Manchester United came through a tough encounter against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, with a late Anthony Martial goal proving decisive and sealing three points for the Reds.
José Mourinho welcomed Phil Jones and Eric Bailly back into his side after recovering from injury, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan also returned after being benched for the defeat to Huddersfield last week.
It was a scrappy first half for United, who started well but faded slightly as the half wore on, as Mauricio Pochettino’s men started to take control of the encounter. Chances were few and far between, but the challenges were certainly flying in, with Dele Alli and Ashley Young squaring up to each other.
The second half was more of the same, but United improved their play and carved out several chances. Antonio Valencia drilled a fierce volley just over, while Romelu Lukaku hit the base of the post with a backpedalling header. Meanwhile, Alli missed a guilt-edged chance, squirming his shot wide and that would come back to haunt Spurs.
Substitute Martial would score the winning goal with ten minutes remaining, latching onto a flick forward by Lukaku and squeezing the ball past Hugo Lloris. It was a timely winner from the Frenchman, and one that puts United in the driving seat as Manchester City’s main challengers in the Premier League.
Here are the player ratings from Old Trafford:
