I give up on 2nd place already and even though I hate to admit it, Liverpool seem to be the team this term, but its early days and I still think despite Manchester City’s draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at lunch time on Saturday they are the ones who would be crowned champions of the English Premier League come May, 2019. On the other hand, if there’s something I have learnt about Jose Mourinho then its his ability to spring up surprises when tinkering with his team.
My beloved Manchester United side played host to Tottenham Hotspur on the night and I remember telling a few friends and colleagues last week that we were going to lose after the Brighton mishap. I somewhat grew in confidence that the worst that would happen would be the game ending in a draw stating if United scored first it would be victory in favour of the Red Devils.
I did not understand Jose Mourinho’s formation on the night but I was happy to see Nemanja Matic return to the starting XI despite just returning from injury. Ander Herrera was another name I was glad to see in the starting line-up. Manchester United however dominated the first half but had nothing to show from their 10 attempts on goal and 2 shots on target. The half ended goalless but it seemed United would still be the one smiling with 3 points at the end of 90 minutes. One thing that was of significant importance to me in the first half was Luke Shaw shutting out Kieran Trippier.
The second half kicked off looking like United was going to get the first goal but it was Spurs that drew first blood in the 50th minute through Harry Kane who used to be camera shy in August Premier League games. 1-0 and the Red Devils were close to getting an equalizer almost immediately but were shut out by world cup winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris who was in goal for Spurs. Things went from hopeful to doom for United when Lucas Moura put Spurs 2 nil up in the 52nd minute. United tried to knock a goal in to throw open the game but Spurs were sturdy in defence and even came close to increasing their tally but De Gea showed why he’s still the goaltender to beat in the English league.
A third goal was eventually scored in the game and it was Moura who was on the score sheet again to give Tottenham a 3-0 lead in the 84th minute.
A 3 nil win ensured Spurs joined Liverpool, Chelsea and Watford as the only teams to have won all 3 games played so far this season.
In a game which marked United’s 50th home loss and also Jose Mourinho’s heaviest home defeat, I must say my team was awful. Over 15 of these 50 losses came after Sir Alex Ferguson’s era, which makes matters worse.
On a lighter note, I think Jose Mourinho genuinely likes Mauricio Pochettino, I hardly see him chummy with opposing managers. Is Mourinho Out the next song the Old Trafford faithfuls would be singing this week? Time will tell.
Thanks for your time guys. Enjoy the rest of the week !!!