Five things we learned as Manchester United beat Tottenham 2-1

Manchester United produced a stirring performance to beat Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham at Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford scored early in each half, with Dele Alli netting an equaliser in between.

This was a huge win for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and lifts United up to sixth in the Premier League table.

Here is a look a five things we learned from the game…

Marcus Rashford’s big game legend grows

It took Marcus Rashford just six minutes to open the scoring. His goals in big games are like clockwork.

While Romelu Lukaku was rightfully criticised for failing to score against top six teams, Rashford makes it look routine.

In five matches against Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea (two), this season, Rashford has scored six goals and provided one assist.

It wasn’t just his goals. At times in the game he was unplayable, winning the second half penalty with a brilliant driving run.

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This bodes well for him against Manchester City this weekend, a team he scored a winner against as a teenager.

He has his off days, but nobody can dispute Rashford’s ice cool temperament and overall contribution.

Scott McTominay and Fred partnership makes such a difference

Young midfielder McTominay may have rushed back to be fit for this game, but he showed few signs of rustiness.

His partnership with Fred is remarkably effective, having been forged back in Paris last season.

United missed McTominay badly against Aston Villa and Sheffield United. Andreas Pereira just doesn’t compare.

In the opening stages where United were dominant he was excellent and it is so important he stays fit.

Fred was the better of the two as the game went on and between them they give United a good balance and work hard to set the tone for the rest of the team.

Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

Ashley Young isn’t an upgrade

Would Ole Gunnar Solskjaer go with the youth of Brandon Williams, or bring back a now fit again Luke Shaw? It turned out the answer was neither.

In this big game, Solskjaer felt the experience of Ashley Young was needed.

The problem with this is that Young was caught out defensively for Dele Alli’s equaliser. It wasn’t all his fault, but the way he stood ball watching showed a lack of defensive acumen.

Brandon Williams wasn’t perfect against Sheffield United or Villa, but it is better to have an inexperienced player make errors and learn on the job than an experienced one.

Young isn’t a solid, dependable option at the back, so Solskjaer should stop treating him as if he is.

Nothing for Jose to write home about

Much of the build up this game centred around Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho.

This was a chance for him to make a statement, and come to Old Trafford with a new side and play some attacking football. He didn’t do that and took his first loss.

He fell short of making a statement. Tottenham looked average, in fact, Aston Villa caused us more problems at the weekend.

Now in fairness to Mourinho, he’s only had a couple of weeks with his new side, and it may be a different story later in the season.

But this was not a night for him to remember. It was a humbling fixture for him, just like in the same game last season.

Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images

United are a good team

It hasn’t seemed like it at times this season, but United have good players and are a good team.

Now obviously five wins in 15 matches doesn’t reflect that, but this was a strong performance.

We are the only team to take points off Liverpool this season, have beaten Chelsea, drawn with Arsenal and now beaten Tottenham and Leicester.

The problem is against the so-called smaller teams. United aren’t clinical enough, and that’s a major issue, but this side isn’t as bad as the record suggests, or critics would have you believe.

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