Paul Wilson’s match report
FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
And that’s that! Anthony Martial’s late goal secures a precious three points for Manchester United! They’ll remain on Manchester City’s tail; Spurs by contrast could be eight adrift by the end of the day, depending on how Pep Guardiola’s side do at West Bromwich Albion. Spurs will rue Dele Alli’s miss just before Martial’s decisive strike, but in truth United were the better side in the second half and always the most likely to snatch the win. United close to within two of City at the top, for a couple of hours at least.
90 min +2: A couple of throws down the Spurs right come to nothing. Lingard chases a United throw up the other end, but can’t get clear. Young is replaced by Darmian.
90 min: A free kick for Spurs in the midfield. A chance to load the United box and hit long. Eriksen takes. De Gea flaps a bit, only half clearing. But Spurs can’t take advantage, and suddenly a big boot upfield sends Lingard clear in the Spurs half! A great chance to wrap it up, but he panics and blooters wildly over the bar from the edge of the box. There will be three added minutes.
88 min: Old Trafford is bouncing. Such a potentially crucial goal from Martial. Spurs are wandering around in a collective funk right now. The game’s gone bitty and they can’t put any pressure on the hosts.
86 min: Alli clatters into Young, a legacy of that first-half brouhaha. Young takes the opportunity to go down and eat up some time in the professional style. Alli’s not happy about it, but he can only blame himself.
84 min: Space for Eriksen down the right. He curls deep for Alli, but Bailly is always winning that battle.
83 min: United have been by far the better side in this second half. On the balance of play, they deserve their lead. But can they hold on? Spurs have upped the tempo, and the home side are sitting back. This could be quite a final few minutes!
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Martial 81)
First off, Spurs get the ball in the net: Dier and Winks shuttle the ball left to right, Aurier slams a low ball across goal, and Alli follows it in at the far post. But Aurier had stupidly strayed offside, nixing a very promising move. De Gea hoicks the free kick forward. Lukaku rises to flick a header on. Martial gets a yard on Vertonghen and, running down the inside-left channel, guides a ball past Lloris and into the bottom right! Such a basic goal for Spurs to concede. But from United’s view, it’s Reeptastic!
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79 min: And now they nearly go ahead! Lingard makes off down the right and swings a glorious cross onto the head of Lukaku, rising above Alderweireld on the penalty spot. His effort beats Lloris but smacks off the right-hand post and away. All in slow motion. Now it’s Tottenham’s turn to survive!
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77 min: More of the patient Spurs passing. Eriksen, sitting deep, suddenly springs to life and wedges a glorious ball forward for Alli, who is on Smalling’s shoulder and bursting into the box. Alli gets a yard on the defender, and reaches the ball ahead of the out-rushing de Gea. But Alli’s feathered touch past the keeper sails past the left-hand post. It wasn’t the easiest chance, but Alli is such a good player you’d expect him to score. United survive!
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75 min: Spurs ping it around in the patient style. Suddenly, having hypnotised United into sleepiness, Dembele, down the inside left, slips a ball inside to Eriksen, who is clear 25 yards from goal! But Eriksen’s first touch isn’t the best, and he hesitates too, so when he eventually has a shot, it’s wild and snatched. That was a chance to trouble de Gea spurned. Spurs haven’t had too many of those this afternoon.
74 min: Valencia is booked for an amateurish dive in the Spurs box, as he cuts in from the right. An easy decision for the referee.
73 min: Llorente wins a header on the edge of the United box and very nearly sets Eriksen up for a break free into the area. Not quite. United clear, and suddenly Lukaku is bombing down the inside-left channel. He powers into the Spurs box and shoots across Lloris, aiming for the bottom right. It’s a fine effort, but Lloris sticks out a strong hand to palm clear.
71 min: Martial comes on for Rashford. He’s quickly involved in some scrappy action along the front of the Spurs box. Nothing comes of it, but the home team look the most likely to break the deadlock.
