Manchester United secured their much-needed three points with a tough win over Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knew that anything but a win tonight would add to the mountain of pressure already building on him after last Sunday’s 5-0 defeat to Liverpool.
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And his team reacted exactly the way he wanted it to, with a solid defensive performance and real superiority in attack.
A superb shot from Cristiano Ronaldo gave Man United the lead in the first half with a superb assist from Bruno Fernandes.
Then Ronaldo provided the decisive pass for Edinson Cavani’s goal in the second half, a wonderful attacking move in which Fernandez, who regained the ball again.
Marcus Rashford took the win late, and suddenly the black cloud hovering over Old Trafford looked less dark.
George Moore from Sun Sport Runs the rules for United stars’ performances at Tottenham Hotspur:
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David De Gea – 7/10
He made a mistake in the first half by giving the ball to Lucas Moura, but it went unpunished.
Otherwise, the Spaniard had a fairly quiet night with little action, as Spurs had no shots on target.
Victor Lindelof – 7
It wasn’t a perfect performance from the Swede, but he benefited greatly from having Varane by his side.
He tried to play a few of his signature long balls forward, but didn’t have much luck today.
Harry Maguire – 7
He got a yellow card midway through the first half which meant he was walking on eggshells for the rest of the match and did a good job of avoiding a second booking.
Maguire has done much better against Tottenham than he has in recent weeks, particularly against Liverpool, but he hasn’t been at his best.
He seemed most comfortable in his back three.
Raphael Varane – 8
He was a remarkably calm and authoritative presence in the triple line defense alongside Maguire and Lindelof.
He barely missed a foot throughout the match, but was fortunate to escape a yellow card in the first half after a clumsy challenge on Lucas Moura.
United look more solid defensively with a side, with the brilliance of his class and experience.
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Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 8
She saw a lot of ball in the first half down the right and had some good moments.
He made an excellent block to stop Heung-min Son late in the first half and was up and down the wing throughout the match,
Lock Show – 7
Diligent and energetic like pounding the left wing up and down.
He’s not yet back to his best, but he’s done well in both defense and attack and has made the most of having three in the back to cover his defence, giving him license to move up.
Unique – 7
Fred Lloris tested in the first half from distance with a left-footed shot half an hour later, which the Spurs captain saved well.
He was also caught a few times and often took a lot of touches, but he played really well in midfield.
He got himself a yellow card for two mistakes in the second half and always looked like a foul away from the red card.
Scott McTominay – 7
The ball shook a little at times and fired it once or twice in midfield, but it improved a lot after a disastrous performance on Sunday.
He looked more comfortable playing in front of three defenses and also benefited from poor performances from Tottenham’s midfield.
Bruno Fernandes – 8 (75 minutes suspended)
Fernandez put in a great cross for Ronaldo’s goal at the end of the first half and did very well in recovering the ball for Cavani’s goal in the second half.
He was excellent defensively and gave a real box-to-box display in midfield, coming back to help defend his back and then leading the counter-attacks.
There was no goal in six league games with Fernandes, but a performance that improved a lot from that of Portugal’s great United.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 9 (70 minutes suspended)
He scored a fine ball late in the first half to give his side the lead and disallowed a goal early in the second half for offside.
Ronaldo also provided a crucial pass for Cavani’s goal in the second half by controlling the ball superbly before playing against his Uruguayan partner.
Great performance from a great player
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Edinson Cavani – 8 (suspension – 81 minutes)
Cavani scored a superb goal in the 64th minute and was a constant thorn in the Spurs defense throughout the match.
He missed an opportunity to give Manchester United the lead in the first half with a good header on the edge of the six-yard area.
He also gave the ball to Harry Kane with a striking pass just 15 minutes before the end of the match, but Tottenham were unable to take advantage of it, fortunately for him.
But he introduced a real shift in both attack and defense until he was taken off after being knocked out ten minutes before the end of the match.
Alternatives:
Marcus Rashford – 8 (70 minutes)
He scored late with a fine finish to net Lloris after just ten minutes on the field.
He didn’t have many chances, but he took the one he got and looked sharp in his veil.
NEMANJA MATIC – 7 (in 75 minutes)
She got the assist for Rashford’s late goal, but other than that she didn’t have much to do.
Jesse Lingard – N/A (81 min)
He wasn’t on the field long enough to make a real impact.
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