Gary Neville, Manchester United’s former right-back and present TV pundit noticed a few similarities in the Red Devils’ tactics with Liverpool’s in claiming the 0-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last night.
The Englishman revealed, “It reminded me so much of the Liverpool game earlier in the season at Wembley when Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane got in down the sides of the Tottenham centre-backs. It looked to me like Solskjaer had watched that game and thought that’s where I can hurt them.”
“It was clever. He proved in that first-half that he can live in a big game against a big manager and a big team.”
Marcus Rashford found himself in open space after a beautifully crafted through ball by Paul Pogba, with just Jan Vertonghen defending him. The 21-year-old took on the Spurs centre-half for pace and slammed in a grounded shot into the far post corner.
After the goal, Tottenham came out in the second half with a fresh mentality of equalising and even created some remarkable chances. However, David De Gea’s heroics paired with some questionable finishing from the Tottenham players ended the match with a 0-1 scoreline at Wembley.
Neville admitted United were caught in the back foot in the second half of the game and said, “In the second half it was different. Spurs adapted, and they came into the game. However, in terms of the test, he’s absolutely passed this test with flying colours.”
“You could see in the second half Manchester United were determined to hold on. They were determined to make sure they didn’t concede a goal and they got there. It’s such a huge win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and this group of Manchester United players. It feels like a million miles away from where this club was a month ago.”
See Also: Pochettino praises Tottenham following Manchester United defeat