69 min: Rashford, deep on the left wing, attempts to set Lukaku free with a curling rake down the middle. Not quite, and Lloris gathers, but what ambition. A few seconds earlier, Dembele had slid into a tackle with Herrera, the latter falling easily then finding the former up in his grille the second he stood back up. It’s more pantomime silliness, and once again we move on without fuss.
68 min: Eriksen and Aurier one-two their way down the inside-right channel. Nice, crisp football. Aurier then tries to free Eriksen into the area, but his sliderule pass along the channel is too strong. He could have shot himself, as well. As it is, United’s goal is untroubled.
66 min: United respond to the Spurs shuffle with a swap of their own. Off goes Mkhitaryan, on comes Lingard. “I do like Llorente but no one seems to be fussed that at this stage in their respective spells at Spurs both Soldado and Janssen had scored,” notes John Tumbridge.
65 min: Rashford and Mkhitaryan combine down the left and earn a corner for United. The latter takes. Llorente meets it at the near post, and nearly slices the ball into his own net. Another corner, once again taken by Mkhitaryan. It’s only half cleared. Valencia meets it at the right-hand corner of the D. He nearly pearls one into the top left. It’s an inch away from sensational. It would have rivalled his recent strike against Everton. What a shot that was!
63 min: It’s a proper Mancunian day now, with the rain coming down in stair rods.
62 min: Spurs make a double change. Son is replaced by Llorente, while Dembele comes on for Sissoko.
60 min: ... Rashford fails to beat the first man. Son generously tries to help United out by skying a clearance, causing a brief kerfuffle in the Spurs box as the ball returns from orbit. But Spurs deal with the problem, and there goes that pressure.
59 min: Dier is very nearly outstripped for pace by Rashford on the left. He’s forced to concede a corner. The first set piece leads to another, from which ...
57 min: A couple more probes from Rashford cause Spurs some worry. United have suddenly gone up a gear, and the crowd have cranked up the volume by way of reward. Once again, Spurs are starting the half slowly. Can they respond like they did in the first?
55 min: Spurs suddenly look uncharacteristically shaky at the back. Mkhitaryan latches onto a loose Davies header and has a dig from the edge of the box. Lloris spills it. Rashford is waiting to smash home from a couple of yards, but Davies makes up for it with a wonderful last-ditch slide and hook. Then United come again through Mkhitaryan down the left. He reaches the byline but his ball inside is blasted clear by Vertonghen. Finally Valencia has a smack, coming in from the right, but his effort is blocked and after some ricochets, it’s a goal kick to Spurs.
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53 min: Spurs put a few passes together for the first time since the restart. Vertonghen eventually breaks into space down the inside left. He threatens to shoot, but instead feeds Davies, who tees up Eriksen to the left of the United D. Eriksen attempts a curler into the top right, but his effort is all wrong.
51 min: Young turns on the jets and makes good down the left. It’s a brilliant run. He crosses hard and low towards the near post. Lloris claims, though Rashford wasn’t far away from getting a toe to that.
49 min: Herrera nicks the ankles of Alli and gets a slap in the chops for his trouble as the pair fall. All in one smooth movement. Nothing to worry the ref, though it’s fairly clear that United have decided to target Alli’s hair-trigger temper since that incident with Young on the half hour. They’ve been taking turns to work him over. All part of the dance.
47 min: Mkhitaryan and Valencia combine well down the right wing, but can’t quite open Spurs up. They try again, Davies bundling Valencia over out on the right touchline. Free kick. Just about every player on the field lines up on the edge of the Tottenham box. Mkhitaryan balloons the free kick over them all and out of play on the left. What a waste. But again, United start the half strongly.
And we’re off again! Manchester United get the second half underway at a drizzly Old Trafford. No changes by either side.
Half-time admin:
HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Rashford’s effort doesn’t beat the first man. Half cleared. A throw back into the box. Matic goes down, claiming to have been dragged to the floor by Vertonghen, but there didn’t appear to be much in that. And that’s pretty much your lot for the first half. Not a single gilt-edged chance to speak of, and yet it was a very entertaining half of ebb and flow. Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be back before you know it!
