Tottenham 2-0 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points as Spurs secure encouraging win with second-half blitz | Premier League 2023-24

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester United 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, 19 August.

Spurs entered this game on the back of a 2-2 draw away at Brentford in their opening game. Despite their new signings, including James Maddison doing well, Ange Postecoglou's men were only able to secure a point.

The club also bid farewell to long-time servant Harry Kane, who departed for Bayern Munich. However, things went on as the Greek-born boss named a strong lineup.

The Red Devils, on the other hand, were lucky to walk away with a narrow 1-0 win over Wolves last weekend, with Raphael Varane grabbing the winner. Many believed goalkeeper Andre Onana was extremely fortunate to not give away a penalty late in the game for a reckless challenge. Erik Ten Hag named a strong lineup as they looked to move on.

The first half saw both Manchester United and Tottenham go toe-to-toe in most aspects, with the hosts edging the possession stats by 57% to the visitors' 43%. However, Spurs had a greater number of attempts as they fired 14 shots but only three of those were on target. United, on the other hand, hit the target thrice from half the number of attempts.

Both teams had one big chance to score apiece, with Pedro Porro's shot rattling the crossbar, before Bruno Fernandes missed a wide-open header at the other end a while later. Manchester United were also denied what looked like a clear penalty after Cristian Romero handled the ball, but Tottenham escaped.

The two teams entered the interval deadlocked at 0-0.

Tottenham looked much more lively coming out for the second period as they played with a spring in their step. Doing so from the get-go caught Manchester United off-guard and the hosts grabbed the lead just four minutes after the restart. Pape Matar Sarr made a late dash into the box to score his first-ever goal for Spurs, sending the home fans into raptures.

Spurs continued to play the game at their own pace, while both managers made multiple changes in the closing stages as they looked to alter the result. However, the hosts held on to secure an important win, their first of the new campaign.

Tottenham defeated Manchester United by a comfortable 2-0 scoreline. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.

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#5. Manchester United were denied a clear-cut penalty in the first period

Having made a positive start to the contest, both teams showed signs of scoring as the teams attempted 21 shots combined in the first period. However, the visitors entered the break feeling hard done by as their incessant appeals for a penalty midway through the first period fell on deaf ears as Michael Oliver was having none of it.

Alejandro Garnacho got into a good position inside the box and shaped up to take a shot, which Cristian Romero promptly blocked. However, his arm was in an unnatural position away from his body and Manchester United made a strong case for it being a penalty. Oliver felt otherwise and did not award the spot-kick, and was backed up by the VAR, who denied it as well.

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#4. Pedro Porro rattled the crossbar just before the half-time break

Following the waived penalty claims, Tottenham looked eager to stamp their own authority on the game. They committed bodies forward in a bid to open the scoring and came excruciatingly close in the 40th minute.

Destiny Udogie was in an advanced position in Manchester United's box when he brought the ball down straight into Heung-min Son's path. The South Korean then played a perfect pass to Pedro Porro, who smashed a shot that rifled against the crossbar and out.

Tottenham hit the right upright via Pape Matar Sarr during the same move from a deflection as they came increasingly closer to breaking the deadlock.

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#3. Bruno Fernandes missed a sitter in the first half

Known for his late runs and his ability to time them to perfection, Fernandes has a penchant for scoring goals from midfield. He got into some great positions for Manchester United and came the closest to giving his team the advantage with a perfectly-time run.

However, he flicked his head to strike the ball a split second sooner than he should have, resulting in the ball hitting the side of his head and missing the target by some distance.

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#2. Pape Matar Sarr scores a lovely first goal for Tottenham

The first half looked much more evenly balanced compared to the second half as Spurs took to the pitch with greater intensity and determination to win. This paid dividends just four minutes into the second period as a cross found its way to Sarr via a deflection off Lisandro Martinez. The Senegalese midfielder made a smart, late run into the box and met the ball to score in the 49th minute.

Pape Matar Sarr was by far Tottenham's best player on the pitch, winning two duels, attempting four shots, and playing one key pass. He also played two long balls.

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#1. Lisandro Martinez's own goal sealed the win for Spurs and summed up United's night

Tottenham came out for the second half with visibly more intent to go and win the game compared to their counterparts. Despite having a few chances come their way as well, Manchester United were ineffective in the final third as they failed to trouble Guglielmo Vicario at all.

Towards the end of regulation time in the second half, Ben Davies found himself in the visitors' 18-yard box. A cross was played towards him, which he managed to get a feather on, before Lisandro Martinez scuffed his clearance, only for the ball to roll into his own net to make it 2-0 to Tottenham. This defensive lapse summed up the kind of game most Manchester United players were having.