“You can’t protect players when they don’t give 100 per cent” - Tim Howard slams Manchester United star for ‘indefensible’ error in loss to Spurs
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard has slammed Diogo Dalot after his error against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, September 29. Spurs hammered the Red Devils 3-0 at Old Trafford in their Premier League clash.
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven took the ball in his own half and ran almost 70 yards unopposed to United's byline. He cut in a brilliant cross to allow Brennan Johnson a simple tap-in to make it 1-0 in the third minute. Johnson was completely free on the far post with no one marking him.
Videos later emerged of Diogo Dalot following the Welsh winger for a while but then allowing him to drift into the box and score. While analyzing the footage on NBC Sports, Howard said (via GiveMeSport):
"Dalot's almost stride-by-stride, slightly behind Brennan Johnson. All he needs to do is kick it into another gear. Instead, he stops and puts his hand up. He knows he doesn't give an effort. It's indefensible. You can't protect players when they don't give 100 per cent effort - particularly at home."
Manchester United suffered another blow later in the half as captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the 42nd minute for a tackle on James Maddison. Spurs scored two more goals in the second half via Dejan Kulusevski (47') and Dominic Solanke (77') to complete an emphatic win.
Some incredible stats from Tottenham Hotspur's dominant win over Manchester United
Both sides came into the clash at Old Trafford level on points in the Premier League with 10. They had two wins, one draw, and two defeats each. Manchester United had drawn their previous two games while Tottenham were on a three-game winning run.
On the night, Spurs were completely dominant as they had 61% possession and made a whopping 24 attempts on goal, with 10 being on target. United had 10 total attempts with two being on target. Both sides also hit the post once. Tottenham created nine big chances while the hosts created none.
Dejan Kulusevski created nine chances against Manchester United - the most on record (since 2003-04) by a visiting player at Old Trafford (via Opta). Spurs created an xG of 4.67 on the night, their highest-ever in the Premier League (on record). It's also the most by an away team in the league since Manchester City's 4-0 win at Norwich City in 2022.
Ange Postecoglou now has seven points in his first three games against the Red Devils, the most by a Tottenham manager in Premier League history. Manchester United, meanwhile, have now lost by 3+ goals 23 times in 424 games since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. They lost by 3+ goals just 22 times in 1035 league games under SAF.