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Hugo Lloris: 6
Not many shots actually reached the French shot stopper, and he couldn’t have done anything about Van Persie’s goal. His distribution in the earlier stages of the game was terrible, often sending the ball out of play. Made a few saves in the second half, but nothing to break a sweat really.
Kyle Walker: 6
Should have destroyed Evra as Lennon spent a lot of time tormenting him. Spent most of the time defending, and didn’t move forward as he usually would. Was at fault for not marking Van Persie for the opening goal.
Michael Dawson: 6.5
Made many interceptions to cut out United’s fluid play in the first half, and also kept Van Persie and Welbeck under control. In reality, United’s attacks just happened to get tame, and he didn’t have to much to put in his good defensive shift.
Steven Caulker: 6.5
Was a presence at the back, especially in the air as he headed clear many of de Gea’s direct balls. Was lucky not to have conceded a penalty for bringing Rooney down – a decision which left the United team and manager predictably furious.
Kyle Naughton: 5.5
Was caught out of position many times as Kagawa and Welbeck, along with Rafael, managed to get past him many times. Did make some good crosses on the few occasions he went forward.
Scott Parker: 7
Stepped up to the plate to replace Sandro. Didn’t manage to control Kagawa, but battled to win possession against the fluid United play. Showed great courage to go into tackles and run with the ball. Was replaced with 10 minutes to go.
Mousa Demble: 7
Made some pinpoint passes to keep Spurs always on the move. Also stood strong in the final third to fend off attacks by United. Didn’t contribute much to the attack once he got it out of the danger zone though.
Aaron Lenon: 8
Gave Evra a day which will haunt him for days. Ran rings around him and raced past him as if he wasn’t even there. Created several chances with good passes and clever crossing and also contributed to the flick that gave the ball to Dempsey for the equalizer.
Gareth Bale: 6.5
Was kept quiet with a combination of Rafael and Jones, and failed to really latch onto many opportunities, save for a few wayward runs. Did manage to keep his passing tidy and put in crosses, though his finishing left much to be desired.
Jermain Defoe: 5.5
Didn’t have the most productive of evenings as he was off target most of the time, and didn’t take up the good positions he’s usually famous for. Tested De Gea a few times, but still wasn’t a very lethal performance.
Clint Dempsey: 6.5
Was actually pretty wasteful with the ball and constantly missing his team-mates. His decision making also left much to be desired, but in the end he found himself in the right place at the right time to steer the ball cleverly past De Gea in the closing moments of the game.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Benoit Assou-Ekotto – 6
Failed to make any significant attacking impact and that’s what he was sent on for.
Tom Huddleston – N/A
Came on for the last 10 minutes.
David De Gea: 7.5
Made several world class saves to keep United in the match. Made an fantastic last ditch save to deny Dempsey. May be at fault for not punching the ball far enough in the build up to the equalizer but the defense as such should be faulted for that.
Rafael: 7
Came out on top in handling Bale and matched him stride for stride, not allowing him a moment’s peace to break free. Ran the breadth of the pitch to attack and came charging back to make sure that Bale didn’t touch the ball.
Rio Ferdinand: 7.5
Was a classic performance by the Englishman. Read the game extremely well to make many vital clearances and tackles. Managed to stifle Defoe and Dempsey for most of the game. Will be sorely disappointed for letting the game slip in the last few seconds of time.
Nemanja Vidic: 7
Held the fort well and showed the resurgence of his fabled partnership with Ferdinand for the most part. Kept Defoe and Bale in his pocket and was a great presence in the back.
Patrice Evra: 4.5
His run of good form came crashing down as Lennon bolted past him as if he wasn’t even on the pitch. Just couldn’t keep up with the speedy winger’s pace and trickery, as he allowed him into the box and deliver crosses.
Phil Jones: 7
Kept hold of the ball well and contributed to defense on both sides, but was mainly working in tandem with Rafael to shut out Bale. Passed the ball well and made some very vital tackles.
Michael Carrick: 7.5
What more can be said about the midfielder this season. He actually started out a little frustrated and earned an early yellow card, but then he settled into his usual rhythm by maintaining possession even with pressure all around him (on one occasion, he was followed by 4 Tottenham players before he passed it). Was always available for a pass and broke up play with Jones well.
Tom Cleverley: 6.5
Was the more attacking of the three man midfield and exercised his usual pass and move tactic which worked wonderfully well with Welbeck and Kagawa in the early exchanges of the match. Played at a high tempo and showed his range of passing. Also provided the perfect cross for Van Persie’s goal.
Danny Welbeck: 7
He’s had his detractors for a long time but ran his socks off and put in a very good shift. Made some wayward passes at times, but pulled himself together to contribute to defense as well. Made clever runs and made some exquisite little flicks to get past his defenders. Although he had many positives in his game, his finishing wasn’t one among them.
Shinji Kagawa: 6.5
Interchanged positions with Welbeck and Cleverley and had some beautiful fluid play going through them (especially in the build to the opener). Kept his passing tidy and tracked back a lot. He needs to be deployed in the right manner for him to be totally effective, and was subbed off for Rooney.
Scored the opener after peeling off from his marker and headed precisely past the defenders and the keeper. Other than that he had a relatively quiet game, but always helped defend corners and rushed forward to attack.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Wayne Rooney: 6
Was harshly denied a penalty. Other than that, his influence on the game was negligible. Showed terrible work rate in defense towards the end, and given that he was a substitute, that is unacceptable.
Antonio Valencia: 6
Continued his poor run of form, as he just doesn’t take on defenders any more and spends too much time contemplating his next move by which the opportunity for a pass to match a clever run would have passed. Hard to believe that he was last year’s Player of the Season for United.
