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Rodrigo Bentancur leaves Man Utd red faced over £50m deal as Tottenham avoid Son Heung-min repeat

Rodrigo Bentancur delivered an excellent showing in midfield in Tottenham's win at Man Utd
-Credit: (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)


Tottenham made it four wins on the spin with a convincing 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. Ange Postecoglou's side were dealt a blow ahead of the game with captain Son Heung-min missing out after sustaining a hamstring injury in the midweek win over Qarabag.

Heading to Old Trafford in confident mood following their upturn in form, Spurs made the best possible start to the game with Brennan Johnson converting Micky van de Ven's cross after three minutes. It was in fact the winger's fourth goal in as many games after previously going through a bit of a tough period with criticism coming his way.

Johnson was a matter of inches away from doubling his tally on 20 minutes after striking the post following some excellent work involving Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner and Dejan Kulusevski. United were very poor in the first half but they almost restored parity ten minutes before the break as Alejandro Garnacho struck the post, with Werner then missing a glorious one-on-one chance for Tottenham moments later.

Things were to get even worse for the hosts before half-time as Bruno Fernandes was given his marching orders for a high lunge on James Maddison. Needing to get that second goal to stop United from finding a way back into the contest after such an insipid display, Spurs doubled their tally two minutes into the second half with Kulusevski finishing off Johnson's pass in some style.

It could have been even better for Spurs not long after with Werner again wasting an opportunity when played clear through on goal once again. They did manage to make it three in the 77th minute with Dominic Solanke getting his name on the scoresheet with a finish from point-blank range.

Here are five things we spotted in the game at Old Trafford.

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READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou issues fresh Son Heung-min injury update after Man Utd vs Tottenham decision

Moore wait goes on and no Davies

Amid the huge question marks over Son's fitness going into the Manchester United fixture, plenty of Tottenham fans made their feelings known over his replacement in the team ahead of the game. Having the choice of either pushing Kulusevski back into the attack or giving Werner a go from the off, some Spurs fans wanted Postecoglou to be brave and opt for another option altogether.

Many believed it was the perfect opportunity to unleash Mikey Moore from the off in the Premier League after four substitute appearances for the club so far. Postecoglou thought otherwise and opted for Werner from the start, which was maybe a decision that didn't go down too well with quite a few.

The German may have missed two golden opportunities in his game time but he played his part in the win with some good link-up play with Udogie and others. Moore was introduced in his place late on in the contest and Johnson could be seen have a bit of a pep talk with him before he entered the fray.

Moore's time in the Tottenham starting XI will come. Continue to develop at his current rate and it may be sooner rather than later.

Due to the absence of Son and with Richarlison and Wilson Odobert currently out injured, Will Lankshear came into the Tottenham squad in the Premier League for the very first time but there was to be no league bow for the hotshot. One player who did miss out altogether was Ben Davies, who was once again the defender omitted with Radu Dragusin, Djed Spence and Archie Gray preferred as defensive options.

The Welshman has performed well in his playing time this season but Postecoglou's decision highlights his place in the pecking order as things stand.

That Van de Ven run

Van de Ven has more than made his mark in a Tottenham shirt since moving to north London from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023. Coming to the attention of all in the Premier League following an incredible debut season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Dutchman once again made everyone stand up and take notice on Sunday with a sublime piece of play inside the opening three minutes at Old Trafford.

Seizing upon Marcus Rashford's heavy touch, Van de Ven sprinted upfield and he kept going and going and going. Using his pace to breeze beyond four Manchester United players and get to the byline, he then pulled the ball back and Johnson was on hand to tap home at the back post.

Johnson, as he always does in a Tottenham shirt, looked to attack the back post when Spurs were attacking down the left and he reaped the rewards as a result. While of course the winger will get the credit for his goal, it was all down to Van de Ven after that majestic run from his own half.

The Tottenham way

Everything appears to be clicking into place for Postecoglou's Tottenham side after initially struggling during the opening weeks of the season. Failing to create clear-cut opportunities on goal on a number of occasions, Spurs don't appear to have those issues now as they could have left Manchester with a lot more than the three goals they scored in their win.

Manchester United just couldn't live with them for the vast majority of the contest at Old Trafford as Spurs created chance after chance. As pleasing on the eye as Johnson's goal was from Van de Ven's pass, Spurs did create some very good openings from some excellent moves, including the one that saw Johnson strike the post after some fine play between Udogie and Werner before Kulusevski played in his teammate.

Werner was then unlucky midway through the first half with Noussair Mazraoui on hand to clear at the back post with another Spurs move cutting the host to ribbons. Despite missing Son, Spurs caused Erik ten Hag's men constant issues with Kulusevski and Maddison pushing and probing in midfield as they sensed so many opportunities in the final third.

No Udogie chances

Tottenham were given a scare midway through the first half at Old Trafford with Udogie going to ground and needing treatment. It did appear that the Italian's day was over as he sat on the floor and received treatment as Spence waited to come on.

The ex-Middlesbrough man was all kitted out and ready to go but Udogie managed to get back to his feet to carry on. The left-back would see out the remainder of the first half but he did not reappear after the break as Spurs decided to take no chances with him as they wanted to avoid him joining Son on the sidelines.

Spence made his mark immediately after coming on as he caused United some issues down their right flank with some positive runs forward. It was a good outing for a player who has fought his way back into Postecoglou's plans after his two loan spells away from the club last term.

The battle of Uruguay

Rodrigo Bentancur gave everyone a timely reminder of his quality when the sides last met at Old Trafford at the start of 2024. Scoring a good goal on the day as Spurs left Manchester with a point following a 2-2 draw, the Uruguay international once again delivered a brilliant showing at the Theatre of Dreams.

Tottenham fans have had to wait a long time to see Bentancur at the top of his game following an injury nightmare over the past 18 months but he does appear to be getting back to his previous levels if his past few performances are anything to go by. The classy midfielder set the tempo and dictated play in the middle of the pitch as Tottenham ran riot against United and cut them open with ease.

Bentancur was coming up against fellow countryman Manuel Ugarte at Old Trafford, with the ex-Sporting CP man, who cost Manchester United £50million, handed his first Premier League start for the Red Devils. There was only one winner in that battle, however, with Bentancur and Tottenham outstanding on a very good day for the football club.

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