45 min: There will be one minute of added time. And United are awarded a free kick out on the right. A chance to load the box.
43 min: Herrera slides in with two feet on Son. The referee gives him a good talking to, as he was sailing through the air for a split second there. But nobody makes a big fuss of it, and we move on.
41 min: Son feeds Aurier down the right. Aurier tries a curler towards the top left, but it’s deflected out for a corner. The set piece leads to a game of pinball in the United box. Eventually Dier, falling backwards, sticks out a telescopic leg and hooks an effort towards the top left from ten yards. There’s no power in that, and de Gea plucks it from the sky.
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40 min: That’s got the Old Trafford crowd going again. As has a fairly meaty challenge from Valencia on Alli. Should have been a foul, but the referee is determined to keep this match flowing. This is a lot of high-octane fun.
39 min: United seriously come at Spurs for the first time in a wee while. Mkhitaryan nearly breaks through the middle, but not quite. Then Rashford has a dig from distance. It’s deflected out for a corner. The set piece, coming in from the left, falls to Herrera, level with the far stick, 12 yards out. He blooters wildly away from goal.
37 min: ... Alli’s header isn’t up to much. United clear. Mkhitaryan is bundled over on the halfway line. No foul, says the ref. Spurs come back at United, Alli sashaying into the box from the left. He opens his body and tries a cheeky dribbler towards the bottom right. Or was it a pass through a crowded area towards Son? Either way, it wasn’t very good.
36 min: Now it’s Vertonghen’s turn to channel his inner Beckenbauer; he romps down the inside-left channel from deep and earns a corner. From which ...
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34 min: Aurier threatens to break into the United box, playing a long-distance one-two with Alli. Young does extremely well to slide in and hook away from danger, especially as it eventually transpires he’s been fouled by Aurier. Great defending, and United get the free kick anyway. But this is bubbling up nicely now!
32 min: A long pass down the middle very nearly releases the powerful Lukaku, but Alderweireld does very well to win a last-man header. Spurs clear their lines. That little set-to between Young and Alli appears to have woken snoozy United up. Clever Ashley!
30 min: Aurier’s arm clanks into Young’s startled coupon as the pair contest a high ball in the midfield. It looks accidental. Young thinks otherwise and loses the head a bit, arguing the toss with several Spurs players and the ref. Alli decides to get involved, and soon enough Alli and Young are nose to nose, giving it the big-man act. All good knockabout panto fun. The referee gets involved and points out how old they are. We move on.
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28 min: Davies curls a cross in from the left. It should be an easy claim for de Gea, but as he rises to catch, Jones clatters into him. The ball spills to Son, who tees up Sissoko on the edge of the box. Fortunately for United, Sissoko’s shot towards an unguarded net is wild. Moments earlier, Dier had a chance to play Sissoko clear on the right, but didn’t see the pass. Spurs are well on top.
26 min: Spurs push United back without ever quite threatening to break them or find a way through. Eriksen hassles Herrera down the left. Matic is forced into a panicked header back towards de Gea; it requires Jones to hook clear in the last-ditch fashion with Son lurking. United are struggling.
24 min: Jones pings a long ball down the left wing for Lukaku to chase. Tottenham’s three centre halves step up and there’s the offside flag. Mourinho has moved down to the touchline to gesticulate at his players, who looked so sharp in the early moments of this game.
22 min: And now Spurs a corner down the right. It comes to nothing, but it further illustrates how quickly Spurs have got on top. United need to find a response; now it’s their turn to be second to everything, passes failing to stick.
20 min: In fact, they’re dominating it, all of a sudden. More pretty patterns. Sissoko is found in a huge pocket of space, 35 yards from goal. He sends an over-ambitious pea-roller down de Gea’s throat. Then Winks nearly finds Alli in the United box with a floated pass down the inside-right channel. Not quite. Finally Alderweireld, striding down the inside-right channel, attempts to rake home a Beckenbauer-style screamer from distance. Aiming for the top right, his effort ripples the side netting.
