United’s defensive toughness on display against Tottenham

It’s been fun and games at Manchester United recently, with goals galore, but against Tottenham it was the defense that got them through to victory

There’s few things in football you can always count on. David de Gea pulling off spectacular saves and winning his team matches is one of them. Under Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer, Manchester United scoring goals is another one. But against Tottenham, United had a different gameplan than what we have seen in recent weeks under the Norwegian.

Solskjaer has probably surprised a lot of people with his tactical acumen this season, and it was on full display against Tottenham. Recognizing that Tottenham would leave spaces in the back, he let the forward three, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford stretch their legs in the first half. The goal came from a simple ball behind the defence – something Tottenham have relied on a lot themselves – but it was a planned line of attack.

Additionally, United were content to throw bodies behind the ball and do the dirty work when it was needed. In the second half when the Tottenham kitchen sink was being flung at them, United were, no pun intended, united at the back. United played with poise and belief and defended as one. They sat deep and narrow, and forced the best out of Spurs. You got the sense that everyone had bought into the manager’s game plan and were willing to die for it. Tottenham pushed hard in the second half, and would have probably won the match comfortably on another day. But United defended deep, and they defended well. Yes, they were lucky to have the best goalkeeper in the world behind them, but in football you make your own luck. De Gea made his own, and so did the team.

Whatever cloud that Solsjkaer has lifted with his arrival into the club has helped free up the players. There’s an eagerness and energy about United again that hasn’t been seen in a long time. The effect of that has been dominant victories. That was not the case tonight, but such a gritty win will be equally as important. They executed another gameplan, and showed that they can play differently when they need to. There was still the odd burst from midfield from Pogba and the ball in behind the defense; Manchester United could have easily scored more if it wasn’t for Hugo Lloris. That will please United’s fans as well.

Solsjkaer has been emphasizing bringing back the United way since day 1 of his managerial career in Manchester. He’s now passed his early test and will be buoyed by the display of his charges. Solsjkaer and his team have now won six matches in a row, and could continue to do so on the back of this performance.

United have their team back, now it’s about how much further they will go during this second half of the season.