Skip to main content

Martial helps United sink Spurs

Substitute Anthony Martial's 81st minute strike gave Manchester United a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday to keep them in touch with Premier League leaders Manchester City.

After last week's surprise defeat at Huddersfield Town, Jose Mourinho's team could ill afford another slip-up and they had to battle hard against a resilient Spurs to take the points.

United move on to 23 points, two behind leaders City who are at West Bromwich Albion later on Saturday, while third-placed Spurs are on 20.

The impact from substitutes Jesse Lingard and French forward Martial proved decisive in the latter stages of a largely attritional battle in sweeping rain.

Tottenham, without their top scorer Harry Kane who was ruled out with a hamstring injury, played some tidy and progressive football in midfield.

But although South Korean winger Son Heung-min, playing in a central striking role, provided some intelligent movement and linked up well, the threatening presence of Kane, the league's top scorer with eight goals, was not surprisingly missed.

Spurs have now lost 21 of their 26 trips to Old Trafford in the Premier League era – their worst away record against any club in the division.

Marcus Rashford provided an early test for Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris with a low-struck 25-yard free-kick which the Frenchman was able to turn past the post.

Chances were rare, however, with Spurs not asking a question of United keeper David De Gea until a hooked volley from Eric Dier, from inside a crowded area, three minutes before the break.

United made an aggressive start to the second half and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Romelu Lukaku both forced Lloris into saves as Mourinho's side threw themselves forward.

Spurs though could have gone in front themselves in the 76th minute when Christian Eriksen threaded a superb ball towards Dele Alli but the England midfielder's left-footed effort from an awkward angle went the wrong side of the post. Had Alli chosen his right foot, and opened up more space for his shot, he may well have found the target.

Lingard's deep cross towards the back post was headed firmly - but against the post - by Lukaku and it was beginning to feel like it might not be United's day.

But then Mourinho's side grabbed the win and in the most basic of manners.

A long ball from De Gea was flicked on by Lukaku into the path of the on-running Martial and the Frenchman confidently slotted past Lloris.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kenyan Law Court dismisses case of man seeking compensation after his wife eloped with another man from hospital

  A lawsuit filed by a man seeking to be compensated by St Mary's Mission Hospital in Kenya for allowing his wife to leave the hospital with another man after giving birth, has been struck out by a law court.    The appellant had sued the St. Mary's Mission hospital at Kakamega law courts in 2020 seeking general damages from the facility on grounds that the hospital had discharged his wife and allowed her to leave with another man. After delivering and at the time of discharge, the wife of the appellant claimed he was the baby's father.   The court of appeal judges Patrick Kiage, Mumbi Ngugi and Francis Tuiyott sitting at the Kisumu Court of Appeal, empathized with the man, but disagreed that he (the appellant) be compensated by the hospital for not detaining his wife.  They upheld the lower court's judgement which added that there's no remedy that lies in the law for such grievances.   Kiage said;   "I agree that if a man takes the woman he loves to t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hurricane Hits Texas, One Person Reported Dead

Hurricane Harvey hit Texas as a Category 4 storm on Friday, battering the coast with 130-mph winds and torrential rain. It was the strongest hurricane to hit the United States in more than a decade leaving a massive destruction, loss of electricity, wrecked buildings and has so far killed at least one person. Scroll down to see more pictures of the incident:
Post a Comment
Read more

Togo prime Minister Komi Klassou resigns

Togo’s prime minister and his government have resigned, the West African nation’s presidency said late Friday. President Faure Gnassingbe congratulated prime minister Komi Selom Klassou and his team for their “economic, political and social efforts and the encouraging results despite the health crisis around the world”, a statement on the presidency’s official website said. Togo has been due for a political reshuffle since Gnassingbe was reelected in February for a fourth term in office, but changes were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s election win, which came after a constitutional change allowing him to run, extended more than a half-century of dynastic rule over the former French colony by the Gnassingbe family. The victory was disputed by the main opposition challenger, who has faced official harassment in the wake of the vote. The president has led the country of eight million people since taking over in 2005 following the death of his father Gnass...
Post a Comment
Read more