Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Tottenham: Dreadful Red Devils Stunned By 10-Man Spurs

Manchester United’s winless streak was extended to four Premier League matches as they conceded a stoppage-time equalizer in their 1–1 draw with 10-man Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The Red Devils produced an utterly appalling performance during the first half as they were left grateful for Tottenham’s profligacy. A smattering of boos echoed around Old Trafford as the halftime whistle sounded, with the visitors having completely dominated proceedings despite the goalless scoreline.

Spurs continued to look the more threatening side after the restart, but United’s confidence grew with each missed chance. Eventually they were able to punish their visitors following a morale-boosting triple substitution from Michael Carrick, with Bryan Mbeumo’s clinical finish firing them ahead against the run of play.

The assignment of holding their narrow advantage until fulltime was made significantly easier by Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card in the 78th minute, with the midfielder sent off for a headbutt on Luke Shaw. However, as they did in the Manchester derby, United conceded despite their numerical advantage as Dominic Solanke headed home a shock equalizer in the 92nd minute.

United were unable to find a winning goal in the dying embers, forcing them to accept a bitterly disappointing draw. Another underwhelming performance only raises the pressure on Carrick ahead of next Tuesday’s trip to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.

Heroes and Villans

Hero

Leny Yoro’s development has stagnated during a tumultuous spell at Old Trafford, but the confidence boost provided by his first senior France appearance over the international break was evident during an unexpected stint at right back against Spurs.

While not a flawless showing in an unfamiliar role, Yoro was one of United’s leading performers. Some vital last-ditch interventions thwarted some promising attacks and the center back by trade was commanding in his individual duels with the likes of Sávio and Destiny Udogie.

Villain

Youri Tielemans struggled on Saturday. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

There were some unquestionably iffy performances within United’s defense and forward line, but Carrick’s misfiring midfield once again stole attention for the wrong reasons. Youri Tielemans was particularly ineffective in the engine room.

The Belgium international has struggled in the double pivot since joining the Red Devils, missing the presence of a more defensive-minded midfielder alongside him—such as Boubacar Kamara at Aston Villa. As a result, Spurs played through United remarkably easily in central areas.

Tielemans was sacrificed around the hour mark as Carrick looked to refresh his midfield—and it was little surprise to see him trudge off. The 29-year-old finished the match with a pass accuracy of just 80% and failed to create a single chance during a disappointing display.

Notably, United were much better with him off the field.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Tottenham (4-2-3-1)

Amad Diallo returned from injury to join United’s offense. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—6.7: Some dire distribution gifted Spurs encouragement and should have resulted in Solanke opening the scoring after just three minutes. A nervous performance.

RB: Leny Yoro—7.9: Surprisingly thrust into the right back position and rose above the mediocrity around him to deliver an impressive display.

CB: Harry Maguire—7.3: Aside from Yoro, United’s defense was wholly unconvincing—and that includes Maguire. He was worked hard by Solanke and struggled when Sávio drifted inside.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—7.2: Hardly oozed confidence when Tottenham attacked in numbers and was completely outmuscled by Solanke for the last-gasp equalizer.

LB: Luke Shaw—7.2: Often bamboozled by the ingenuity of Mohammed Kudus early in proceedings. Steadied himself as the minutes ticked away.

CM: Youri Tielemans—7.4: Outsmarted by Tottenham’s industrious three-man midfield, who exposed the Belgian’s lack of mobility. Incredibly lackluster in possession, too, continually gifting the ball back to Spurs.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo—6.8: There’s a real lack of balance and defensive structure in United’s engine room when Tielemans partners Mainoo. The youngster should benefit from Carlos Baleba’s steady introduction.

RW: Amad Diallo—6.8: Amad’s first appearance of the season was rather forgettable. The Ivorian was seldom involved before being hooked in the 59th minute.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—6.9: The captain’s usually impeccable passing radar was broken and United were pretty toothless without him pulling the strings.

LW: Matheus Cunha—7.9: Drifted through much of the match on the periphery before assisting Mbeumo’s goal with a neat pass inside.

ST: Bryan Mbeumo—7.9: This was certainly not Mbeumo at his blistering best, especially during his hour up front, but he at least produced one of United’s few moments of quality.

SUB: Carlos Baleba (59’ for Tielemans)—7.2: Helped United gain greater control in central areas during his long-awaited debut. Immediately won favor with the crowd as he stormed into challenges.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (59’ for Amad)—6.9: A bright spark after his arrival.

SUB: Diogo Dalot (59’ for Yoro)—7.1: Perfectly adequate.

SUB: Marcus Rashford (90+5’ for Cunha)—N/A

SUB: Ayden Heaven (90+5’ for Shaw)—N/A

Subs not used: Karl Darlow (GK), Andrey Santos, Mason Mount, Shea Lacey.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Bruno Fernandes was alarmingly quiet. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Bruno Fernandes is typically the man United turn to when they need a moment of magic, but the Portuguese playmaker produced a tame performance on this occasion. Some of the more inventive passes attempted missed their mark and there was an uncharacteristic sloppiness to his game in the final third.
United conceded a glut of opportunities to their visitors as their defense endured another off-day. Senne Lammens set the tone with some awful passing early on, Harry Maguire was far from his imposing best and Lisandro Martínez’s diminutive frame proved costly as he was overpowered for the late leveler.

The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Frustrations

United were abysmal during much of the first half at Old Trafford and it took them until the 34th minute to register their first shot of any description.
The Red Devils were really poor in defense, conceding four big chances and 1.56 expected goals to the team who started the weekend bottom of the table.
United have now won just one of their past 10 matches against Spurs in all competitions.

Statistic	Man Utd	Tottenham
Possession	50%	50%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.77	1.56
Total Shots	12	12
Shots on Target	4	3
Big Chances	1	4
Pass Accuracy	83%	84%
Fouls Committed	13	16
Corners	4	4

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