Without Harry Kane, Tottenham might be just fine.
The English Premier League match between Tottenham and Manchester United ended in a 2-0 victory for Tottenham thanks to goals from Pape Matar Sarr and Lisandro Martinez.
Ange Postecoglou’s first home game had exactly the kind of outcome he needed to inspire confidence as the team and the fan base move over the loss of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
Dejan Kulusevski made a strong run down the right and surged into the area in the 49th minute, setting up Sarr to give Spurs the lead following a vibrant first half. Sarr was in a good position to flick the low cross from the Swede into the roof of the net after it was deflected into his path.
After being extremely open in the first half, the game became even more frantic after the goal, with chances coming from both ends.
At the other end, Antony nearly gave United a quick response, but Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario made a diving one-handed save to save Casemiro’s header following a free kick into the area in the 56th minute.
Bruno Fernandes was denied by the goalie once more, while Spurs’ Son Heung-min had a shot at the other end blocked following a well-executed passing move.
Spurs extended their advantage with a little of luck after the pace had moderated a little.
Ivan Perisic, a substitute, fired a low cross into the box toward Ben Davies. Davies couldn’t make good touch and attempted to shoot, but Martinez diverted the ball into the net.
It gave Postecoglou his first victory after his club was pushed to a thrilling 2-2 draw at Brentford the previous Saturday.
This was a role-reversal for United after their underwhelming 1-0 victory against Wolverhampton in the first round, when Erik ten Hag’s team was heavily outplayed at Old Trafford. The first half was mostly controlled by the visitors, but they were unable to really test Vicario in the Tottenham goal. Marcus Rashford forced a fantastic save and Fernandes missed a clear chance with a header in front of goal.
Postecoglou wants his Tottenham team to play a possession-based attacking game centered on playing it out from the back, unlike his predecessor Antonio Conte, but that’s obviously still a work in progress. In the first half, Spurs had trouble breaking through United’s press and frequently turned the ball over to set up risky counterattacking opportunities.
Richarlison was largely inconspicuous up front when Tottenham did manage to go up the field. No sooner had the Brazil striker touched the ball than he was substituted in the 70th minute, offering as a reminder that, regardless of the outcome, replacing Kane’s presence up front was still a work in progress.
