Filed under: Manchester United, Tottenham, Premier League, Football, Match Reports
Danny Welbeck summed up Sir Alex Ferguson's new youthful Manchester United with a goal and an assist to maintain the champions' 100 per cent start to the campaign.Without Luka Modric Tottenham battled gamely throughout their opening game of the season but Welbeck provided the killer touch just after the hour and set up Anderson's second strike before Wayne Rooney added a third.
THE GOALS
61 mins: Welbeck is picked out by a neat cross from the right from Tom Cleverley and he finds the bottom corner with a header. (1-0)
71 mins: Anderson breaks into the area and is picked out by Welbeck's back-heel before finding the top corner. (2-0).
87 mins: Rooney heads in from six yards after meeting Ryan Giggs' cross from the right. (3-0).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
2 mins: Rooney heads straight at Brad Friedel after United cut Tottenham open for a second time.
8 mins: After fine work by Ashley Young on the break, Friedel turns a Cleverley shot around the post.
13 mins: David De Gea is almost caught out when he attempts to dribble past Rafael van der Vaart only for the Spurs man to trip the goalkeeper.
28 mins: Young heads narrowly wide after a neat cross from Rooney.
32 mins: Niko Kranjcar has a thumping effort from just outside the area held by De Gea.
43 mins: Van der Vaart has a another shot saved after Chris Smalling fails to spot Gareth Bale's run.
46 mins: Young is denied by Friedel after a neat throughball by Rooney.
50 mins: Tottenham appeal for a penalty after Aaron Lennon thumps a cross against Jonny Evans.
53 mins: Anderson's drive is blocked by Friedel and Rooney fires the follow-up straight at the goalkeeper.
64 mins: Rooney's free kick is tipped around the post by Friedel.
69 mins: Jonny Evans has a couple of efforts blocked as United press and press.
82 mins: Jermain Defoe shot comes back off the post after De Gea flaps at a cross.
WHAT IT MEANS: United have maximum points from their opening two games, maintaining their fine Old Trafford form but this was a performance that offered a glimpse of even greater potential. With more bite in the final third, this could be a great side. This display offered no evidence against the suggestion that this will be a vital week for Spurs. If Modric is going, they need to sell him soon to allow Harry Redknapp the chance to replace him.
REACTION:
Redknapp revealed that Modric will be offered a new contract if he stays beyond the transfer deadline:
"The chairman has said he will look at his contract in a month or two and he's told me he will do that. We want to keep him. The chairman has made a statement and said he's not going and it will be very difficult for him to go back on that."
On Modric's future:
"It's been a problem but hopefully it will get resolved and he will just stay and we can move on. We want to keep him here and add one or two players to him.
"I'm sure he'll stay. The chairman has made his mind up that he's not going to sell him and there's no point selling him late in the window because it's hard to get replacements and that won't help anyone."
On why Modric was left out:
"He's had a little hamstring and it's not that bad. I'm not a medical man but he came to see me and said "gaffer my hamstring's a bit tight" and he couldn't play. I said that we needed him and I've said many times that you wouldn't meet a better boy. He's a fantastic person.
"He's got confused by it all because I wouldn't think he's never caused anyone a problem in his life before.
"Some players can handle it and say they're going or they'll cause havoc. I know players that have done it: "I'll cause havoc around the dressing room, you'd better let me go".
"But he wouldn't cause anyone a problem and I just think he's got confused by it all.
"Let's be truthful, he wanted to go. He's had an offer, someone has made him an offer and he knows what he could earn elsewhere and sees it as an opportunity to move. He's not been in the right frame of mind but we can't go on like that, we've got to get him playing."
On his team's performance:
"I was disappointed in the end. I felt we were right in the game and at half time it was a game that we had as much chance of winning as they did.
"We were going well in the second half, no real problems, and then conceded a goal and we opened up, we were very open. We were looking for an equaliser but we became too open and it was a problem."
Ferguson was delighted with the performances of his young players:
"It tells you we still believe in young players, I think the fans appreciate that, the club is about that and more so when you see the ability they have got, we've always had confidence to play young players but this group have got fantastic ability."
On Welbeck:
"The first half he didn't play as a centre forward he was too much in midfield, he and Wayne but we stressed that we needed more presence up front, more targets up front and someone to run through up front and second half we were much better that way.
"It made a difference to our game. He's always had great ability, Danny, he's made slow progress, because when he was growing he had a problem with his knee growth and it was always a situation where we would have to wait for him.
"When we put him on loan to Sunderland that's where he became a man, he grew up. He's still only 20 years of age and he's got a great future, the lad."
On how Welbeck will fit in:
"He's a big rangy, long-legged boy who can gallop really quickly, once he gets his legs going he's quick.
"He's a good footballer, he's got a great attitude when he loses the ball, tremendous attitude to win it back.
"If you look at Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen and Chicharito they've all got different qualities, Wayne Rooney, different qualities.
"It's not a problem. You've got to utilise the team as best as you can and the horrible part for me now is with Chicharito back, what do we do? It's going to be a big problem for me."
On De Gea:
"Very confident, excellent. I think he got a bit slack that ball at the end of the game, a bit slack but other than that very confident."
On Phil Jones and Smalling:
"We know about them. Phil had a fantastic season with Blackburn last year, we tried to get him in November, we enquired in November and hoped we would get him in January, it wasn't to be but we were prepared to wait anyway.
"You saw him tonight, an absolutely fantastic young player. Chris, you saw last season he had a marvellous season and he just kept maturing. He did a great job at right back, you'd think he had played there all his life so we are very pleased with these players.
"They have all done well tonight, you can't criticise any of them because they have all as a team played very well."
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