UNITED 3-0 Spurs

UNITED 3-0 Spurs

Welbeck 61, Anderson 76, Rooney 87

United in their first home of the 2011/2012 season were able to see off a Spurs side without Luka Modric as their impressive record against Spurs continued. Sir Alex Ferguson opted to persist with youth once again, naming an unchanged midfield and strikeforce from the one that started against West Brom in a 4-4-2 formation. Due to defensive injuries to captain Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand in came Phil Jones and Jonny Evans with Evra being named as captain. David De Gea retained his place in goal.

It was an evenly contested first half as United did well with possession but created few in the way of clear cut chances, Tom Cleverley one of the few who was able to test Brad Friedel’s reflexes at the age of 40 with the American more than up to the task saving a shot at full stretch from just outside the box. The Anderson and Cleverley midfield partnership did however at times look vulnerable on the defensive side to Spurs’ counter attacks but Spurs were unable to capitalise as poor decision making cost them in the final 3^rd. It would prove the same case for Spurs in the second half when Aaron Lennon got the better of Patrice Evra after the Frenchman’s failed shoulder barge, with acres of space and plenty of time the English winger was however unable to find a team mate as his cross was blocked by Jonny Evans much to the frustration of Rafael Van Der Vaart who was unmarked.

They would go on to be punished, and in the 60^th minute Danny Welbeck who had done little of note in the game up till then met Tom Cleverley’s first time cross from the right to power a header into the corner of Friedel’s right hand post. The two academy graduates once again rewarding Sir Alex for his faith in youth. From then on Welbeck would play like a man possessed, dribbling past players and firing in overhead kicks as United took a stranglehold of the game. It was Welbeck who was once again involved in United’s second, the best goal of the night, applying a cheeky backheel in the 73^rd  minute just inside the box, after receiving a pass from Anderson leaving him unmarked as the Brazillian got his first goal of the season.

Spurs looking beaten, were surprisingly almost let back into the game as Jermain Defoe cracked a shot against the post after David De Gea was unable to collect a cross from the right. Despite the setback, it was job done as Sir Alex made a triple substitution taking off Welbeck, Young and Cleverley for crowd favourite Javier Hernandez, Park Ji-Sung and Ryan Giggs. And it was the Welshman who would set up Rooney for United’s 3^rd and final goal of the night with a cross from the right, for Rooney’s 2^nd goal in 2 games.

United would finish with 60% Possession and 21 attempts on target to Tottenham’s 12 and can now look forward to a week in which they will find out their Champion’s league group opponents and a clash against troubled Arsenal.