Manchester United Player Ratings vs Tottenham Hotspur

There were moments in that first half where Spurs could barely believe how easy it was. Connor Gallagher was picking up little pockets of space like prime David Silva. Fortunately for United, Spurs are as clinical in front of goal as Chelsea-era Fernando Torres. United would go on to take the lead through Bryan Mbeumo and were given the added boost of having Betancur sent off for an apparent headbutt. You must see out a match- at home- against ten-man Spurs. United once again withered despite having a numerical advantage, conceding a late equalizer through Solanke. This was supposed to be the three-point banker ahead of a nightmare stretch. Anyway, here are my Man Utd player ratings.

GK: Senne Lemmens- 5/10

Lemmens is becoming a concern. He could do nothing about Solanke’s equalizer and made a few decent saves. But he is looking like a complete liability with the ball at his feet, almost gifting Spurs with a goal in the opening moments off the game. He ultimately resorted to imploring his players not to give him the ball. The virus has spread.

RB: Lenny Yoro- 6/10

This was kind of a wild one to assess. Yoro enjoyed a solid international break with France but was unceremoniously dumped into the right-back role upon his return to action. He looked a bit confused in the early stages and Savio almost took advantage. To his credit, he made a few excellent recovery tackles after initially getting himself into trouble. A solid effort.

CB: Lisandro Martinez- 5/10
For most of the afternoon, I thought that Martinez was the more composed of the centre-halves. But he was certainly at fault for Spurs’ equalizer, making it far too easy for Solanke to wrap his head around a gentle, floated Tonali delivery. Jaime Carragher must be feeling vindicated somewhere. That is, if Carragher isn’t currently brawling Piers Morgan (I’d pay good money to see that).

CB: Harry Maguire- 5/10

It’s a sad indictment of Manchester United that Harry Maguire is still a starting centre-back. He looked leggy in the first half, constantly being outdone by the likes of Kudus (and even Gallagher). Made some hospital passes into midfield that were pounced on by Spurs. Looked decent going forward but just provides no sense of solidity. I think the United fanbase has been brainwashed into thinking that he had a solid match if he doesn’t have a nightmare moment.

LB: Luke Shaw- 7/10

I wonder how differently Man United’s recent trajectory would have been had Luke Shaw not been so injury prone. Provided solidity down that left-hand side, making a few crucial last-ditch interventions when Spurs were in the ascendancy. He was always an outlet going forward and played an integral role in Mbeumo’s opener.

CM: Youri Tielemans- 3/10

Probably one of the worst Tielemans performances I have ever seen. He looked two yards off the pace during United’s miserable first-half performance, as the likes of Bergvall and Gray just ran roughshod through United’s midfield. Also possesses a Fernandes-like tendency to mope when things don’t go his way.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo- 5/10

Mainoo has been United’s standout player this season. But Mainoo and Tielemans- as a double pivot- can only work when United dominate possession. Have you seen United dominate possession lately? Mainoo doesn’t always have the greatest defensive awareness, a fact which was exacerbated by Tielemans’ dreadful showing. Mainoo did stabilize following the introduction of Baleba, who provided the defensive rigidity to give him free rein to move forward. The Baleba-Mainoo combination has massive potential (it’s the one good thing to come out of this fiasco).

AM: Bruno Fernandes- 4/10

Bruno clearly spent too much time around Crisitano Ronaldo during the international break (that messiah complex is catching). I do feel for Fernandes. The reigning PFA Player of the Season is the one consistent creative threat in this side. But he tried too hard to make the killer pass at every moment, constantly losing possession and handing the initiative to Spurs. He fell prey to some of his worst instincts, cutting an increasingly frustrated and forlorn figure.

LW: Matheus Cunha- 7/10

Looked far more at ease playing outside of that false-nine role. He roamed incessantly on Saturday, often drifting from the left all the way across the width of the pitch. But he was the one who provided the counterattacking threat, and it would be a neat little bit of play from the Brazilian that would set up Mbeumo for the opener.

RW: Amad Diallo- 5/10

Diallo came back from injury and sauntered straight back into the starting eleven. Huffed and puffed a lot but really couldn’t get into the game. Should have done better when clear through on goal in what was United’s only real chance of the first half.

STR: Bryan Mbeumo – 6/10

Let’s be honest: Mbeumo was having a bit of a stinker until he opened the scoring. He worked hard but couldn’t really get into the game. But he came alive in the vital moment, slotting home when given an ungodly amount of space in the 73rd minute.

Subs

Joshua Zirkzee on for Amad Diallo in 59th min- 6/10
There was almost a collective sigh of frustration when Zirkzee was introduced into the fray. What could he possibly offer? But the Dutchman had one of his better little cameos in a United shirt, linking up play and showing off some dazzling feet in one kinetic dribble. Still lacking when it comes to the end product.

Carlos Baleba on for Youri Tielemans in 59th min- 7/10
Now that is exactly what United have been missing. United have been crying out for a proper enforcer for years now. Baleba made an immediate impact after coming on for the lethargic Tielemans, producing some crunching tackles to wrestle back a bit of midfield pride. His presence activated Kobbie Mainoo, allowing the Englishman to power forward. Baleba’s industry and ball-winning abilities should dovetail beautifully with Mainoo’s press-resistance.

Diego Dalot on for Lenny Yoro in 59th min- 5/10

I barely noticed the Portuguese fullback’s presence (which isn’t always the worst thing in the world). He did a decent enough job when he came on. Too bad that the Spurs equalizer came down his side.

Marcus Rashford on for Matheus Cunha in 95th min- n/a

Ayden Heaven on for Luke Shaw in 95th min- n/a