Manchester United Vs Tottenham Hotspurs.

Red Devils Vs The Lilywhites 

The Premier League is indeed very exciting without a doubt and finally, it made its return with 2 exciting fixtures for the week. One of the big fixtures was the encounter between The Gunners and The Citizens as all fans were eager to see who would win this exciting contest. At the end of the day, Pep's men claimed all 3 points against his former protege Mikel Arteta and completed the double over the North London Derby. The next big fixture was between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs. 

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The Special One Jose Mourinho was keen on beating his former employees as the last time he visited Old Trafford, his return to the 'Theatre Of Dreams' ended in a disappointment as his team succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the visitors. Meanwhile, The Red Devils have had an improvement in the second half of the season since they signed Bruno Fernandes who has made a very good impact since arriving from Sporting Lisbon. Manchester United had their problems as their season's top scorer Marcus Rashford and record signing Paul Pogba suffered injuries. On the other hand, Spurs have endured a mixed campaign since Jose Mourinho took charge. They have often struggled this season as injuries to Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane have added more misery. 

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As all fixtures were suspended due to the ongoing pandemic, both the teams have had a major boost as their key players returned to their respective sides after recuperating from their injuries. Meanwhile, fans were excited to see the duo of Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba link-up together for the first time. To add more excitement, both the outfits are fighting for a spot in next season's Champions League. With the remaining fixtures being crucial, it was a do or die situation for these two clubs. Failing to win crucial fixtures would prove to be a major blow to their chances. 

Match Summary: 

In the end, it was a tie between these two clubs with score 1-1 and it was a very physical game. The hosts attempted challenges which could have put The Red Devils players in danger. There were a few chances for both the teams to seal all 3 points and climb above the table. Eventually, United and Spurs had to share points which makes it more difficult to decide who qualifies for next season's Champions League. Now let us see the talking points.

The Talking Points: 

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1. United's early chances:

The visitors began the game strongly with good momentum and dominating possession. Fred and Mcctominay made their presence by making interceptions spot on and involving very actively. As the game went on, the visitors slowly began to apply pressure. Bruno Fernandes whipped a beautiful cross with his right foot.

 The ball was headed by Davinson Sanchez only for it to fall on Rashford's feet and struck the ball towards the lower bottom right corner which was saved by Lloris. Immediately after saving, United was at it again and this time it was a long-distance attempt from Fred which was comfortably saved by the French goalkeeper. After the drinks break,  Fernandes began to get into the mood by making an excellent skill by flicking and shooting from distance only for the Spurs captain to save it again.  

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2. Spurs break the deadlock courtesy of new signing Bergwijn:

It was a typical Jose Mourinho game as we all know how the Special One changes his tactics against big teams. Honestly, I felt that instead of applying pressure, Jose felt it was better to sit back and wait for the right opportunity. New signing Steven Bergwijn did make an impression since arriving from PSV Eindhoven. As Jose's style is known to be 'Park The Bus' there is no doubt that this tactic has worked for him in the past as well.

 Despite the visitors dominating, there was one moment that proved to be disastrous. Moussa Sissoko's header fell in the path of Luke Shaw who attempted to clear which proved to be costly. The ball fell onto the feet of Bergwijn and sprinted past Maguire sending him the other way and struck a powerful shot straight at De Gea only for the ball to touch his hand and land into the right-hand side of the net and open the account. Coincidentally, the Dutch winger scored on his debut against a Manchester club.

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3. Pogba and Fernandes make a difference: 

During the break, all were poised to see the dream duo to link-up and make an instant impact. As Pogba was injured, there were speculations that he would depart after this season as the Frenchmen made a clear indication that he was looking for another challenge. With Bruno arriving and improving the team, it became evident that both the star players would line up. 

The dream eventually was true as Pogba returned to the team and was announced as a substitute. Finally, Pogba did enter the pitch in the second half and immediately made an impact by linking up with the new signing and even played a couple of great passes. Eventually, Pogba did play a major role when he dribbled past Dier and won a penalty for the visitors. Bruno Fernandes stepped up and scored the penalty thanks to a solid display by both star midfielders.

4. United's lack of winning despite dominating:

This has been one of the major points to discuss. We have often seen the Red Devils have struggled to win games despite dominating the game with high possession which they tend to either draw or lose. Only in a few games where we have seen United dominate and win are Watford, Norwich city, etc. Otherwise, fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City as well as taking into account, their fixtures before the second half, they have less possession and win games. Even though the arrival of Bruno Fernandes has made the possession better,  there is room for improvement and a team like Manchester United needs to work on this part.

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The final whistle blew and the points were shared between The Red Devils and The Lilywhites. It was really good to see the duo of Pogba and Fernandes combine and make an instant impact. Eventually, the efforts paid off as Pogba won a penalty. Bruno Fernandes scored and salvaged a point for his side. Hugo Lloris did make a couple of good saves with the main being diving save from Anthony Martial. Martial and James endured a disappointing night as the Frenchmen did not show any involvement in the game. 

One of the important aspects to discuss is, even though we know that Pogba is immensely talented, he has been caught off guard and inconsistent since he returned from Juventus in 2016. Hopefully, fans get to see Pogba back in form and prove his critics wrong. Bergwijn opened the scoring after capitalizing on an error committed by Luke Shaw. The game did end with a bit of drama in the end. United was again awarded a penalty in the final minutes which left Jose fuming. Eventually, it was reviewed by VAR and the decision was overturned. With both the teams looking for a spot in next season's European Football, it will be an intense showdown in the race for the finish in the top-4.

Author,

Zaid