It was a tough day for Tottenham Hotspur, as Manchester United showed up to play at Wembley under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.
It’s no secret that Spurs were the firm favourites heading into this match, despite Manchester United’s great form since Solksjaer took over as interim manager. Being honest, the first few fixtures United had under Solksjaer were quite straight-forward, and they got the job done in all of them in exquisite and positive fashion. This match though, was the real test, and the Red Devils showed their character.
Funny enough, the man that is being linked the most to the permanent United job is the man who happened to be in the opposing technical area, Mauricio Pochettino. Many believed that if Solksjaer could provide a good result in this match and continue United’s momentum, especially against Pochettino, he may very well have a good shot at the permanent job come the summer.
Three mins into his press conference, Solskjaer has individually praised every one of his Man Utd players. That's one big difference between him and his predecessor.
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) January 13, 2019
The first half was tightly contested between the 2 sides, with good chances being missed at either end. Paul Pogba’s quality in midfield eventually made a difference on the stroke of half-time, as his beautiful lofted ball sent Rashford through on goal, and the Englishman made no mistake. Both players have had a complete upturn in form since the departure of Jose Mourinho, and they are enjoying their football once again.
In the 2nd half, Spurs dominated play, but David De Gea stole the show.
There’s just something that’s rare about goalkeepers stealing the show nowadays. It seems as if it doesn’t happen as often as it used to within the game. David De Gea is one of the rare goalkeepers that still manages to grab all the headlines with his brilliant reflexes and timely saves.
Spurs turned up the pressure tenfold in the 2nd half, as they upped the intensity and combined well in the United half throughout. They went from putting 0 shots on target in the 1st half, to pelting a ridiculous 11 shots on target in the 2nd half, every single one of them saved by De Gea.
I see a lot of people saying all De Gea saves were straight at him, please factor in that the guy has some mad sense to know where to be at just the right time, you can’t teach that. Proper goally 👏
— Ben Foster (@BenFoster) January 13, 2019
The Spaniard was the Man of the Match by a country mile, and United may very well have lost this fixture by a significant margin had they had any other goalkeeper on the planet between their sticks. His footwork and positioning on some of the saves were nothing short of world-class, and it left many Spurs players visibly stunned on multiple occasions. It was arguably the best performance by an individual player all season in the Premier League.
So, Solksjaer is a man who must be taken seriously as a manager now, after this colossal victory. Sure, he might have David De Gea to thank, but the Red Devils look far more inspired and positive under him. Manchester United climb level with Arsenal in the league table with their eyes on the top 4, despite looking dead and buried in the race just a month or so ago.
As for Spurs, they maintain their position at 3rd in the table, but are now just 1 point ahead of Chelsea and will likely be 5 behind City by tomorrow.