Manchester United’s five things noticed vs Tottenham – two standout players amid Rúben Amorim’s big mistake

Five things noticed as Manchester United fell to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Rúben Amorim chose to select Casemiro as part of the midfield as Manchester United travelled to face Tottenham in North London during a tense Premier League encounter on Sunday afternoon.

The tie started with Tottenham looking to keep the ball, although Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho, and Diogo Dalot were all denied after ten minutes during a flurry of chances. Spurs struck home minutes later as James Maddison capitalised on a rebounded effort.

United continued to create but to no avail, as multiple shots flew wide from Amorim’s attacking line, and United went into half-time with a 1-0 deficit facing them. In the second 45 minutes, they started to pick up the pace but they still couldn’t capitalise, and Spurs fought back with 20 minutes to play.

The Reds continued to push as Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee were both handed good chances toward the end, but Amorim’s men kept losing the ball in key moments as they fell to a 1-0 defeat in North London.

#1 – Amorim doesn’t trust the kids

When the line-ups were announced, it was confirmed that Amorim had chosen to field a senior starting XI, although eight of the nine bench players were Academy players either 19 or younger.

Amorim has been keen to stress that he is hesitant to start and play young players at United due to the instability. He kept to this as he refused to play any of the young players until the 90th minute when Chido Obi came on with just three minutes of added time left.

While it makes sense to keep his senior players on the field as long as possible while chasing the goal, this logic flies out the window when there are only minutes left on the clock, but he refused to bring on any junior players with significant time to play, which was a mistake.

#2 – Dorgu’s first outing on the left

Many were baffled when Patrick Dorgu started as a right wing-back and was taken off after 45 minutes against Leicester City, but against Tottenham, he was moved to the left, where he is expected to play long-term.

In the first half, Dorgu kept his width well but was only able to put in two crosses as United were not able to create the proper opportunities for him to do so. Although his position allowed Dalot to play on his natural right side, the Portuguese international was not having a good game.

He grew in confidence as the second half went on and was one of United’s few bright sparks on Sunday afternoon as he took a step to securing the left wing-back position as his own.

#3 – Fernandes had a shocking game

Bruno Fernandes started alongside Casemiro as part of the midfield two, but his performance was woeful, although this was partly down to the captain having too much work to do on the pitch.

In the first half, he was being asked to cover United’s right side alongside Dalot, leaving Casemiro alone in the midfield, which left the Brazilian overrun. He was caught in possession multiple times while failing to execute his passes properly.

He improved in the second half once United saw more of the ball, but far too often, he was lax and jittery, ultimately costing United precious chances.

#4 – Zirkzee starting to thrive with the ball

Alongside Dorgu, Zirkzee was one of United’s best players in North London, and he looks like he is really starting to thrive with the ball at his feet.

Read More: Player Ratings – Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United (Premier League)

He played as a No. 10 on the right hand side with Højlund up front, and although he headed a good chance wide in the second half, he looked like a player who has been growing in confidence and becoming more assured at the club.

#5 – Poor finishing once again Unite’s crux

As has been a theme so often this season, United’s poor finishing was their ultimate undoing. Spurs were vulnerable at the back, but United could not capitalise.

They created plenty of chances and had 16 shots with six on target, but the attacking line could not break past Guglielmo Vicario. Amorim should have trusted the young players on the bench.

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