Daniel Taylor's match report
Yes, United were worthy of that. They still look a bit tentative and perhaps they sat in too deep, too early – but they attacked with genuine invention at times and somewhere there is, maybe, an emerging picture of how Mourinho wants this side to operate. It worked today and the hope will now be that Mkhitaryan, whose winner was excellent, is not injured for too long. He adds so much to their fluidity.
Tottenham, though, were powder puff. Harry Kane barely got a kick; they had plenty of the ball but you never sensed a goal was on the way and that will trouble Pochettino. United saw things out comfortably and there is definitely a sense they should have been tested more.
Enough from me! But nothing like enough from Rob Smyth, who now has a Liverpool v West Ham MBM for you. Thanks for your company and your emails; enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Full-time: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham
Not a classic but they deserved it, and the gap between these two is closed to three points!
Updated
90+6 min: Then Rose gets a chance to drive into the box again, passes up on a half-chance to shoot, and is snuffed out by Jones. Fellaini comes on for Herrera – a few more boos for him even at this vital stage, which is pathetic – and United will surely see this out.
90+5 min: Rose, roundly booed after the Mkhitaryan tackle, wins a corner. He takes it himself but it’s really poor and United survive.
90+3 min: “Can Manchester United concede? They always concede,” chuckles Vibhanshu Bisht.
Little danger of that currently.
90+2 min: “Just got online to see United perfectly poised to throw away a 1-0 lead in the last thirty seconds and have to settle for the umpteenth 1-1 draw in a row. Dare I nip off for two minutes to boil the kettle….,” asks Rick Harris.
Go on, make it interesting for us...
90+1 min: Six minutes to be added on, which makes everyone nice and jittery...
89 min: Not with crosses like that. Walker finds Row Z. Time running out for another late equaliser against United.
88 min: Can Tottenham put something together late on? Those Eriksen free-kicks, a Son effort from range and that skewed Wanyama header apart, there’s not been a lot from them despite their possession.
86 min: Alli is late on Carrick, who to be fair had been sold well short by Bailly, and is given a scolding. He was entitled to go for that though.
85 min: Off he goes, on that stretcher. Left ankle I think, and hopefully it’s not serious as he’s been great and his United career looks to have really got off and running. He’s warmly applauded down the tunnel and Eric Bailly comes on to replace him. Might be all hands to the pump for the final 10 minutes or so.
83 min: Tottenham, who despite their periods of pressure haven’t really looked like scoring, replace Eriksen with Nkoudou. Mkhitaryan’s departure is still being sorted out.
82 min: Then Mkhitaryan, my man of the match, has a real go at Danny Rose and the result is another booking for a Tottenham full-back. That was a real turn of pace. He’s getting some treatment as a result of the foul, and unfortunately it looks as if he’s going to have to leave us on a stretcher. He tried to hobble off but went down again – could be a twisted ankle.
Updated
80 min: Meantime, Mkhitaryan takes a corner for United but it’s cleared and then Herrera punts the ball out of play. They’ve played a bit more in the Tottenham half in recent minutes.
79 min: Marouane Fellaini comes out to warm up and is booed, which I don’t think is great form but such are the times we exist in.
78 min: Walker tugs Rashford, who has started usefully, and earns a yellow card. Exactly what Mourinho will want his sub to do – give Walker problems at that end.
Updated
77 min: Mkhitaryan is booked for a tackle, I think on Winks. Looks as if we’re in for a tense last 10 or so.
75 min: Mkhitaryan kills a high ball wonderfully and almost manages to take things a step further, battling Alderweireld for a sight of goal. The defender wins out this time. Then we see the novel sight of Darmian – just about – outdoing Sissoko.
72 min: A United change – Rashford for Martial. Probably need the fresh legs for their left side/Tottenham’s right. That’s where the bother is.
71 min: Well taken by Eriksen, who goes low and across De Gea again but the goalkeeper’s footwork is good and he is able to get down to it with a firm hand away.
Updated
70 min: A Valencia slip almost lets Alli in but United get men back just in time. Then Sissoko feeds Kane, who tries to roll Rojo but is clipped two yards from the edge of the area. Eriksen territory, this...
68 min: Now Walker wins a corner from Pogba. It’s all coming down that side. Spurs make a chance before it’s taken, the disappointing Dembele replaced by Harry Winks. Eriksen’s near-post delivery seems to come off Carrick but a goal-kick is wrongly given.
