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Tottenham Hotspur hosted Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a battle of the the biggies in Friday night's Premier League clash. Spurs were on the back foot in the race for the top four as they currently sit on eighth spot, seven points behind Chelsea who occupy fourth spot, whilst Manchester United were 5th, three points behind Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.
An interesting subplot of this game involved Jose Mourinho facing his former side, determined to deny his Manchester United successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the chance to do the double over him.
It was important for both teams to get the win as they looked to start the post-quarantine season on a positive note. While that was not the case, the sides played out an entertaining draw. It was the 29th minute when Spurs hit United on the break with Steven Bergwijn bombing through the inside right and suddenly, completely against the run of play, Spurs were up 1-0.
Manchester United were better going forward throughout the game and got their reward for it when Eric Dier pushed Paul Pogba inside the box and gave away a penalty. New signing Bruno Fernandes sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way and buried his spot-kick into the bottom left corner.
The away side created many chances but were unable to get the winning goal and the points were shared in North London. Let us look at the hits and flops from this game:
#5 HIT: Steven Bergwijn
Steven Bergwijn was incredible and caused problems for the Manchester United defence in every Spurs attack. The winger took his goal superbly as he charged away from Harry Maguire and unleashed a shot too strong for David de Gea. Bergwijn's work-rate was amazing as he tirelessly chased ball throughout the game. The 22-year old Dutch consistently sprung United’s offside trap and tracked back to cover the threat of Marcus Rashford.
It is now 3 goals in the last 6 Premier League games for the new signing as he looks to make a mark in the league in his first season. With both Son and Kane coming back from injuries, the dutch winger could link up well with that attacking duo as Spurs look to make a late charge for a top-four spot.
#4 FLOP: Anthony Martial
Unlike the tale of the two keepers, the two strikers had a pretty similar game. And it was a night to forget for both the forwards. Anthony Martial was anonymous in the first half, making just nine touches of the ball for Manchester United. He hesitated when presented with a great chance in the second half and missed two very good opportunities to get a goal for his side.
Martial does possess the required speed and technical ability but was unable to make an impact on the night. The Frenchman showed flashes of quality and danger but had nothing much to offer in this game. He didn't link up well with the wingers or Fernandes behind him and was eventually replaced by Odion Ighalo.
#3 HIT: Bruno Fernandes
It just gets better and better for Bruno Fernandes and he was Manchester United's most inventive and creative player again. Fernandes shaped two of Manchester United's best chances in either half for Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. The Portuguese was Solskjaer's sharpest man in the game. Everything the away side created went through him.
Fernandes repeatedly looked to open up the Spurs defence with his passing and creative vision and was instrumental to Manchester United’s attacking threat and also nervelessly rolled in the penalty that earned a point for his team. Fernandes linked up well with Paul Pogba and those two starting together is a big plus for Manchester United in the coming games.
#2 FLOP: Harry Kane
It was a rough night for Spurs' #9 and talisman as he seemed to struggle throughout the game. It is harsh on Harry Kane to be declared as one of the flops as the striker was coming back after a long injury.
A willing runner on his long-awaited return, Kane covered more ground than any of his teammates, but had few sights of goal and didn't manage even a single attempt on target. The England striker was anonymous for large parts of the game, with some rust still understandably needing to be shaken after such a long spell on the sidelines.
#1 HIT: Hugo Lloris
It was the man with the arm-band who saved Tottenham after a terrific performance. The keeper saved Sanchez's blushes by getting a foot to Rashford's low shot and then scrambled away the ball later in the half when it almost deflected in off the Colombian. Lloris is known for his lightning reflexes and he sure showed that in tonight's game.
The Frenchman was unable to stop the equalising penalty but made a string of vital saves, the best of which came when he tipped a goalbound effort from Martial over the bar in the second half.
