A depleted Manchester United lost 1-0 to Tottenham in a battle of struggling ‘Big 6’ teams. James Maddison’s 13th-minute strike sent the Spurs up to 12th, while United dropped to 15th.
Match Flow
After several early chances for United were thwarted by Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison put Spurs in the lead in the 13th minute. The Tottenham midfielder followed a shot Andre Onana initially saved and tapped the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Alejandro Garnacho had a glorious opportunity to level after being played in by Bruno Fernandes, but he skied his effort, much to the dismay of Amorim.
Tottenham controlled much of the first half, winning the ball in the midfield and pinning United deep. Spurs entered the break with 67% possession, and while the Reds had more shots, Tottenham created the better chances and the lone goal.
Both teams had periods of pressure early in the second half, but the first real chance came in the 71st minute for United. Noussair Mazraoui played in a beautiful cross that found Joshua Zirkzee, but the striker’s header flashed wide.
The only notable moment to occur late on was the introduction and debut of Chido Obi, though he was only given three minutes and did not have a touch.
One Big Thing
Ruben Amorim filled his bench with academy players but did not trust them to make a difference. Even as Casemiro struggled to get up and down the field, particularly in the second half, Jack Fletcher, Jack Moorhouse, and Sekou Kone stayed on the bench. Chido Obi finally did come on, but with moments to go in the match, he was given no time to show whether he could make a difference. With several months to go and many players out for a long period, Amorim must figure out how to involve his youngsters and avoid running his available first-team players into the ground.
Next Match
Manchester United travel to Goodison Park next weekend to face Everton, who sit one spot ahead of the Reds in 14th.
United Beyond Manchester 
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