And to be honest, Tottenham were the better team in the opening minutes and they grew in confidence as United struggle to find rhythm. Spurs made the better start with Christian Eriksen latching onto Harry Kane’s lofted through ball after Juan Mata was dispossessed. The Dane used his head to control the ball but scooped his lob onto the top of the net as the Stretford End held its breath behind the goal.
Harry Kane also saw a shot deflected wide as well before luck went United's way. Nabil Bentaleb’s stray pass launched a rapid counter-attack with Mata and Memphis Depay involved but, as Ashley Young’s centre rolled towards Wayne Rooney, Walker beat the Reds skipper to the ball and prodded it past the helpless Michel Vorm. I was stunt to watch the ball rolled over Vorm but it was in the back of the net. I was quite fed up with the amount of time that Rooney took to make a shot but luckily Walker helped us to go one up despite of the poor start by United.
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| Rooney celebrate with Memphis |
After the interval, United seem to be the better side although I didn't really see any clear chances. Both teams definitely didn't look like title contenders. There were occasional combination in the midfield but it was too few and none that really create any danger on either side. Throughout the game, the Italian defender, Matteo Darmian who made his debut game was good at reading the game, clever at attacking and defending as well....no wonder Van Gaal singled him out for praises after the game.
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| Herrera, fan favourite will definitely give Van Gaal a selection headache for the next game |
The defensive unit looks good and Smalling was commanding the back four with confidence and authority. The goalkeeper Romero was struggling initially but seem to get in the game as the clock tick and there's a lot to thank for. After Darmian was substituted by Valencia, United right back seem to have a hole. While Valencia is quick and hardworking, he's not a natural defenders and Spurs took notice and advantage of it, bringing a nervy end to the game. This allowed Romero to show what he could do. Romero stopped Kane's header, almost in slow motion, and then beat out a powerful drive as Eriksen hammered goalwards. Van Gaal's boys hold on to the victory and I felt damn relief. Finally get rid of the bad feeling of last year when we were defeated in the first game by Swansea.
While this is definitely not a performance that most United fans come to expect, it's great to see we start the season with a win over Tottenham Hotspurs.
Yes, it's 1 - 0 results. It's an own goal by Tottenham. But the 3 points is all we want for now.
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