66 min: Sissoko is absolutely murdering Darmian – that’s four times on the right already, without quite finding the right cross. United need to address this.
Updated
65 min: Another chance for Pogba! He slips Mkhitaryan in, clear-ish on the right, and the Armenian can possibly shoot for goal but instead lays one back to his onrushing team-mate, whose bouncing half-volley is parried really well by Lloris! When they go forward, they look really sharp.
63 min: Chance indeed! Pogba takes aim and what a fine strike it is – whip, bend, pace ... but it smacks the right post and bounces away!
Updated
62 min: Dembele hauls Pogba over 25 yards out. Pogba was looking for it, and rightly got it. Chance here...
60 min: Sissoko is providing that directness though and bustles past Darmian, crossing for Alli on the edge of the area. But Alli gets his feet wrong and miscues.
59 min: Mkhitaryan fails to find Ibrahimovic with a cross-shot from the right after another nice little dart. United could do with imposing themselves a little more. Spurs don’t appear to hold a huge amount of direct threat but they are being given chances to probe.
58 min: It comes to nothing. Jones heads away and Wanyama does something to earn a yellow card. A flailing arm I think. United need the breather though, at this stage.
57 min: And here, in fact, is Sissoko in Son’s place. This is the sort of occasion that might interest him, and immediately he wins a corner.
55 min: Ohhh, they should have equalised! A left-wing free-kick from Eriksen sees Wanyama get free round the back for a second time. It’s a clear header on goal, this one, and all he needs to do is nod to one side of De Gea. But he times it all wrong, perhaps torn between a goal attempt and a header across the six-yard box, and manages to do neither successfully.
Updated
54 min: Spurs really do miss the drive of Erik Lamela, on and off the ball. Only real option on the bench to provide something similar is the Naughty Step’s Moussa Sissoko. But they are pressing and Eriksen is teed up by Alli 20 yards out, sets himself and sees his effort – straight at De Gea, really – beaten away.
Updated
51 min: Spurs work the ball around the outside of the United box but they just haven’t got that spark today so far. The move ends when Son undercooks a little ball through to the overlapping Rose.
49 min: Mkhitaryan slips Ibrahimovic in – Pogba was also an option had he looked up sooner – but Rose is across to nip it away. Expect United to keep posing a threat with these sharp breaks.
Updated
47 min: Good surging run by Dembele and although it comes to nothing Spurs might be encouraged by that – saw nothing like that from him before the break. Remember how he bossed Arsenal a few weeks back?
Peeeeeep! Second half underway
United kick off. Can Spurs find a way back?
Thomas Bishop is back, vis a vis his earlier Wanyama point:
“Shall I just say ‘told you so’? When Herrera got the ball, Wanyama planted his feet, having pushed close to the centre circle, leaving a huge gap between Alderweireld and Vertonghen. Then again, no guarantee Dier would’ve done better - he might’ve just thrown a haymaker at Herrera.”
To be fair, I think Wanyama did a really good job on Pogba for 90% of that half.
@NickAmes82 the shirt tug was as clear a penalty as you'll see. They don't call them against Man U at home though, do they?
— steep the tea bun (@steamyteabuns) December 11, 2016
Do people still think that?
@NickAmes82 Please no Fellaini in second half & ManU shouldnt retreat in a defensive shell
— Jayant Moghe (@rdolivaw66) December 11, 2016
Apart from that, all good.
Half-time: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham
Well, they haven’t exactly dominated but you can see glimpses here of old-school Mourinhoball from United. Defending pretty solidly in numbers, allowing Spurs a fair amount of possession but looking genuinely exciting and slick at times when they break. Mkhitaryan was bright from the first minute and scored a super goal. He’s here to stay now, surely? See you in a few minutes.
Updated
45 min: Martial scoops way over after another tasty Valencia ball reaches him via Alderweireld’s head.
43 min: Spurs corner, after Alli gallops to the line and does well. Again it’s from that right side. Rojo does very well to get in there ahead of Wanyama and concede another, although he was quite clearly grabbing the midfielder’s shirt and we’ve seen penalties given for far less this season, as Wanyama points out to Madeley. The next corner, taken short, ends with a United free-kick.
41 min: Kane goes limply wide from range. Notable there was that while Tottenham had three players forward there were seven back from United.
