Last night, Manchester United left all their home fans disappointed with a lackluster defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Under the management of Erik ten Hag, the team entered the match against Tottenham in the sixth round of the Premier League with an unimpressive form, winning only 1, drawing 1, and losing 2 out of their previous 4 matches.
Therefore, even without their captain Son Heung-min, fans of Manchester United were understandably worried. The reality proved that their concerns were valid.
The players were disjointed and dominated by Tottenham right from the kickoff. Post-match statistics revealed that despite playing at home, Ten Hag’s side only had an average ball possession of 39% and managed just 11 shots (compared to 24 from their opponents). Thus, a 0-3 defeat was quite understandable.
As is often the case when a team loses, the performance of individual players comes under scrutiny. Here are 3 MU starters who played the worst against Spurs.
Bruno Fernandes
As captain, Bruno was naturally one of the most highly anticipated players. However, the Portuguese star had a subpar performance. Putting aside the somewhat harsh red card he received, he struggled in the “number 10” role and scored just 5.1/10 from Whoscored.
Statistics from Sofascore show that in the 42 minutes Bruno Fernandes was on the pitch, he only touched the ball 29 times, mostly in his own half. He completed just 23 passes with an accuracy of only 78%. He was dribbled past once, lost the ball 7 times, and created no significant chances.
Matthijs de Ligt
Continuing to be trusted in the center-back position, De Ligt had a poor performance last night against Tottenham. His unstable display earned him a rating of 6.0/10 from Whoscored, the lowest among Manchester United defenders.
Digging deeper, the former Bayern Munich star made only 1 clearance, 1 tackle, and won 2 out of 3 duels. However, De Ligt lost the ball 8 times according to Sofascore. The most blameworthy moment was when he failed to keep up with Micky van de Ven, allowing the defender to assist Brennan Johnson for the opening goal just 3 minutes in.
Joshua Zirkzee
After an impressive performance against Crystal Palace with a rating of 7.2/10 from Sofascore, Zirkzee was trusted by Erik ten Hag to play as the central striker against Tottenham. However, the Dutch international did not meet expectations and was substituted at the start of the second half.
During his time on the pitch, Zirkzee only touched the ball 19 times, completed 8 out of 11 passes, but lost the ball 7 times. The most blameworthy moment came in the 23rd minute. Receiving a backward pass from Kobbie Mainoo, Zirkzee awkwardly shot while unmarked, missing a golden opportunity to equalize for the Reds.