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Monday night's blockbuster clash saw Manchester United suffer a demoralizing loss against an upbeat Tottenham side, with a brace from Lucas Moura and a goal from Harry Kane helping the visitors secure a morale boosting win at Old Trafford.
United failed to capitalise on Dany Rose's howler in the 16th minute after Romelu Lukaku failed to shoot into an empty net after rounding Hugo Lloris. The likes of Fred and Matic had a few half chances, but none of them were enough to trouble a solid Spurs rearguard.
The second half saw Spurs take the lead in the 50th minute after Harry Kane headed home from a Kieran Trippier corner. United were punished for some lazy defending after Lucas Moura doubled the lead just two minutes later. Moura added a third six minutes from time to condemned United to their second defeat of the 2018/19 Premier League season.
In this article we take a look at the three reasons why United suffered a 0-3 loss at the hands of Spurs.
#1 United completely switch off in the second half
United looked to bounce back from a shocking 3-2 loss to Brighton aiming for a win against Spurs. The hosts showed some intent in the first half, enjoyed most possession and employed a counter press to prevent the likes of Moussa Dembele, Eric Dier and Christian Eriksen from providing Spurs' front line with the requisite service.
The only negative aspect of United's first half performance was their inability to take their chances which could have altered the result of the game. Lukaku squandered three glorious chances, one of which was a shocker as he missed an open net after rounding Lloris in the 16th minute.
Everything went downhill for United in the second half after Harry Kane gave Spurs the lead in the 50th minute. Phil Jones was at fault for not marking Kane properly for which United were made to pay.
Spurs heaped more misery on United soon after as Lucas Moura slotted in Eriksen's cross. During the buildup of the second goal, Luke Shaw was caught out of position which gave Eriksen enough space to put in an inch perfect ball for Moura. As the ball came towards Lucas, Ander Herrera failed to charge him down in time, giving the Brazilian ample time to slot the ball past a hapless De Gea.
Looking for a route back into the game, United threw men forward, only to be caught on the counter in the 84th after Kane assisted Moura for his second of the night. It was a classic case of a team being punished for switching off at three vital moments in the second half.
#2 United rue missed chances which could have altered the game's momentum
Football is a sport where a team could be severely punished for failing to convert clear cut chances. Manchester United were on the wrong end of this saying.
United began the game on a bright note as they set up in an organised manner, thereby preventing the likes of Eriksen and Alli from having any space to exploit. Jose Mourinho also employed a counter press which limited Spurs in their own half during the initial periods of the game.
The Red Devils spurned their first real chance in the 16th minute when Danny Rose played an awful back pass, that was intercepted by Romelu Lukaku who missed a gaping goal after rounding Lloris. Coupled with this miss, some abject finishing from the likes of Fred and Matic did not help United's cause as they failed to trouble the Spurs defence.
The game's momentum could have been altered in United's favour had they taken these chance, preventing the hosts being swatted aside by an efficient Spurs side.
#3 Substitutes fail to make the desired impact
Tottenham Hotspur turned on the heat in the second half after goals from Harry Kane and Lucas Moura gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 54th minute.
In order to get back in the game, Mourinho immediately brought on Alexis Sanchez, who replaced Ander Herrera shortly after the second goal. Herrera was caught out of position on several occasions during the game and was also responsible for not closing down Moura in the build up to the second goal.
Along with Sanchez, Mourinho hauled off Phil Jones and Nemanja Matic for Victor Lindelof and Marouane Fellaini respectively.
The introduction of Sanchez looked to inject some energy during the initial stages of the second half, but the Chilean looked clueless while picking out a pass in the final third. Fellaini replaced Matic in the 61st minute and cut an anonymous figure during his cameo as the Belgian was well marshalled by Alderweireld and Vertonghen, and did not receive enough deliveries from his wingers and attacking midfielders.
On the other hand, Lindelof seemed to have been reeling from the after effects of the game against Brighton and did nothing to transmit calm across the back line. An example of this was seen in the 66th minute after his atrocious back pass found Dele Alli, who's attempt was saved by David De Gea.
Overall, the substitutes could not offer their side a route back into the game which leaves Mourinho and Co. with much to ponder about.
