Player Ratings: Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Manchester United registered their seventh win of the campaign in a thrilling match against Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur, and here’s the list of players who impressed the most.
Manchester United
David de Gea – 7
Cool as a cucumber on a slippery evening in Manchester, but gave the fans a stroke when he dropped the ball following a collision with Phil Jones and presented Serge Aurier with a chance. Wasn’t troubled much by the Spurs front-line, but was still sharp-eyed.
Antonio Valencia – 7
Lived upto the stature of the captain’s armband. His concrete style of play gave United a perfect defensive stability despite being left isolated on the right side of the pitch. He came within touching distance to reproduce his thunderous strike against Everton with a blistering shot in the first half.
Eric Bailly – 7
A return after four weeks showed in his passing as it was below par at times, but he made up for it with his top-notch defending. Overall a solid display at the back.
Chris Smalling – 6
Acted as a major obstacle in Tottenham’s attack and cleared a load of crosses put in by Spurs. Though he looked hesitant whenever he had ball possession, and sometimes caused panic in the defensive. Put Dele Alli right in front of the goal for a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper.
Phil Jones – 6
Other than the one opportunity that he gifted to Spurs in the first-half, the Englishman was in good form. His physical and courageous play blocked multiple attacks from Spurs.
Ashley Young – 7
The evident winner on the left side of the pitch against his opposite number, Serge Aurier. Had a moment with Dele Alli in the first half but didn’t let it take a toll over his mind, as he defended and attacked in a comprehensive fashion.
Nemanja Matic – 9
More than impressive work rate and nothing less than a wall in front of the back-line. His keenness to go forward and determination to sprint back was vital in United’s victory. Didn’t score, but more importantly, didn’t let one fly into his own net. Undoubtedly today’s Man of the Match.
Ander Herrera – 5
A somewhat substandard performance by the Spaniard after initially setting a high tone for the clash. Wasn’t able to provide enough ammunition to the forwards, and overall defensive performance was also not up to the mark.
Marcus Rashford – 5
The teenager was eager to get to the ball and attack troubled Spurs’ back-line, but his lack of composure let him down on multiple occasions.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 4
A dreadful performance by the Armenian, as has been the case lately. Constantly lost possession and the quality of his passes was unacceptable. Looked tired in spite of having rested for the game against Huddersfield, and was finally put out of his misery in the second half by Mourinho.
Romelu Lukaku – 6
The striker was a bit off his game today, but turned it around towards the end, as he headed the ball to assist Martial for the only goal of the game after having hit the post himself on one occasion.
Subs:
Jesse Lingard – 6
Anthony Martial – 8
Fantastic from the moment he stepped onto the wet pitch. A brilliant run and an even better finish to secure three crucial points for his side.
Matteo Darmian – N/A
Tottenham Hotspur
Reuters / John Sibley
Hugo Lloris – 6
A high quality display from the Spurs’ captain as he read the game well in order to intercept and clear multiple United balls into his box. However, Martial got the better of him late in the game.
Toby Alderweireld – 5
Had a decent game until he became the glaring culprit in the only goal conceded by Tottenham, after the Belgian completely misjudged De Gea’s throw which was headed by Lukaku in Martial’s direction, and eventually ended up in the back of the net.
Eric Dier – 4
One of Spurs’ players who succumbed to the harsh wet conditions at Old Trafford as his sloppy passes and touches handed the home team possession on a numerous occasions. Was physically inferior in the moment that mattered, as he was easily brushed aside by Martial for United’s goal.
Jan Vertonghen – 6
The only defender wearing white for the evening who was upto the task to protect his goal. Didn’t make as many mistakes as his defensive compatriots and provided a first class overall display in front of a chirpy Old Trafford.
Serge Aurier – 5
Majorly dominated by Ashley Young despite multiple bursts down the left flank. Had a relatively quiet second half, but was part of some dangerous attacks throughout the first half. Defensively, his game could have been better, but overall performance was not the worst on the pitch.
Moussa Sissoko – 6
His long range shots were nothing more than a routine training session for De Gea, and the Frenchman should have had made better use of his chances. Anyhow, he was still one of those who made his presence felt and showed willingness to get the ball when his side didn’t have it.
Harry Winks – 6
He lacked creativity, but looked threatening when surging forward with the ball at his feet. Didn’t really make the kind of impact his manager would have ideally liked him to, but overall, looked like he was still trying to find his feet on the big stage.
Ben Davies – 6
Like his teammates, wasn’t really able to influence the game much, as he drifted in and out of the game. Made an important clearance in the second half but heavily lacked in the attacking department.
Dele Alli – 5
His falling-out with Young in the first half seemed to set him back for the remainder of the match, as he appeared to be more focused on trying to keep his emotions in check rather than focusing on the actual game at hand. Missed Spurs’ clear chance of a goal when he flicked Eriksen’s cheeky ball away from goal.
Christian Eriksen – 6
Didn’t live up to his reputation today, and clearly missed Harry Kane. Though, he started to have a real influence on the game towards the latter stages of the game once he was shifted to the right side of the midfield by Pochettino.
Son Heung-min – 6
Failed as a target man today and didn’t trouble United’s defense in a manner his teammate Harry Kane might have done. His striking capabilities were neutralized by a highly efficient Red Devils’ back-line. Overall, he could have done better, especially after his scintillating display against Liverpool.
Subs:
Fernando Llorente – 5
Mousa Dembele – 5
Written by Sidharth Jindal 
Sports fanatic with a passion for writing (predominantly football) and “Wants to live life to its fullest.” Writes about the Premier League on his personal blog.