Tottenham Hotspur went up to Manchester United, looking to leapfrog the Red Devils in the standings, but Ronaldo was magical, and Spurs left empty-handed; here are Spurs player ratings.
Tottenham did not play particularly poorly in any game phase, with different players sometimes making plays. Ultimately, breakdowns and a bit of Cristiano Ronaldo turning back the clock for a hat-trick left Spurs wondering what might have been.
Rating the Tottenham Defence
There were no changes in Spurs back-three in front of club captain Hugo Lloris. None of the three played great and none played poorly as Ronaldo was just better.
Left-back – Ben Davies – 6.5
Ben Davies had a solid all-around day defensively, as United seemed to prefer to attack Doherty on Spurs’ right side. Davies almost had an incredible moment as he started and finished a beautiful combination beating David De Gea only minutes after Ronaldo’s opener. Unfortunately, Davies was just a step early in his run was flagged offside.
Centre-back – Eric Dier – 6
It was easy to observe Eric Dier leading the line and urging his team to keep their formation throughout the match. Dier worked hard to move the ball forward in possession, sometimes pushing past the midfield. He decided to hold his ground and block Ronaldo’s shot on the opening goal when in hindsight, he should have stepped up and closed out from just 25 yards away. Dier picked up an early yellow card running into the back of Ronaldo and was less aggressive on the ball the rest of the way.
Right-back – Cristian Romero – 7
Cristian Romero was the most aggressive of the back three attacking the ball, which is not surprising. Whether it was against Ronaldo, Fred, or Sancho, Romero worked to attack and win the ball back for Spurs. He probably could have done without the taunting on Maguire after the second goal, but Romero seems to feed on that intensity.
Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris – 6.5
It isn’t easy to believe a keeper had a good day when they conceded three goals; however, overall, Hugo Lloris helped keep Tottenham in the match. Lloris had a couple of decent claims but could have done more on the last goal. He had no chance on either of the first two goals, as Ronaldo hit a rocket and then had a classic finish off a Sancho cross. He made several solid saves and avoided a rebound in several crucial moments.
Tottenham Midfield Ratings
After picking up a knock in the first half of the win over Everton, Ryan Sessegnon was out of the squad, and Sergio Reguilon got his first start since a covid-enforced absence. When Christian Eriksen had the big pass for Brentford, Spurs midfield never had that magic moment.
Left wing-back – Sergio Reguilon – 6
In the starting line-up with Sessegnon out, Reguilon was very active moving forward but had one significant defensive error. Reguilon was slow stepping up to hold the offside line against Jadon Sancho for United’s second goal. Sergio worked hard to make up for that mistake and was directly involved in Spurs’ second goal, forcing Harry Maguire’s own goal with a good cross. Reguilon made some excellent runs but could not connect on the back end.
Central midfield – Pierre Hojbjerg – 7.5
Pierre Hojbjerg had a strong match in the middle for Tottenham. Hojbjerg battled the United midfield all day, working tirelessly to win the ball back. Continuing to show a growing eye for a forward pass, Hojbjerg was as progressive as he has ever been. He also showed some nifty footwork on the ball, even completing a step-over to get off a short cross near the end line.
Central midfield – Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
Rodrigo Bentancur’s day summed up Tottenham, with moments of good play and some aggravating mistakes at others. At times wonderful, he was spraying nice diagonal passes across the pitch and battling Paul Pogba for possession in the middle of the park. Then at other times, mishitting simple passes and losing control far too often when it looked like opportunities were available—replaced late by Harry Winks.
Right wing-back – Matt Doherty -6.5
Continuing to start in front of Emerson Royal on the right for Tottenham, Matt Doherty had his moments going forward against Manchester United. However, he was beaten a couple of different times over the top by Sancho. This includes United’s second goal and an almost penalty moment for Dier in the first half, which Jon Moss rightly waved off.
Rating Spurs Attack
Harry Kane was again leading the line for Tottenham in a front three. Although all three players worked hard for the team, the cohesion seen over the last two matches was not at the same level, and the group did not click.
Left-forward –Heung-min Son – 5. 5
He was making the runs and picking up the ball in some significant positions, but whether it was indecision, the wrong decision, or just losing his footing, Heung-min Son struggled on the day for Tottenham. The most dangerous threat to get behind United diagonally a couple of times in the first half, Son just lacked the quality in the final third to make a difference.
Centre-forward – Harry Kane – 6.5
Kane had an up-and-down game working all over the pitch. At times as United sat deep trying to maintain their lead, Kane would drop almost to midfield and pick up the ball to start what looked like a power-play in hockey. Unfortunately, the penetrating passes from the last few weeks were not there. He finished his penalty well but was otherwise non-existent in the penalty box, managing only one shot other than the penalty.
Right-forward – Dejan Kulusevski – 6.5
Not the day that Deki was looking to have, Kulusevski fought hard on the right-hand side but did not link up with Doherty in the same way he had been. Did have a couple of decent crosses, including an excellent cutback to Bentancur, whose shot was blocked. He never had the space to run and attack the way he prefers and was the first player replaced by Lucas Moura with over 20 minutes to play.
Tottenham Bench and Coach Rating
The game was level for a second time before Conte pulled the trigger and made his first substitution at 78 minutes.
Lucas Moura – 6
Replacing Dejan Kulusevski in the attack, Moura was the first change in Conte’s team. Lucas looked like he was willing to run and work to win the ball back, but nothing ever resulted from his efforts.
Harry Winks – N/A
Winks came on late for Bentancur and played two solid balls forward.
Steven Bergwijn – N/A
Bergwijn came on with Winks a double-swap replacing Davies. Bergwijn only touched the ball once.
Coach Antonio Conte – 6
He had his team ready to play in the sense that Spurs were on the ball and worked hard to win it back. The team struggled to break down United, who sat more than one would have expected and had the lead for much of the game. None of his substitutes made a difference as Spurs pushed to find a third equalizer that never came.