Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester United: Five key stats from the match
Wayne Rooney
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United shared the points in a pulsating tie at White Hart Lane even if each lost further ground on league leaders Arsenal.
Wayne Rooney twice levelled for the visitors in an action-packed encounter, his second goal coming from the penalty spotafter 57 minutes. Kyle Walker, who was at fault for Rooney’s first, and Sandro had put Tottenham ahead, the latter with a spectacular long-range strike.
Key Stats
Manchester United dominated in a game which they should have won. With 55% possession, the away side will be disappointed that they could not turn their control into goals. However, with just three shots on target it is not really a surprise that they failed to secure all the points.
Tottenham were far inferior in terms of the more general statistics. United completed 91% of their attempted tackles compared to the 72% of Spurs, they also managed 81% of their attempted passes in comparison to a poor 72% from the home side.
Man of the Match
Wayne Rooney won the Squawka Performance Score Man of the Match award today by a huge margin. With 97 points to his name, the Englishman had a fantastic game, putting two goals past Tottenham.
He also helped out a great deal defensively as he constantly dropped back to reinforce the United midfield. Throughout 90 minutes he made two tackles, two interceptions and four clearances.
Performance Score
United out-performed Tottenham for the majority of the match. The away side showed their superiority in the early stages of the game before Kyle Walker’s free-kick changed the momentum for a short period.
Between the 20th and around the 50th minute mark, Spurs were marginally on top, however, this soon changed when Rooney equalised.
From this stage onwards, United dominated Spurs as the home side were limited to extremely short spells on the ball. Sandro’s 54th minute strike brought his team back into the game somewhat, but in spite of this they were never able to make a significant impact throughout the second half.
Manchester United finished the match with a performance score of 115, whilst Spurs recorded a measly 23 points.
Key Observations
Roberto Soldado’s performance will be the main talking point of this match. The Spanish striker had another poor game as he looked lacklustre and shy in front of goal. He failed to win a single header or tackle, and he showed no attempt to take on an opposition defender.
The £25 million summer signing had just one strike on goal, which he subsequently blasted over the bar. With just one goal from open play this season, Spur’s fans will be looking towards Andre Villas Boas to find an answer for his striker’s poor form.
It’s clear to see from Soldado’s Heat Map that is attempting to win the ball in all areas of the pitch and from this graph we can see him dropping deep on a regular basis in search of possession. It seems the system Andre Villas-Boas has opted for simply fails to accommodate his strengths as a striker. His time on the ball is strictly limited to touches outside of the penalty area, and playing as a lone man upfront is a role he is not accustomed to.
For Manchester United, Tom Cleverley’s performance was a step in the right direction. David Moyes opted to start the English midfielder despite his awful performance versus Cardiff last weekend and he responded with a decent display.
The 24-year-old completed 88% of his attempted passes and found success in 86% of his duels as he proved himself to be the best on the field at keeping possession. However, he will need to work on the creative side of his game. Having failed to make a single key pass, he offered the club relatively little going forward.
Furthermore, Antonio Valencia had a decent game for Man United. He completed three take-ons, more than the whole Spurs team who completed two. However, United’s number 25 only managed to complete one successful cross.
