Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points, Premier League 2018/19

Manchester United claimed a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Wembley Stadium, their fifth consecutive one in the Premier League.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in late in the first half, when he latched on to Paul Pogba's wonderful pass. The finish was accurate, and Hugo Lloris couldn't do much about it. David De Gea turned it on in the second half, as he made 11 saves after the interval to keep Tottenham at bay.

The home side flung everything they had at United, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side held on for the three points. Spurs failed to take the chance to go second in the table, whereas United moved closer to the top four with the win.

It was a disappointing day for Tottenham, and the result left them 9 points adrift of Liverpool in the top spot. Both Moussa Sissoko and Harry Kane picked up injuries, which further dented their outing. Manchester United, on the other hand, are rolling.

Here are the major talking points from the game

#1 Dave saves everything, quite literally

Remember when De Gea did some crazy things at the Emirates last season? Well, he did it again at Wembley today. The Spaniard pulled off a string of impressive saves and left the Spurs attackers helpless by the end.

De Gea made 11 saves in the game, which was the most by any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. Quite a few of them thwarted good chances for Spurs, and his footwork especially was exemplary.

The saves aside, he exuded a sense of impenetrability which would surely have psychologically affected the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Both of them combined had 7 shots saved, and the two English internationals would have been sick of the sight of him by full-time.

He deservedly picked up the Man of the Match award after the final whistle. Goalkeepers usually don't win you matches individually, it's the goalscorers who do that. But David De Gea did just that for Manchester United, and in sensational fashion.

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#2 Spurs throw everything at United, but in vain

Kane and co failed to break the deadlock

Aside from the scoreline, everything pointed towards a Spurs victory. They dominated the play, keeping 61% possession in the game. Tottenham completed more passes, and more passes in the final third. They created 16 chances to United's 9 but failed to take advantage of the opportunities.

An inspired performance by David De Gea was one of the major reasons why. United defended in numbers, and they made 15 blocks in the game. Especially in the second half, United were happy to defend their lead and packed their box to deny any kind of space.

Tottenham's expected goals for the game were 1.80, whereas United's tally was 0.96. This statistic tells the full story, unfortunately for Spurs. They could have shown some more incision in the final third, but truth be told, their efforts would have deserved three points in most games.

#3 Solskjaer uses his predecessor's formula with better results

Jose Mourinho often used the same gameplan in the big games. He aimed to be organised at the back, and deployed pacy attackers to expose the opponents on the counter-attack. Solskjaer did the same against the Spurs, and it worked like a charm.

He played Jesse Lingard as a 'false nine', flanked by speedsters Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial on either side. The goal came as a result of this, when Rashford hared into the right channel and Pogba found him delightfully. United had just 39% possession in the game, but they were happy to see less of the ball.

Mourinho was often criticised for adopting such an approach, due to the boring nature of it. But the three points matter more than anything else, and Solskjaer achieved that here. He took a leaf out of his predecessor's book for that, and it worked quite well.

#4 Injuries mounting for Mauricio Pochettino

The injury list was already substantial prior to the game. Three midfielders, namely Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier, and Victor Wanyama are out for extended periods of time. Unfortunately for Tottenham, it looks though they might have company.

Mousa Sissoko hobbled off before half-time with an injury. Pochettino said later that it was a groin problem, and stated no clear prognosis as of now. Sissoko has improved greatly and has become a crucial player for Spurs, and he will be missed sorely. The absence will be felt more as Harry Winks and youngster Oli Skipp are the only recognised fit midfielders.

At the final whistle, Harry Kane was also pictured in distress due to an ankle problem. For obvious reasons, his loss will be a massive one. Heung-min Son will depart for the Asian Games now, which will further expose the thin squad at Pochettino's disposal. Testing times for Spurs lie ahead.

#5 Top four a real possibility for United?

When Jose Mourinho was sacked last month, United were in a dreadful position. They were 19 points behind Liverpool in first, and 11 points behind Chelsea in fourth. The Reds are still considerably ahead, but after winning against Spurs, the fourth place is just 6 points away.

United are tied on points with Arsenal in 5th and are behind only on goal difference. The said goal difference has improved as well, and it was negative not so long ago. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reinvigorated the confidence in the side, and they have weaved this great run as a result.

On paper, United are a real force to reckon with. They were not realising that potential in 2018, but now things have changed. On current form, they are bound to be in the mix for the Champions League places come May. Six points are just two games, after all.

Edited by Sai Krishna