Tottenham v Man Utd ratings: Pogba gets high score on return as sub

We rate and slate the players as Tottenham and Manchester United play out a 1-1 draw in their first game back from a three-month break.

Steven Bergwijn gave Spurs the lead in the first half after getting the better of Harry Maguire and David De Gea. The second half saw the return of Paul Pogba for United, and the midfielder won a penalty, which Bruno Fernandes converted to make it 1-1.

Here are our player ratings for either side.

 

Tottenham

Hugo Lloris – Showed good reactions midway through the first half to thwart an effort from Marcus Rashford. Picked out another good stop to deny Anthony Martial in the second half, stretching out to save his French compatriot’s shot. 8/10

Serge Aurier – Important to Spurs’ link-up play down the right flank in the first half. Wasn’t always assured at the back, though. 6

Eric Dier – Made a crucial block to deny Anthony Martial in the second half after the Frenchman had been set up by Bruno Fernandes. However, he was beaten by Paul Pogba to concede the penalty that led to United’s equaliser. 6

Davinson Sanchez – Not always at his sharpest level – understandably after all the time off – but played his part in a generally solid defensive display for Spurs. 6

Ben Davies – Kept Daniel James fairly quiet in their individual battle on that side of the pitch. 6

Moussa Sissoko – Stayed alert to any danger posed by United, especially late on to intercept a through ball from Bruno Fernandes. 6

Harry Winks – Kept the midfield ticking over with his positive passing. Brought energy and direction to Spurs’ play. 7

Son Heung-Min – Put in a good shift, with plenty of energy down the wings. Happy to help out going backwards and forwards. 7

Erik Lamela – Involved in some attacks, but the least dangerous of the Spurs frontline. Conceded some fouls as he was sometimes a fraction off the pace of the game out of possession. 6

Steven Bergwijn – Broke the deadlock thanks to his sharp pace, gliding past Harry Maguire. Kept causing problems with his speed, setting up a chance for Son with a great cross shortly after. 7

Harry Kane – A tough return to action for the star striker. He worked hard enough and tried to get on the ball, but chances were few and far between. 6

Subs:

Giovani Lo Celso (for Lamela, 70) – Brought on to give Spurs a different dynamic, but couldn’t quite get up to speed in time. 6

Gedson Fernandes (for Bergwijn, 70) – All eyes were on his Man Utd namesake, as he tried to make an impact himself. 6

Manager:

Jose Mourinho – Arguably went too defensive, too early after taking the lead. Will be disappointed to miss out on beating his former employers, but almost outsmarted them. 6

 

Man Utd

David De Gea – Will have been disappointed to concede the first goal in the manner he did. Slight redemption came in a save against Son, but it did not make up for his failure to keep hold of the ball from Bergwijn’s shot. 5

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – Was a presence up and down the right-hand side, but as has come to be expected from him, was better in the more defensive areas. 7

Victor Lindelof – Played his part in keeping Harry Kane reasonably quiet. Looked in discomfort after being taken off. 6

Harry Maguire – Wrong-footed by Bergwijn for Spurs’ opener. Brought the ball out of defence reasonably well elsewhere, but with the money spent on him, should not have made the fundamental error he did. 6

Luke Shaw – Many of Spurs’ early attacks came down Shaw’s side. The left-back seemed to settle a bit more later on in the game, though. 6

Scott McTominay – Struggled to make an impression in the middle of the park. Slotted into defence briefly later on, but was taken off thereafter. 5

Fred – Looked frustrated to be taken off just after the hour mark. However, he hadn’t made too big an impact on the game. 6

Daniel James – Didn’t get too many chances to run at the defence, and was among the first players to be taken off. 5

Bruno Fernandes – Tried to make things happen with his energy, but his shots from outside the box were often too ambitious. Got the chance to link up with Paul Pogba for the first time when the number six came on, and it almost worked to instant effect, with Fernandes turning and picking out a great pass for Anthony Martial – who was thwarted by Eric Dier. 7

Anthony Martial – Dynamic at times, was unlucky to be denied a goal by a strong save from Lloris. 6

Marcus Rashford – Made a welcome return to the starting lineup, but still looked as if he needed some time to get back to his very best. 6

Subs:

Paul Pogba (on for Fred, 62 mins) – Gave United a glimpse of what they’ve been missing without him. Showed some creative spark and outskilled Eric Dier to win a penalty for his side. 8

Mason Greenwood (on for James, 62 mins) – Helped change the flow of the game in United’s favour. 6

Odion Ighalo (on for Martial, 78 mins) – N/A

Nemanja Matic (on for Lindelof, 78 mins) – N/A

Eric Bailly (on for McTominay, 89 mins) – N/A

Manager:

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – Made full use of his substitutions, and it worked to good effect. Was patient with Pogba rather than throwing him straight back into the starting lineup, and that paid off, as his impact from the bench caused problems for Spurs. 7

You can see how the action unfolded via our Live Centre here.