Spurs Player Ratings vs Manchester United

Lloris 6 – His kicking isn’t a particular strength, but it was a little more loose than usual today (40% pass completion). Otherwise, he did what was asked of him, and commanded his area well.

Walker 6 – Certainly could have done better for the goal, but he wasn’t helped by Dawson’s positioning. Did OK at the other end of the pitch, consistently getting forward in support of Lennon and helping to bring the best out of our flying winger.

Dawson 6 – His first half booking caused him to be a little cautious and, for me, he could have done far better for the goal. His distribution was quite “mixed” today, ranging from excellent cross-field passes to feet, to passes going straight into touch.

Caulker 6 – Got away with a clear foul in the box, and was a bit unsure with his passing (ending with a 74% pass completion rate).

Naughton 5 – Another who was wasteful in possession (also ending on 74% pass completion), and I still feel he hampers a lot of our attacking play with his predictable drop of the shoulder and movement inside.

Lennon 9 – A constant threat, leading to a last minute assist. He made six key passes (as a comparison, Bale didn’t make any). His work rate was also fantastic, as usual – he tracked back phenomenally.

Parker 6 – Rusty. Dwelt on the ball frequently, lacked his usual “safe” passing style, and as a result he dipped to 81% pass completion (last season he averaged 90%). He kept working hard all game, though – hopefully he will find his rhythm quickly.

Dembele 8 – Worked very hard, and was a strong influence – particularly in the second half. He made the joint most passes of all players (along with Phil Jones), and maintained an impressive 91% pass completion, with four key passes.

Bale 6 – Found it tough as United tried to double-up on him. As a result, he mostly received the ball in areas where he was unable to effect the game. Was a little unlucky with a right foot effort that he did well to keep down.

Dempsey 8 – Whilst his passing wasn’t consistently good, he worked exceptionally hard throughout to link play, and got his reward with the late equaliser.

Defoe 4 – Was largely uninvolved, but made poor decisions when he had the ball. Whilst he had a 100% pass completion rate, he only actually made 8 passes in the entire game. He’s on a poor run of form and badly needs a couple of goals to get his confidence back.

Assou-Ekotto – Whilst I was calling for him start, and then for him to be brought on at half time, AVB was justified in easing him back in, as he looked well short of match sharpness, and frequently gave the ball away. However, it was his cross that led to the goal, showing the benefit of having a full-back who is prepared to play further up the pitch.

Huddlestone – Didn’t have much time to make an impact, but was sloppy with his first touch, and misplaced quite a few passes.

Whilst my ratings might appear low I felt that, whilst individuals weren’t necessarily playing to their potential, it was a good team performance on the whole. We worked hard to press United and restricted them well, whilst also offering a threat at the other end, largely through the in-form Lennon.

A big thanks to Chris Miller, editor of WindyCOYS.com and @WindyCOYS on Twitter for the Ratings.  If you’d like Chris to become a regular fixture with his ratings piece on the site, leave your comments below and hopefully he will!