Image Credit: 90Min
By Lee Clow
13 January 2019 | Premier League
David De Gea provided Manchester United with a masterclass display against Tottenham as they secured a 1-0 victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sixth win in a row as interim boss.
A solo goal from Marcus Rashford, late into the first half, gave Manchester United the win over Tottenham however they had their goalkeeper to thank as De Gea made an astonishing 11 saves to keep out the North London club. United started the game well creating a few chances after finding a weakness in the Tottenham defense. It wasn’t until the final minute of the first half when the deadlock was broken as Pogba won back possession from Trippier on the halfway line and played a beautiful ball into Rashford, who superbly rifled the ball into the far corner past keeper Hugo Lloris.
After the break, Spurs took control of the game and searched for an equaliser, but it was De Gea who was on hand, on multiple occasions, preserving his sides lead. Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld all came close for Spurs, but it was not meant to be for the North London club. At the other end of the pitch, Hugo Lloris also showed his quality as he denied his compatriot Pogba from a header. It appeared to be the battle of the goalkeepers, but it was the inspired performance from De Gea that sealed the victory for United. Tottenham will only have themselves to blame for not taking their opportunities. Tottenham will also be concerned about the injuries to midfielder, Moussa Sissoko and their star man, Harry Kane. Sissoko was forced off in the first half after an apparent hamstring injury and Kane went down in the closing moments of the game.
Despite the result, Mauricio Pochettino was very proud of his team, stating the second half performance was the best he has seen Tottenham play. He was also in deep praise for the performance of the oppositions goalkeeper. "I am so pleased and I'm proud. After four-and-a-half-years, the second half was the best performance I have seen Tottenham play. It was amazing, and I think David De Gea made 11 saves which is unbelievable. In football, sometimes you deserve to win and don't and other times, you do not, and you win. We were not clinical and sometimes you score with less opportunities, but it is nothing to complain about.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued his winning run as United manager and proved that his side could compete against the best in the league. After the game, Solskjaer tried to play down the performance from his goalkeeper and instead credit his team’s overall performance. "Results wise, to come away here and beat Tottenham is fantastic. We hung on in the second half and we never got to grips with it when they changed the system, but you are allowed to have a good goalkeeper. Obviously when you make 11 saves it is a top performance, but even so, two of them were top saves but the rest you would expect David to make. We defended well as a team. It was just a complete team performance."
What’s next?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side return to Old Trafford on Saturday hosting Brighton, while Spurs travel to Fulham on Sunday.
Comentarios