with a sloppy pass and showed how little he is offering Tottenham at the moment.

Another ball beyond the Spurs defence put Rashford through and he put the ball across Lloris to the keeper’s left to round of a dismal evening. He was being played on by Davies on the far side, but it was a simple chance to take.

To lose to a side who are playing decently in West Ham was bad enough, but to capitulate to a United side battered by Liverpool last week and in a crisis of confidence is really poor. We never looked like threatening the United goal, with nor purpose or meaning in our play. Players run here and there, but without any cohesion, as the ball gets played into areas where there is no white shirt or they have men around them. There appears to be no energy in moving the ball quickly and with little being offered up top by Kane, it leaves no focus to the team’s attack.

The season will no doubt trundle on and we won’t get relegated, but the chance of anything good coming out of it is ebbing away already. Pride in home performances seems to be off the agenda and we are shipping goals way too easily. Any opportunity to turn it around seemingly doesn’t lie with Santo, who stands impassively on the touchline, which must transfer the feeling to the players as they seem content to keep playing as they have been. For once, you hope that you might see him impassioned enough to point or raise his voice to the players, just to try and make a change in the way things are going, but no.

It’s going to be a long, hard, cruel winter.

Ted Maul