Manchester United were fortunate to escape with a point after a 1-1 draw against Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday night. The hosts were booed by their own fans inside 25 minutes during a woefully limp first-half display where Spurs could have easily scored three or four goals.
Mbeumo scores but Solanke strikes late
Bryan Mbeumo’s goal looked to have steered them back on course but Dominic Solanke’s injury-time equaliser denied United what would have been just their second win of the season. The wretched first-half performance can’t be forgotten despite the point with the result doing little to ease the pressure growing on Michael Carrick.
Here are the player ratings from a lively night in Manchester.
Defensive struggles at Old Trafford
Senne Lammens – 5: Some very nervous moments early on from the usually composed Belgian, loose passes and too many needless touches.
Leny Yoro – 6: Dropped in at right-back with Diogo Dalot out of form and Noussair Mazraoui injured. Responsible for a crucial sliding challenge to deny Savio early on and was United’s best defender on the night.
Harry Maguire – 4: Dealt well with aerial balls but, like the rest of the United backline, looked slow and creaky as Spurs ran through at them.
Lisandro Martinez – 3: Unconvincing and second best up against Dominic Solanke – woefully overpowered by the striker for Spurs’ equaliser.
Luke Shaw – 5: Struggled with the threat of Mohammed Kudus but improved as the game wore on. Involved in the fracas that saw Rodrigo Bentancur sent off.
Midfield and attack ratings
Youri Tielemans – 3: Slow and ponderous on the ball with both United’s central midfielders overrun by Tottenham’s midfield three. Constantly robbed of possession and was unable to produce anything of note for his teammates.
Kobbie Mainoo – 5: Not much better than Tielemans in the first-half but at least offered some drive on the rare occasions United did move the ball through the middle. Needed help in there but also made some important blocks late on.
Amad Diallo – 4: In for his first game of the season after recovering from an ankle injury but was relatively ineffective. Should have done better with United’s only real chance of note in the first-half on the counter attack.
Bruno Fernandes – 4: A largely anonymous performance – slow to get his passes off and too easily hustled off the ball. One-twos were loose, usually crisp first touches were sloppy and posed little goal threat.
Matheus Cunha – 6: Moved back out to his role on the left where he has shone for United. Probably United’s most effective player going forward. Kept his cool when it mattered, sliding the ball into the path for Mbeumo to score.
Bryan Mbeumo – 7: Tasked with leading the line once again in the absence of Benjamin Sesko and looked sharp early on in the role as he did in pre-season. Quiet in large spells, but produced a fine finish when it mattered.
Substitutes make an impact
Carlos Baleba – 7: Produced an excellent sweeping pass with his first touch and instantly lifted Old Trafford when he came on at the hour mark. Injected some energy and enthusiasm into the midfield and will surely be starting soon.
Joshua Zirkzee – 5: A much brighter performance compared to some of his other recent cameos.
Diogo Dalot – 5: Offered a threat going forward down the right.
