Tottenham 0-1 Manchester United: Hits and flops | Premier League 2018-19

In a high profile encounter at Wembley, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils took on Pochettino’s Spurs.

After a disastrous start to the season, United sacked Jose Mourinho, and since then OGS has revamped the side, and they were playing some good old fashioned 'United' football leading up to the game.

United fans were hoping a victory against a well settled Tottenham side would boost hopes of UCL qualification. United went with both Martial and Rashford up front, with Pogba playing deep in left midfield.

Pochettino opted for Kane and Son as his two strikers, and Eriksen was given the role of a deep-lying playmaker.

Both teams were intent on attacking heavily, and there was ample entertainment for the spectators. Rashford opened the scoring just before half time, and United held on to the lead in the second half to win the game 0-1.

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Here are the hits and flops from the game.

Hits

#1 David de Gea

De Gea made an incredible 11 saves in the match

De Gea did not have a great start to the season, with the leaky defence resulting in a lack of clean sheets for the Spaniard. Alisson has kept more clean sheets than him, and there were talks of the Brazilian overtaking de Gea as the Premier League’s best goalkeeper.

But on Sunday against a Spurs side heavy on attacking talent, De Gea showed the world why he is special. He made an incredible 11 saves, the second most by a goalkeeper in Premier League history.

The most stunning aspect of this goalkeeping lesson against Spurs was his calmness and positioning. His best save came when he stretched his right leg slightly to deny a close-range shot from Harry Kane.

He denied Kane yet again by flying to his right and stopping a free-kick. For some time in the second half, it looked like de Gea vs Spurs, and he came out of that battle with a clean sheet.

Flop

#1 Kieran Trippier

Trippier was at fault for the opening goal

Trippier's usual defensive flaws continued to haunt him as he played a major role in conceding the only goal in the match. Even though he had an off day, he was terrific with his supply of crosses, and looked poised while attacking.

But in this game, the timing of his forward runs were not up to the mark, and that resulted in acres of empty space for the United forwards to exploit. He was given the difficult task of controlling Pogba and Martial, and he struggled to get back to his position as United countered with a good amount of pace.

Martial repeatedly got the better of him with some sublime feet movement and solid vision. His passing was also below par, and his unforgivable mistake in the middle of the pitch resulted in Rashford’s goal. This was a forgettable outing for him, and he will be hoping to improve in the upcoming matches.

Hit

#2 Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba continued in his rich vein of form

With each passing game, he continues to get back to his usual best, and against Spurs, he put on a splendid attacking performance. Ole made a brilliant decision and went with Lingard as the false nine, with Pogba dropping wide to help Martial and Rashford.

Less defensive duties meant that Pogba can be creative, and he was terrific with his supply of passes to Martial and Rashford. The Spurs midfield pressed hard whenever Pogba got the ball, but he did well enough to pass the ball in tight spaces under pressure.

Before half time, he made a brilliant long-range assist to Rashford, which eventually resulted in United’s opener. Later in the second half, the timing of his runs into the box were perfect, and helped attract the attention of Spurs' centre-backs, thus freeing Martial and Rashford.

This was a dominant display from Pogba, and with this performance he has permanently silenced many of his critics.

Flop

#2 Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen replaced Sanchez at CB, but his performance wasn't up to the mark

After a month long injury lay-off, Vertonghen replaced Sanchez who was putting on consistent performances in his absence. For most parts of the first half, he was comfortable with the ball at his feet, and made some calculated runs into midfield to widen his passing range.

But in the 44th minute, he failed to stop a quick forward run from Rashford, who convincingly beat him before sending the ball into goal. His defensive positioning was questionable, and he looked out of touch due to a lack of playing time coming into the game.

Both he and Trippier were more intent on moving forward, and did not take their defensive duties seriously. His clearances were not proper, and he made only a few solid tackles. He continues to struggle during pacy transitions, and his marking could have been much better, as Herrera got the ball easily without competition, and dictated terms from the centre of the pitch.

Hit

#3 Christian Eriksen

Eriksen was the lone bright spot for Spurs

The Danish international was the sole bright spot in a disappointing performance from the famed Tottenham attack comprising of Kane, Son, and Dele Alli. In the first half, he was kept relatively quiet due to some tight marking from Lingard and Herrera.

A few minutes into the second half, he came into his own and started wreaking havoc in the opposition half, with some great dribbles and exquisite passes. He set up Dele Alli beautifully, but the shot was saved by De Gea.

He also dished out a few wonderful crosses from set pieces, and on another day would have easily had 2 assists to his name.

Once he was given the freedom to make forward runs, he looked like a different player. There is also the question of playing him as a false 9, since his gifted vision gets wasted while playing deep in the midfield.

Pochettino might change his tactics next game, and might build a team that plays around Eriksen.