Martinez the new Maguire as Spurs beats Man Utd 2-0

Marinez the new Maguire as Spurs beats Man Utd 2-0

Manchester United fans' headache, Harry Maguire, will probably be thanking his stars that he didn’t play on Saturday against Tottenham as Lisandro Martinez miskicked his clearance into the back of the net late on to put the game out of reach for his side.

If Maguire had scored the own goal, United fans would have been all over social media calling for his head.

Tottenham secured their first three points of the 2023/24 Premier League season with a 2-0 win over Manchester United

. Pape Sarr scored the opening goal in North London.

Spurs’ opener came just minutes after the half-time break when Dejan Kulusevski was able to break free down the right and divert his cross towards the penalty spot. A minor deflection saw the ball bounce towards the back post, where a thankful Sarr was on hand to open his account for Tottenham.

United then struggled to hit back, with Tottenham putting the game to bed with minutes to spare after Martinez’ miscued clearance trickled into the back of the net. Erik ten Hag will have plenty to think about following the display, whereas Ange Postecoglou will struggle to whittle down the positives. …

Tottenham duo shine

Yves Bissouma shone last weekend against Brentford, and the Mali international was equally as impressive against United. The ex-Brighton star was strong defensively but also showed assurance when driving the ball forward and changing the tempo of the match. Bissouma also appeared to be suited to playing alongside Sarr, with the pair providing a strong base for the creative players to build off of. Postecoglou may have stumbled across the perfect pivot to allow James Maddison to thrive as well.

Richarlison rut continues

Speaking earlier this week, Postecoglou insisted that his side would not look to replace Harry Kane this summer. However, the Aussie may need to reconsider that stance. Richarlison hardly threatened against the United defence, with Martinez keeping him firmly under tabs.

Casemiro evidences Carragher's claims

After United’s Wolves win, Jamie Carragher spoke of how he felt that Casemiro was on the decline and was starting to struggle – and he did again against Tottenham. The Brazil international struggled to protect his backline and often found himself trying to cover too much ground and consequently left out of position without the speed to track back. Ten Hag’s focus in training over the next few days must be on his midfield.

Onana overcomes Wolves blunder

Summer signing Andre Onana almost made his United debut one to forget against Wolves when bringing down Sasa Kalajdzic with a flying challenge with minutes left on the clock, in what should have been a penalty, according to PMGOL. However, the ex-Inter Milan star bounced back against Spurs. Onana made several fine saves and was a calming presence between the sticks, continually calling for his defence to relax in possession in what was a frantic affair, and there was very little that he could do about both goals.

Rashford will be longing for Hojlund's return

Once again, Marcus Rashford was deployed through the middle by Ten Hag – and he was equally as ineffective in the role. The England international cut a frustrated figure playing as a striker, with his United teammates failing to play the ball in behind for him to latch onto. Rashford shone last season whilst playing on the left wing, and the sooner he can slot back into that role, the better.