Man United remain a work in progress despite Walker's own goal gifting Van Gaal's side victory in season opener against Tottenham
MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 TOTTENHAM - ROB DRAPER AT OLD TRAFFORD: At least it was better than this time last year. Then the bright, new, dawn of Louis van Gaal's managerial reign started on a sunny day at Old Trafford with a defeat by Swansea. And on that day United were truly awful. Today they were merely ponderous and a little leggy.
At least it was better than this time last year. Then the bright, new, dawn of Louis van Gaal’s managerial reign started on a sunny day at Old Trafford with a 2-1 defeat to Swansea. And on that day United were truly awful.
On Saturday, they were merely ponderous and a little leggy. Nothing like a side that might challenge for the title, mind, but they weren’t terrible.
And there were some genuine positives on which to draw. Memphis Depay was sharp and enthusiastic and brings much needed pace and incision to United’s forward line; Matteo Darmian’s thrusting runs down the right will be a feature of the season.
Manchester United new boy Memphis Depay (centre) congratulates Wayne Rooney as the home side take a 1-0 lead
Jan Vertonghen (left) looks to the turf as Rooney is joined by Depay and Juan Mata in celebration of United's opener
United's new No 7 Depay, who started brightly on his Premier League debut, revels in the opening goal celebrations
And then there was Sergio Romero, of whom it was difficult to know what to make. He started like a man who had been plucked from Sampdoria’s reserves and who hadn’t played a single minute of football for his new club. All nerves, flappy hands and loose passes.
By the finish, though the Stretford End were chanting his name after a particularly good reaction save he made from Christian Eriksen. His charisma and energetic style suggests he will be a crowd favourite and have a role here.
At times though, it appeared that a convention of alternative Manchester United keepers had gathered at Old Trafford. In the stands sat Anders Lindergaard, David de Gea and Victor Valdes, the latter two happily laughing and conversing. Hugo Lloris, who you suspect van Gaal would dearly like, sat on the Tottenham bench, only just back from injury.
Then there was Bastian Schweinsteiger, who finally appeared on the hour, and whose first signficant contribution was to be booked for hacking at Nacer Chadli as he struggled to chase down the Tottenham man. Still, early days and all that.
As for Tottenham, they were good for 20 minutes at the beginning and 10 minutes at the end; inbetween, not so much. They stated much the better and hustled and harried ragged-looking United midfield. Mauricio Pochettino has eschewed long pre-season tours in order to work his team properly in London and it appeared to pay dividends.
They looked sharper, fresher and more incisive in midfield and indeed he more likely to score. The best opening chance came on six minutes, Juan Mata giving the ball away and Harry Kane dinking a lovely ball to Christian Eriksen. The Dane brought the ball down beautifully but with a wild Romero approaching he lifted his shot over. It might have been goal of the season within six minutes of the season had be scored, but it wasn’t to be.
Yet after 23 minutes of having the upper hand, Tottenham contrived to fall behind. Nabil Bentaleb attempting to play out from midfield passed straight to Juan Mata who fed Depay who in turn played in Ashley Young.
Tottenham came close to taking an early 1-0 lead through Christian Eriksen, but the Danish star lofted his effort just over the crossbar
Spurs winger Eriksen reacts after seeing his effort drift agonisingly over Sergio Romero's bar during the first 45 minutes
Matteo Darmian (left) gets to grips with Spurs star Harry Kane as Mauricio Pochettino's side impose themselves at Old Trafford
Spurs defender Kyle Walker inadvertently taps the ball into his own net while attempting to tackle Rooney
Rooney found himself in space inside the Spurs penalty area before Walker robbed him of the ball and pushed the ball past Michel Vorm
Even then Toby Alderweirweld might have blocked the coming cross but Young had time and space to find Wayne Rooney. As the England centre forward sized up her first goal of the season, Kyle Walker intervened with a decisive challenge; decisive in that he took the ball off the foot of Rooney and directed it into the bottom corner.
It was enough for Tottenham to lose all their momentum. They suddenly looked nervous at the back, lost their intensity in midfield and stopped creating chances up front. Another loose pass allowed Rooney to set up Juan Mata on 35 minutes who eventually shot just wide. That said, it wasn’t that United looked particularly impressive in that opening 45 minutes, simply that they took advantage of the opportunity which had been presented to them.
United improved noticeably for the second half but not so much that you ever felt they would oput he game beyond doubt. Depay had a striker just over on 49 minutes and Young, who continued last season’s good run, dodged away from Bentaleb on 64 minutes to force a save from Michel Vorm. Darmian’s best moment came on 73 minutes when his superb run down the right resulted in wayward scissor kick from Rooney.
Only in the final ten minutes did Tottenham seem to contest the game again. Primarily it was Eriksen who was the danger, with two striker both of which Romero saved. But all around him, the likes of Kane and Chadli suddenly came to life in possession of the ball. It wasn’t enough to earn them a point; it might have been enough to elevate Romero to the status of cult hero.
Walker watches on as Spurs goalkeeper Vorm is unable to prevent United taking a 1-0 lead at Old Trafford
Spurs midfielder Eriksen is surrounded by United players as he looks to drive Pochettino's side forwards during the early stages
David de Gea, who was left out of Saturday's matchday squad by Louis van Gaal, signs an autograph for a fan at Old Trafford
Real Madrid will bid £25million for De Gea this week as they step up their pursuit for the talented goalkeeper
(From left) James Wilson, Tyler Blackett, Jesse Lingard, Victor Valdes, De Gea, Anders Lindegaard and Adnan Januzaj look on
Eric Dier makes a brilliant challenge to take the ball away from Luke Shaw as the United defender attacks down the left
Spanish midfielder Juan Mata fires a shot towards goal as United look to build on their 1-0 advantage
Opposing managers Van Gaal (left) and Pochettino leave the field at half-time with the Dutchman's side leading 1-0
Former Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin leaps into a challenge and earns possession for his team
United new boy Depay made an impressive start to his Old Trafford career - CLICK HERE to see more from our brilliant Match Zone service
German star Bastian Schweinsteiger replaces Michael Carrick in the 60th minute to make his Premier League debut
The Old Trafford faithful give new signing Schweinsteiger a huge welcome as the German takes to the field
Travelling Tottenham fans were in good voice during the 2015-16 Premier League opener in Manchester
The best chance of the second half fell to Rooney, but the United skipper's acrobatic effort failed to hit the target
Rooney's spectacular effort actually spins away from Vorm's goal before being cleared to safety by the spurs defence
The 29-year-old frontman buries his head in the Old Trafford turf after missing a chance to give United a 2-0 lead
Schweinsteiger, seen here barking orders to his team-mates, cut an imposing figure during his cameo at Old Trafford
Argentine goalkeeper Romero reaches the ball before Walker in a bid to maintain a cleansheet for his side
United substitute Antonio Valencia helps Mata, who suffered from cramp during the closing stages
Spurs substitue Erik Lamela (centre) clashes with Shaw and Daley Blind as United close in on three points