18 min: Spurs were incapable of stringing more than two passes together during the opening ten minutes. But now they’re pinging it around in the most pleasant style. Plenty of pretty triangles, with Eriksen and Winks at many a corner. They’re in this match now.
16 min: Spurs are beginning to find their feet, and fast. Son embarks on a power dribble down the inside left, zipping past Herrera with ease. But he doesn’t have the confidence to keep going; had he gambled on a couple more strides, he’d have been inside the box and shaping to shoot. Aurier tries to recycle the attack on the other wing, but Matic isn’t having any of it.
14 min: Spurs make their first tentative sortie upfield. Alli has the ball at his feet on the edge of the United D. He can’t work enough space to send a speculative effort on goal, so tries to find Son down the right with a pass. It’s wayward and United mop up.
13 min: The resulting corner comes to nought.
12 min: Mkhitaryan is brought down by Sissoko, the best part of 30 yards from goal. Rashford has a dig from the free kick anyway, and nearly lashes a low one into the bottom left. Lloris, slightly unsighted, does very well to turn it round the post.
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10 min: A poor kick upfield by Lloris is returned immediately. Rashford and Lukaku take turns to shimmy and shake on the edge of the Spurs box, to the right of the D. A gap threatens to open up on a couple of occasions, but Dier slides around on the floor in a hysterical manner, doing enough to close the channels to goal. Eventually Lukaku gets fed up and lashes a wild shot-cum-cross out of play from a promising position on the right. Spurs breathe again.
8 min: Winks takes matters into his own hands with a special spin into space and a stride through midfield. He lays off to Sissoko, and the move breaks down quickly enough, but that’s better from the visitors. And from the most inexperienced player in their team as well. He’s a very promising talent.
7 min: United are well on top in these early exchanges, pressing fast and hard. Spurs getting a taste of their own medicine; they can’t retain possession at all.
5 min: The ball bobbles around in the random fashion. Time on the ball is at a premium right now. Then suddenly Young bursts down the left, past a couple of half-arsed Spurs challenges, and breaks into the box! He can shoot from a tight angle, but opts to pull one back for, well, whoever really. The cutback goes nowhere near a red shirt, and is easily cleared by Spurs.
3 min: Spurs haven’t settled yet at all. Eriksen has played a couple of passes into nowhere, and that’s pretty much the sum total of their contribution so far. Plenty of time to find their feet, of course.
2 min: United are on the front foot early doors all right. Lukaku powers down the inside-left channel and bursts towards the byline. He fires a low cross into the middle. Rashford is waiting to tap home, so it’s just as well for Spurs that Lloris gets down well at the near post to smother.
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And we’re off! Pochettino looks relaxed in the dugout, smiling warmly. Mourinho has his gameface on. Spurs get the ball rolling, and lose it soon enough. Rashford is allowed a sprint down the left, but just as he threatens to break into the box, Alderweireld hassles him out of it.
But first a minute of silence and reflection, in memory of the fallen, this being United’s closest home fixture to Remembrance Sunday. Perfectly and beautifully observed.
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The teams are out! Manchester United are in their famous red, white and black; Spurs are decked out in their equally storied lilywhite and dark blue. The whole look screams Classic Fixture, which to be fair this very much is. A most pleasant aesthetic treat. We’ll be off in a minute!
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Mauricio Pochettino talks! “We must retain our philosophy. Harry is one of the best strikers in the world, and of course we are going to miss his quality. But the squad is so important. It’s important to be ready. And we will miss him but the team is ready to compete, to fight and to try to win. Today will be a tough game. Llorente could be a good impact from the bench.” And the response to Jose’s question, which Po’ Geoff has been ordered to ask, and heaven help him post-match if he doesn’t? “Of course they have a lot of injuries, and you always miss your players. But United have a great squad and they are so competitive. We have some injuries too. A manager wants all his players available and fit, but it’s a shame, they are human, they get injured and tired.”
