Peter Crouch has named three Manchester United players who impressed him in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham.
Rúben Amorim handed Matheus Cunha the start up front as Manchester United made the trip to North London to face Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s Premier League encounter.
The opening thirty minutes saw Tottenham dominate possession without making it count, while United stayed compact and patient. The breakthrough came shortly before the interval when Bryan Mbeumo headed home from close range after a pinpoint delivery from Amad, giving Amorim’s men a narrow lead at half-time.
Spurs came out with intent after the restart, forcing United goalkeeper Senne Lammens into a series of sharp stops to keep them ahead. Brennan Johnson briefly thought he had levelled the score midway through the half, only for the flag to go up for offside.
Both managers turned to their benches in the closing stages, and it was Frank’s changes that made the first impact, with substitute Mathys Tel finding the equaliser with seven minutes left on the clock.
In a frantic finish, Richarlison looked to have completed Tottenham’s comeback deep into added time, but Matthijs de Ligt rose above the crowd to power home a towering header in the final moments, earning United a hard-fought point in North London.
Peter Crouch impressed by Man Utd trio
After going down to ten men following Benjamin Šeško’s injury, having already used all his substitutions, and then conceding straight after, it would have been easy for United’s players’ heads to drop.
While that may have been the case last year, United this season seem to have a different feeling surrounding them, and as seen last week against Nottingham Forest, the side are battling right until the very end of games with the belief that they can get something out of every game.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, Peter Crouch highlighted the performances of three United players and the overall performance from the Reds.
“He’s been important, definitely. I think Luke Shaw in there has been fantastic as well, and obviously, a young goalkeeper [Lammens] coming in as well. I think that’s been important for them as well. I think Casemiro, again being a protection.
“But listen, there were some bad moments for both sides today, but some good moments, and I think overall going into it, I think they’ll be happy with the draw.”
Lammens has been a revelation
The goalkeeper position has been a persistent issue for the club since David De Gea’s departure in 2023. His replacement, André Onana, endured a difficult two-year spell between the posts, while Altay Bayındır has yet to prove himself a dependable option for the number one spot.
Senne Lammens became United’s fourth signing of the summer. The 23-year-old joined from Belgian side Royal Antwerp for a fee just over £18 million, which, from his performances so far, is already looking to be somewhat of a bargain.
After having to watch from the bench for the three games after his signing, the Belgian finally made his debut against Sunderland, in turn keeping the club’s first clean sheet of the season.
Since that game against Sunderland, the 23-year-old has brought an air of calmness and security to United’s back line, also demonstrating his capability when it comes to claiming crosses, something that Bayındır had struggled with at the start of the season, which cost United crucial points.
Amorim has agreed with the Lammens praise of late, saying after the game, “He’s doing really well. He’s very adult, and he understands that in a game, a lot of things can happen, but especially for a goalkeeper, you need to move on from anything that happened in the last minute.
“So it’s like a new game every time the ball is on the pitch. I think [despite being] 23 years old, he understands that quite well.”
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