38 min: Another dangerous Tottenham free-kick, Herrera needlessly fouling Eriksen out on the right and getting a stern warning. The home fans aren’t happy; a replay shows it was debatable. Alli and Darmian then get a telling-off of their own before the ball finally comes in, Alderweireld eventually seeing a low cross repelled by Carrick after the initial set-piece was cleared.
Updated
36 min: Spurs’ best effort so far with Son, this time on his left foot, drilling one from 25 yards and seeing De Gea tip over. Eriksen outswings the corner from the right but the ball loops off Wanyama and De Gea claims.
34 min: United’s tails are up. Martial robs Son just outside the area but Pogba’s subsequent cross drifts out of play. Then a cross from Valencia goes beyond Pogba but Ibrahimovic, alone at the back post and having to get the ball out from under his feet, sees his low shot gathered by Lloris.
32 min: Valencia goes in too enthusiastically on Rose and is rightly booked. One-match ban for him now. But not too many inside Old Trafford care just now.
Goal! Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham (Mkhitaryan 29)
Well! Kane, foraging deep with nothing ahead of him, tries to play a ball square just inside the United half but it’s loose. Herrera seizes upon it and Spurs are in trouble. His slide-rule ball beyond the Spurs defence and into that inside-right area we mentioned earlier is scampered onto by Mkhitaryan, whose thumping finish gives Lloris no chance at all. Super goal.
Updated
28 min: Carrick has a go, first-time, after a loose clearance from Alderweireld and although it seems optimistic it’s deflected over for a corner. Martial’s flag kick is met, without opposition, by Kane.
25 min: Ibrahimovic sends Martial away beautifully but Walker, despite starting several yards behind, catches up to stall him. Spurs have control but United the bursts of dynamism here.
23 min: But that wasn’t far off! Mkhitaryan, teed up by a lovely cushioned ball by – I think – Herrera, lashes towards goal from 15 yards and Vertonghen has to clear from close in. The corner sees Alli have to head away from similarly close quarters before Herrera drills a 25-yarder straight at Lloris.
Updated
20 min: Vertonghen repels a Martial cross and then a mini-flurry ends with a Tottenham free-kick. Since that very early Pogba chance, United haven’t quite got going.
18 min: Eriksen does indeed shoot. It’s whipped low and De Gea has to parry to his right. A fair save but an expected one too, even if the ball bounced in front of him.
Updated
17 min: And now Herrera concedes a free-kick in exactly the same position – perhaps a little bit more central, actually, so a chance of a shot. Tottenham on top at the moment.
16 min: It’s not a bad ball, round the back to an unmarked Wanyama, but he can’t really make the most of the position and his weak header across goal is blocked.
15 min: Pogba clips Wanyama and concedes a free-kick about 30 yards out and to the right. Good for a teasing delivery from Eriksen?
14 min: From Jack Ellis – “Big game this, for both teams. I’ve heard people say its too early in the season to be hugely significant, but a good win for either side surely enough to help them kick on after iffy starts to the season, what do we reckon?”
Well, why not? I’d certainly say United cannot really afford to lose, even at this stage. Nine points behind Spurs would be a big gap.
Updated
12 min: Mkhitaryan is next to have a shot but, with little space to work in and leaning back, controls on his chest before shanking miles off target from the edge of the D. He looks bright though.
11 min: United counter after a Wanyama-led move breaks down but Dembele, covering expertly for the advanced Kyle Walker, stops Martial in his tracks as he carries the ball towards the Tottenham area. Tottenham dominating the ball at the moment though ... and Alli isn’t far from beating Jones to a diagonal ball into the box.
Updated
9 min: First half-threat from Spurs, but Son tricks Phil Jones before curling a 20-yard effort well over from the left corner of the area. Alli was in a better position and gave a strong impression that he’d have quite liked the ball there.
6 min: United are popping the ball around sharply and Alderweireld does well to cut out a through pass from Mkhitaryan, who is lurking in a little inside-right pocket and proving hard to pick up.
4 min: Danny Rose gets a talking-to from Bobby Madley, your referee today, for a late tackle after some mild Spurs pressure had come to a close.
2 min: Almost a goal for Pogba within 90 seconds. Lovely flowing move from United with Mkhitaryan turning and driving through the middle, Ibrahimovic squaring across the edge of the box and Pogba seeing a placed effort turned away by Lloris. A bit further to the goalkeeper’s right and it’s in.
