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Manager Louis van Gaal’s unchanged team was an indication of positive for the whole team as they played out an entertaining goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspurs on a bitterly cold afternoon at White Hart Lane. The Red Devils created two clear-cut opportunities in the first half, both of which fell to in-form Robin van Persie, but the Dutchman failed to convert despite the odds being stacked in his favour.
For Spurs, it was an average game from their standpoint as they have made a good effort in fighting for the point they deserved. They could have won the game if the chances were taken at time.
Player Ratings (1-10; 10 being the highest)
Manchester United
David de Gea, 7: He had a decent game with some saves. He made some good saves against Christian Eriksen and Andros Townsend to prevent Tottenham nicking it in the second half. It was another clean sheet for David De Gea.
Antonio Valencia, 6: He was not upto the mark as expected. He was subbed off injured at half time to be replaced by Rafael, and marked a very average first half performance.
Ashley Young, 7: A fine game from Ashley Young who continues to look lively and effective in his new wing-back role. In the first half, he made a super curling cross which was sent out for a corner by a super save from Hugo Lloris. It would have become a goal to remember for Young but unfortunately it wasn’t.
Phil Jones, 7: He was good at defence, and almost found net one occasion which was disallowed for offside. He was one of the only three United central defenders to play the whole 90 minutes.
Jonny Evans, 6.5: A good game for Jonny Evans, though he didn’t always have a great deal to do at the back. United's defence seems much more assured with the Northern Ireland international in the side, but he was wasteful in possession and was replaced late on.
Paddy McNair, 7: A solid game from the youngster, who has continued to settle in well as part of the United first-team. A few shaky moments but manager Louis van Gaal has kept faith in the youngster after hauling him off early at Southampton. He was booked later in the game.
Michael Carrick, 6.5: His passing was top-notch and was a protection in front of his back four. Despite not able to influence things further forward, Carrick showcased a calm and composed show, and was happy to drop back to help out his defence.
Juan Mata, 7: One of the real bright sparks in the team, Juan Mata linked up play very superbly and was involved in all of United’s best moves.There was a deflected free-kick hit post and showed some exquisite touches. Sometimes he was too lightweight in the challenge.
Wayne Rooney, 6: A decent effort from Wayne Rooney, but not his most influential game in a new central midfield role. He was busy and came close with a header for cross from Ashley Young .
Radamel Falcao, 5: A quiet game overall from the Colombian international, who seemed to slow down United’s attacks when on the ball. But still he does not appear fully fit and that showed with some poor finishing, could easily have been hooked off for the fresher James Wilson.
Robin van Persie,5.5: It was not his best performance upfront, with a few missed chances when put through on goal by his team-mates. If any of those chances were converted, it would have become a different game in every aspect.
Substitutes:
Rafael (on for Valencia, 45): He could not get forward as often as he would like as Spurs pushed on during the second half. He was booked as soon as he came on.
Chris Smalling (on for Evans, 72): Smalling stood firm as Tottenham became the side most likely to grab a late winner.
Luke Shaw (on for McNair, 75): Shaw returning back from injury had a decent 15 minutes of play. His introduction allowed United to switch to 4-4-2 but little time for the England man to impact on the United performance.
Tottenham Hotspur
Lloris, 8: The Tottenham captain made some sensational saves to keep his side in the game, particularly to deny van Persie and Young in the first half. Good distribution. Without his man of the match performance, Spurs would have conceded more than 2 goals in the first half itself.
Chiriches, 5: He was out of position many times. As a right-back, he did not have a good game and was very ragged at time while making some exceptional challenges.
Fazio, 6: Fazio who poses a strong physical presence in the defence was good with his positioning last night. However, he was very prone to commit an error, allowing United's strikers to run off him too easily at times which might have decided the game.
Vertonghen, 6: The Spurs centre-back enjoyed a gruesome battle with van Persie, and was crucial for his side like Lloris. He kept the Dutchman out. A classy performance from the Belgian is to be noted.
Davies, 6: A useful performer from the left-back who enjoys defending. But other than that he could not contribute much to his teammates. Making some crosses would have helped the team but he failed to do so.
Stambouli, 5: He was lucky to have escaped a sending off after he was given a yellow card in the first half for a rash challenge against Michael Carrick. Making too many fouls, Stambouli lacked quality when with the ball.
Mason, 6: The main draw of Mason is his energy which was clearly visible in the whole game. He could not perform with high energy as he lacked quality. He might have scored late on.
Townsend, 6: He was also booked for a challenge on Ashley Young. In the second half, he was preferred to Lamela and had an average show with glimpses of crucial moments.
Eriksen, 7: The Danish was always a threat from set-piece but could not create as many chances as expected. He could have been a real threat to an inexperienced United defence but unfortunately, failed to pose a real, match changing performance.
Chadli, 6: Skinned Jones beautifully early on but faded. It was just an average performance from Chadli who was unable to create opportunities to Kane.
Kane, 7: The man in form, Kane could just look when the balls came through. He showcased his magnificent workrate throughout the match, but his workrate could not make a difference to the game. Living the dream and determined to stay in this side.
Substitutions:
Lamela: In the second half, he came on for Chadli in the 78th minutes. Still he could not make any change in the game.
Dembele: He came in for Townsend who was booked earlier in the first half. Dembele had played for more than 10 minutes which was not enough for him to create a chance.
Result:
A goalless draw at White Hart Lane was deserved for the home side. But, for the visitors it was something like two points dropped. Even the manager said that. But Spurs manager was pretty happr for the point they got.
Van Gaal said, "The players were tired because we’ve had to play twice in 48 hours. It’s scientifically proven that the body can’t recover within two days, and we’ve seen the effects of that today."
“We lost two points I think,” added van Gaal. “We had the best performance of Manchester United’s season in the first half, we could have scored four or five goals I think, but we didn’t reward ourselves. In the second half, it was more of a struggle than football.”
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said, "I think it's a fair result. Today our performance was good - it was a great effort from the players. It was a difficult first half against a Manchester United team with great players, but we believed and showed we were solid. We are improving with every game.”
“Lloris is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It's not new for me. We know the quality from Hugo. Maybe it was a penalty on Kane, from seeing it on the TV. But during the game it was difficult to see from my position if it was a penalty or not."
