Tottenham 3-0 Manchester United: Player ratings
Tottenham responded to Leicester City’s victory over Sunderland earlier on Sunday in some style as they brushed aside Manchester United at White Hart Lane.
The game was characterised by Spurs’ ruthless six-minute period where they scored thrice to run out comfortable winners. Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela found the net for Mauricio Pochettino’s side as they kept their slim hopes of winning their maiden Premier League title alive.
Here’s a closer look at every player’s performance and their assigned ratings on a scale from 1-10:
Tottenham
Hugo Lloris – 7.5
He had just a single meaningful save to make, denying Anthony Martial after a dazzling run-in through the heart of the Spurs defence.
Kyle Walker – 8
The fullback was impressive down the wings and his searing pace on the right kept Marcos Rojo on his toes.
Toby Alderweireld – 8.5
He had a solid performance at the back thanks to his accurate positioning to deny United from getting too many clear-cut goal-scoring chances. His header to give Spurs a 2-0 lead after 74 minutes gives him a higher rating.
Jan Vertonghen – 7.5
A clean sheet on his return from a long-term injury will be a massive confidence booster for the Belgian centre-back. He effectively kept out Rashford and Young in either half with his interceptions and reading of crosses.
Danny Rose – 8.5
It was a scintillating display from the fullback as he outpaced an out-of-position Juan Mata in nearly every duel. Rose provided a magnificent assist for Erik Lamela’s goal which gave Spurs their third goal.
Eric Dier – 7.5
Once again, Dier showed why he is amongst England’s future prospects as he shielded his back four superbly with some timely interceptions and confident tackling. He slotted in at centre-back whenever Alderweireld made a forward approach as well.
Mousa Dembele – 7
The Belgian initially struggled to get a foothold on the game in his box-to-box midfield role but grew in stature as the game progressed to administer Spurs’ ruthless attacks in the second half.
Erik Lamela – 8.5
He was amazing in the second half, getting into good positions and putting in some fierce crosses into the United box to unsettle their defenders. Lamela delivered the free-kick which was met by Alderweireld before finding the net himself two minutes later after side-footing a Danny Rose cross.
He gets slightly struck down from a rating of 9 for missing a glorious opportunity in the first half – heading the wrong side of the post with the goal gaping.
Dele Alli – 7.5
He was not really involved in the game until the 70th minute before he was provided with a quality ball by Christian Eriksen to slot past David de Gea to give Spurs the all-important lead. He was energetic after that, continuously using his pace and liveliness on the ball to run into holes within a deflated Manchester United defence.
Christian Eriksen – 8
The Danish midfielder had a very decent game, trying to force an opening in the first half down the middle with a good curling effort from around 30 yards out. He was constantly looking to break United open with his deft passing to locate Harry Kane.
He ultimately got his reward when he expertly found Dele Alli on his right to help Spurs get their opener.
Harry Kane – 7.5
It was perhaps a bit of a surprise to see Harry Kane absent from the goals or assists list in a 3-0 victory, but nonetheless, he showed why he was amongst Europe’s most sought after strikers due to his work ethic inside the box.
He drew a couple of fouls, got himself into positions to meet a cross from the wing and went really close to scoring late in the game when his thumping shot was well tipped over by David de Gea.
Substitutes
Nacer Chadli, Son Heung-Min and Ryan Mason – N/A
All three were introduced very late in the game to shut up shop and replace some tired feet.