Updated
1 min: Thomas Bishop with a note on one of Spurs’ key selections –
“So Wanyama gets the nod ahead of Dier. This seems significant - the first XI of last season (apart from Lamela, whose absence seems frequently glossed over, despite the significance of his role, defending from the front and dragging markers away to make gaps for Kane to exploit) is finally fit and suspension free, and yet Dier gets benched and Victor takes his place. Wanyama’s had an excellent start to his time at Spurs, but I do think Dier better understands (or at least understood last season) when to drop back into central defence and when to commit himself into a challenge - Wanyama has occasionally lunged forward at the wrong time, taking himself out of the play and leaving space behind him. Hopefully that won’t happen today, and if it does United won’t be able to capitalise on it.”
Of course, Dier did have that confrontation with Ander Herrera at England v Spain.
Peeeeeeeeep!
You know what that means. Tottenham from right to left, this half, get us underway.
The teams are out at Old Trafford. Spurs’ tracksuit tops are very smart. Kick-off five minutes away...
Updated
Clearly no “lads, it’s Tottenham” from Mourinho today then. United have won the last two meetings between the sides at Old Trafford though – 1-0 and 3-0.
“Best defence but lots of quality in attacking areas. Last season I think they are the best team in the Premier League,” glows Mourinho of Spurs.
“We need to keep going and work hard and try to improve the areas we need to improve,” says Pochettino, who can be incredibly boring when it suits him.
Full-time at Chelsea: they’ve won 1-0. It’s their ninth straight league win, remarkably, and they go top again. It means Mourinho’s old side are a mere 16 points ahead of his new one at kick-off today...
First email of the day, from Makhib Choudkhuri:
“Both teams have an important task here. I feel that Tottenham are far more confident after the dominant game against Swansea last week. Manchester United on the other hand, seem to not be able to score many goals. Their defensive frailties are laid bare open and Spurs have the potential to punish them for that. United on the other hand, have improved in their attacking edge over the last few weeks so it could really go either way!”
A fair assessment, I’d say.
Diego Costa has scored a rattling good goal, and likely winner, for Chelsea. Meantime do send me your pre-match thoughts by emailing nick.ames.casual@theguardian.com.
I won’t talk too much just now as there are other games to detain you. Not least Chelsea v West Brom, which is as tight as the proverbial going into the last 20 minutes. Join Rob Smyth for that. In the Championship it’s currently Derby 3-0 Forest. Nicklas Bendtner has scored an own goal and hit his own bar.
Teams
Manchester United: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Darmian; Carrick, Herrera; Mkhitaryan, Pogba, Martial; Ibrahimovic. Subs: Romero, Bailly, Blind, Fellaini, Mata, Rashford, Rooney.
Tottenham: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane. Subs: Vorm, Wimmer, Davies, Dier, Winks, Sissoko, Nkoudou.
Rooney on the bench, Martial plays and Mkhitaryan quite rightly keeps his place. Could Mourinho be edging towards the kind of fluidity he wants?
As for Tottenham, Toby Alderweireld make his first Premier League appearance since 15 October and that’s big for them.
Hello!
Welcome, friends and strangers alike, to Third-placed Manchester United versus another team they’re about to deserve three points against. Sorry, sorry – I’ve been listening to “Jose”, or “Mou” if you know him that well, because we all should take care to do that more and according to him United are in fact morally third in the Eee Pee Ell.
Jose Mourinho says in programme notes that United are "in the top three teams in terms of the quality of our performance". pic.twitter.com/pVnG7f4djC
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) December 11, 2016
If we can try – just as an experiment – not to hang upon Mourinho’s every word then the picture is rather more wintery. United are sixth and even if they win today they’ll be a full three points behind ... yes ... Tottenham, who sit fifth. This looks like an interesting test for Mourinho, both of his theory that United are in good form and of his apparently dwindling ability to take on another top manager and win. United are goal shy and Tottenham don’t concede often; you’d expect this to be nip and tuck.
Three points for Tottenham, meanwhile, would certainly put them above Manchester City and possibly even Liverpool. They haven’t hit last season’s heights yet and a statement from them to rival the October win over Manchester City – the only time they’ve really come close to it – would go down very nicely. Stay tuned – it could be a significant afternoon.
Nick will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Jamie Jackson’s preview of the match.
The mood at Manchester United is one of frustration mixed with confidence that very soon everything will begin to click and performance will match result.Tottenham Hotspur are six points ahead of José Mourinho’s side in fifth place and given Mauricio Pochettino was of interest to United before hiring the Portuguese each man may have a little extra motivation to deliver three points.
