36 failed crosses: How Tottenham exposed Moyes's Manchester United blueprint

Tottenham Hotspur picked up a hard-fought 2-1 win at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day, inflicting a fourth home Premier League defeat of the season on Manchester United in the process.

Emmanuel Adebayor had given Spurs the lead in the first half, before Christian Eriksen’s close-range header doubled the lead. Danny Welbeck immediately scored one at the other end to reduce the deficit but despite a plethora of late chances, United could not find a way through for the equaliser.

The three points for Spurs see them leap-frog United into sixth, with David Moyes’ men falling back to seventh.

Key Stats

Manchester United started the game well and finished it by far the stronger as they looked for an equaliser, with Spurs the better and more incisive in a 20-minute spell or so either side of half-time. Those two periods of United pressure meant the home side enjoyed more possession overall, 57% to 43%, and also enabled them to rain plenty of shots down on Hugo Lloris’ goal.

The 14-9 shot count suggests there were plenty of opportunities for United to find that important second goal, but half of their six efforts on target actually came in the final 15 minutes, when Spurs were defending deeper and the ball was relentlessly coming back to Spurs’ penalty area.

Spurs’ inability to keep possession after conceding the game’s third goal was reflected in their low pass completion percentage, 74%, compared to United’s 82%.

Man of the Match

Winger Aaron Lennon was the Squawka man of the match with a Performance Score of 42.

The fleet-footed Spurs wide man was a constant outlet for his team and had the beating of Patrice Evra all game long down the Tottenham right, though too often he didn’t make the most of having the ball in good areas.

He helped his team defensively with three clearances, two interceptions and one won tackle inside his own defensive third, but at the other end he almost scored one and made two key passes during the game and was heavily involved in Spurs’ second, telling, goal.

Lennon had two shots, both on target and saved, with the second coming after a fine solo run which also involved his two successful take-ons of the match.

Performance Scores

The Performance Scores of the two sides reflected the general flow of the game, with United starting well, Spurs dominating the middle section of the match and the home team again coming strong toward the end.

By halfway through the first half United led 106-58 thanks to better use of the ball and creating some good chances, but Spurs’ goal and strong defensive performance meant that at half-time it was they who were ahead, 154-41.

The second goal for Tottenham being cancelled out immediately denied the away side the chance to really capitalise and control the game with a two-goal lead, and United had closed the gap by the 70-minute mark to 129-74. They came close to an equaliser on numerous occasions but were denied by timely blocks and saves, meaning that although they actually led 99-97 near the end of the game, Tottenham finished on a high and recorded a 146-121 Performance Score win to go with their 2-1 win on the pitch.

Key Observations

Adnan Januzaj was Manchester United’s best hope of creating chances as the game wore on, with the attacker improving after a switch to the right flank. His pass completion rate was very poor overall at just 66%, but even that was an increase from the 58% recorded by half-time.

Januzaj completed both of his successful take-ons after the break, went close with his one unblocked shot in the second half and put five crosses in from the right side of the pitch, compared to just two from the left. Another booking for another dive, however, was further reason for concern.

Adebayor continued his renaissance with a goal and an all-round performance reminiscent of a number of loan spells, before he succumbed to injury on 69 minutes.

The forward completed 93% of his passes and contested seven headed duels overall, most in the United half, as he served a dual-purpose of link-man and hold-up man in the Spurs attack. His heat map shows he was happy to work both channels and drop deep into midfield to receive the ball, while his sole contribution of note in the United penalty box was his header that led to the opening goal.