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Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in convincing fashion on Sunday to ensure they remain in the frame for a Top 4 finish in the Premier League. Goals from Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney ensured the Red Devils stayed in the hunt and closed the gap on Manchester City to two points and Arsenal to one point. Louis van Gaal made a few changes to the side after the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal which paid off while Mauricio Pochettino’s side were left to rue the fact that they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity to move past Southampton and Liverpool.Here are the five major talking points from the game at Old Trafford.
#1 Rooney is back where he belongs
It is beyond any football fan’s comprehension why someone like Wayne Rooney would be wasted in a midfield role. A proven goalscorer with a remarkable record, it was rather irritating to see Louis Van Gaal stick to his ‘philosophy’ of not playing Rooney in his strongest position. Mercifully, an injury to Robin van Persie and Falcao’s dreadful form has meant that Rooney is back where he belongs.
Since being moved up front against Preston North End in the FA Cup, Rooney has featured there regularly and now has 5 goals and an assist from 6 games. With Rooney rising in confidence with every game and enjoying his role at the tip of the formation, the fans would be sincerely hoping that Van Gaal continues to use their captain as a forward even after Van Persie returns.
#2 Carrick is Uniteds unsung hero
Michael Carrick returned to the Manchester United starting line-up for the first time since January and the impact he had was immediate and immense. Carrick’s calm and composed presence helped United dictate the game with United having the chunk of the possession, especially in the first half. Usually known for his defensive work, Carrick had a fruitful day up front as well providing a wonderful assist for Marouane Fellaini’s opener and later scoring with a well-taken header.
The fact that United have won 9, drawn 3 and lost only 1 match when Carrick has started is a clear indication of how instrumental he is for United and Louis van Gaal would be hoping the talisman stays fit for the rest of the season.
#3 Mata and Herrera deserve more playing time
Yet another victim of Van Gaals philosophy has been the Spanish duo of Ander Herrera and Juan Mata. In spite of being crowd favourites and having impressed when given opportunities, Van Gaal has been surprisingly reluctant with the duos playing time. However,Herrera performed admirably well alongside Carrick in the pivot and played a huge role in dominating the midfield. He completed 6 tackles and 4 interceptions and was also impressive on the overlap. Meanwhile, in spite of being deployed on the right side, Mata seemed to enjoy his first start since January 17th andhad a good day with 2 key passes and a pass accuracy of 88% to his name. He could have also added a goal from Fellainis cross in the 1st half if not for Danny Roses timely intervention.
Both players once again staked their claim for a regular starting berth and even though Herrera might continue in the midfield pivot in the coming games, Matas playing time remains doubtful with Di Maria returning from suspension.
#4 Spurs Top 4 hopes rely on Kanes goalscoring form
The fixture was a golden opportunity for Tottenham to close down on Manchester United in the league table and strengthen their claim for a top 4 finish. One player from the Spurs’ side that everyone expected to do well in spite of how the rest of the team performs was Harry Kane.
Spurs have been riding high on the prolific form of their young Englishman, but even Kane could not inspire a dismal Spurs side that were beaten convincingly on the day by a much better side. Even as Kane was being tightly marked by the United defenders, none of the other Spurs players looked capable of threatening David De Gea.
Having notched a total of 16 goals in the Premier League alone this season, 14 of them have come in winning cause and Spurs have lost only two matches he has scored in. Therefore, there is no doubt that Spurs need Kane’s goals for any hopes of finishing in the top 4.
#5 Finally, the United performance everyone was waiting to see
In the past few months, Manchester United have been struggling to find the combination of strong performance and results. While they have managed to get points out of matches in which their performances have been dismal, they have gone on to lose games where they have shown glimpses of the good old days.
Against Tottenham though, they were at their ravishing best. United dominated the midfield battle, were effective through the flanks, were sharp up front and were solid at the back, thus rounding up a complete team performance. The 4-2-3-1 formation also seems to bode well with all the players putting up a good show individually and complementing each other well.
With an array of tough fixtures to follow United, desperately needed a shot of confidence, especially after the 2-1 FA Cup loss against Arsenal last week that saw them lose out on their last realistic hope for a trophy this season. This game is exactly what they would have hoped for and is definitely going to give the team a huge boost in their quest for a top 4 finish.
