EPL 2016/17: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur - 5 Talking Points
Manchester United returned to winning ways at home in the league as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0. It was United’s Armenian recruit Henrikh Mkhitaryan who gave them the decisive lead as he latched on to a wonderful through ball from Ander Herrera in the 29th minute to find the back of the net and the goal ended the win-drought at home.
While Tottenham did have the larger share of possession, they never looked threatening for most parts of the evening and United walked out with the all important three points to take their points tally to 27 and just 3 behind their visitors of the evening.
#1 Ander Herrera is Manchester United’s most important midfielder
While Paul Pogba might grab all the headlines, largely due to the price Manchester United paid to acquire his services, it is Ander Herrera who has made the central midfield position his own. It was Herrera who spotted the space available to him and saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s run to send the Armenian through on goal to score the all-important goal.
A combative and energetic midfielder who has a sound understanding of the game, Herrera has been the go-to man for Jose Mourinho as he has put in effective performance in the middle of the park for the Old Trafford club.
On Sunday, he was his usual best, breaking up plays with a mix of tackles (10 tackles) and interceptions (4 interceptions) to disrupt Spurs’ rhythm through the game. The Spaniard never let the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Harry Kane settle down in the game and could be judged as the architect of United’s hard-fought victory.
The steel he provides to the side is essential as it provides his other teammates the chance to get forward and help their attacking colleagues and the player is increasingly proving himself to be irreplaceable at the club.