An entertainingly combative Jose Mourinho speaks! He starts by refusing to confirm how his team will line up. “I’m not saying we’re playing three at the back. You are saying that. We’re not.” He then slips into Platitude Mode for a while. “We want to win, but we are playing one of the best, if not the best, team in the league. But nothing can stop us thinking we can win. We will try to be dominant and try to win this match. We know we have a difficult job.” Then he’s asked by Sky’s Geoff Shreeves whether the dynamic changes given the absence of Harry Kane. And wahey! Here we go, as Jose visibly bristles. “You know, how does the dynamic change without Ibrahimovic, without Marcos Rojo, Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini? Did you ask Mauricio the same question with relation to my players who are not playing?” He’s informed Pochettino has yet to be interviewed. “Ah, so, do it, ask him how you approach the game without Pogba, without Fellaini, without Ibrahimovic, without Rojo, without Carrick, ask the same question to Maurice.” And that’s pretty much the thrust of it, a verbal dusting out of nothing. Pointless, some would argue, but then that’s half the fun. Poor Geoff. Pantomime brilliance. Say what you will about Mourinho, the man guarantees entertainment one way or another. He appears to be in the mood today.
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Both teams make three changes to the starting XIs sent out in their previous Premier League match. Manchester United drop Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard to the bench, calling up Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marcus Rashford and Eric Bailly.
Tottenham meanwhile must make do without the hamstrung Harry Kane, while Kieran Trippier and Davison Sanchez are benched. In come Moussa Sissoko, Eric Dier and Ben Davies. Both teams playing three at the back.
The teams
Manchester United: de Gea, Bailly, Smalling, Jones, Valencia, Herrera, Matic, Young, Mkhitaryan, Lukaku, Rashford.
Subs: Mata, Martial, Lingard, Blind, Romero, Darmian, McTominay.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Alderweireld, Dier, Vertonghen, Aurier, Eriksen, Winks, Alli, Davies, Sissoko, Son.
Subs: Trippier, Rose, Sanchez, Vorm, Nkoudou, Llorente, Dembele.
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire).
While we wait for the team news ... lads, it’s Manchester United and Tottenham! Here’s a stone-cold classic from December 1986, right at the start of Fergie’s reign, and just as David Pleat’s fondly remembered side were beginning to get their chops up. It’s a rollercoaster ride, this, featuring one of the best training-ground free-kick routines you’ll ever see; a bullet diving header that will have given Keith Houchen ideas for later in the season; some set-piece defending which makes Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool look like Internazionale circa 1964; and the dark, brooding, atmospheric caverns of 80s Old Trafford punctuated by the shimmering beacons of Sharp Electronics. Enjoy, enjoy!
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Welcome to Saturday's big game ...
... in which Manchester United look to bounce back from their surprise defeat at Huddersfield Town, and prove their title credentials this lunchtime at Old Trafford with a big performance against one of the country’s top teams. An easy midweek League Cup win at Swansea got them back on the horse; now let’s see if this thing can gallop.
Three points would keep them on league leaders Manchester City’s tail, but visitors Tottenham Hotspur are desirous of the very same thing. They’re coming off the back of a very strange week indeed: a brilliant Champions League performance at the Bernabeu, a swashbuckling Premier League rout of Liverpool, a miserable League Cup capitulation against West Ham. They’ll be in the mood to regain some momentum and keep City honest too.
Both sides may be missing their star turn today - Spurs are without Harry Kane, United Marouane Fellaini Paul Pogba - but there’ll be more than enough exciting talent on show nonetheless. And this has the potential to be a rip-roaring classic. Jose Mourinho is catching hell right now for his perceived tactical conservatism, yet his team are averaging 3.5 goals per game at Old Trafford this season; Mauricio Pochettino’s men meanwhile are averaging three per game on the road. Wow. Buckle in! It’s second versus third! It’s too close to call! It’s on!
Kick off: 12.30pm BST.
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