Manchester United 3-0 Tottenham – Takeaways
Credit: @ManUtd
It was a dominant display by Manchester United in their first game of a tough gauntlet of fixtures; and the 3 points were vital.
Louis van Gaal had received some criticism when his team selection was revealed, as Fellaini partnered Rooney up front and there was no room in the team for Falcao. Nevertheless it proved the correct decision and United cruised to a 3-0 win.
More from Red Devil Armada
- Aaron Wan Bissaka out for ‘several weeks’ with injury
- Manchester United break an unwanted record after Brighton loss
- Sofyan Amrabat set to miss game against Brighton
- Preview: Manchester United vs Brighton – What you need to know
- Jadon Sancho set to train away from first team squad
Let’s take away some points from the game:
1) Feel Good Football
It was an entertaining, fast and confident display from Manchester United as they carved Tottenham wide open and punished them accordingly. For the first time in a long time, David De Gea had little to do as Tottenham recorded one single shot on target. In the 89th minute of the game.
United had the most share of possession and used it accordingly; with Mata and Hererra directing play forward thanks to the effectiveness of midfield maestro Michael Carrick who registered a goal and an assist in one of his best games. He showed his importance on the team despite usually being the unsung hero if you will, much like Scholes was.
The problem coming into the game had been the defeat at Arsenal, which had blemished a decent spell of form and Louis van Gaal knew he was on the right track still; the defeat made this performance even stronger because the players wanted to win more than ever to make up for the loss in the FA Cup.
More from Manchester United News
- Aaron Wan Bissaka out for ‘several weeks’ with injury
- Sofyan Amrabat set to miss game against Brighton
- Preview: Manchester United vs Brighton – What you need to know
- Jadon Sancho set to train away from first team squad
- Mike Phelan blasts Manchester United teammates over Ronaldo exit
2) Adaptability
Louis van Gaal demands a lot from his players; and one of the qualities he looks for is adaptability. This was shown to be the case in the game; where Daley Blind played as a Left Back and Marouane Fellaini as striker. Both these players can play in these roles despite not being the first role of shoice because they are so adaptable.
Fellaini has played a striker on numerous occasions this season and looks set to continue that; his transformation from midfield enforcer to imposing striker continuing with great success. He empahsised that against Spurs with his deep runs into the box and always being involved; posing a threat in the air at all times due to his impressive aerial ability.
Blind was also worthy of a mention because despite not being as fast as Luke Shaw or the other United full backs, he was calm and composed and played the Spurs wingers out of the game. He literally played Andros Townsend out of the game, the English midfielder hauled off in the 31st minute and replaced by Dembele.
3) Individual Class, Team Effort
It was a vintage Manchester United team display; with individual class culminating into a team effort. There was the near-telepathic partnership between Mata and Hererra; which has been unfortunately rare this season despite promising signs during pre-season.
Then there was the return of Michael Carrick; who showed what the team had missed without him by scoring a goal and creating the first. He was superb in the middle of the park and kept the team in shape.
Rooney scored yet again; his move back into the strikers role proving to be one of the turning points of the season. He now has netted 14 goals at Old Trafford in his last 14 Premier League games and will no doubt be hungry for more. His celebration in response to tabloid stories was also brilliant.
Lastly but not least, give it up for Chris Smalling. He had a great game and looked confident for once. He even played the ball quite far forward as United did away with the risky back-passes and concentrated on playing the ball forward. Poor David De Gea had nothing to do all game.
Other Takes
– No Di Maria or Falcao makes for an interesting debate. With Di Maria suspended and Falcao benched the team played better without them. Should they be left out again?
– Fellaini won’t always be as effective in that forward role; so investing in a new striker if Falcao departs (it seems likely he will) to provide that extra security would be advisable
– Louis van Gaal showed why he is the manager and nobody else is. He made the calls and they worked. Hopefully they will continue to work.
– The result was crucial in the race for the top four and is a real confidence booster going into the next tough game against Liverpool.