Olivier Giroud’s absence is a mystery, Hugo Lloris proves his worth and Manchester United’s defence continues to wobbleThe debutant Steven Bergwijn will rightfully claim the headlines for Spurs but the contribution of Tottenham’s current third-longest serving player against Manchester City should not be forgotten. Hugo Lloris made one of the saves of the season to deny Sergio Agüero in the first half, somehow getting a big toe to turn a deflected shot on to the post, before he also denied Ilkay Gündogan from the penalty spot (the fourth spot-kick City have missed in their past six). Lloris rode his luck – he was clearly off his line when palming Gündogan’s effort away and fortunate not to concede another penalty when...
With Manchester City threatening to overrun United in the first half, Solskjær tweaked United’s shape and earned his reward with the winning goalIn this second leg a place in the Carabao Cup final beckoned for the team whose manager plotted the better gameplan. Whether Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær possesses the tactical vision to outmanoeuvre a coach of Pep Guardiola’s ilk has become a prevailing debate regarding the Norwegian. The argument goes that a man who failed badly at Cardiff City and whose two titles as a No 1 “only” came with Molde in Norway’s top flight is a babe in a land of managerial giants embodied by the Spaniard who leads Manchester City. Related: Manchester City reach Carabao Cup...
Defiant manager looks for spirited performance that will set his team on the road to a grace-saving appearance in the finalThe good news for Manchester United supporters seeking a little uplift at the end of a depressing week is that Ole Gunnar Solskjær is looking forward to playing on the notorious Tranmere Rovers pitch. “A game on the Prenton Park surface sums up the romance of the FA Cup for me,” the United manager said. “We should be able to go to a League One side and outplay them but, if the state of the pitch makes that impossible, then we’re up for a scrap. We want to go as far as we can in this competition, I’d love to...
Fifth place feels about right for United but problems lie in the difficulty of separating sporting and commercial venturesThe protest songs began around the hour mark, shortly after Burnley had scored their second goal: swelling and swirling around the tired, peeling old ground like hymns to a hazily-remembered past. One was about wanting their United back. Another proposed chopping Ed Woodward up from head to toe: the same grisly verse that had greeted the Glazer family when they first rolled into Old Trafford in the summer of 2005. Another beseeched fans to stand up if they hated the Glazers. Thousands of fans got to their feet. To be fair, they might simply have been heading for the exits.For his part,...
United have just been well beaten by a Liverpool side 30 points ahead of them. They are sleepwalking towards mediocrityLiverpool are brilliant. They are top of the league by 16 points with a game in hand and will probably have the title wrapped up by the end of March. And yet at the same time, while acknowledging how preposterous it is to offer any criticism of a side that has taken 64 points from 22 games this season, there must be a sense that of late they’ve become a little bit sloppy.In their past two league games, against Tottenham last week and then against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, they have come extremely close to drawing games they have...