Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro Tonali delivered an impressive performance during the 1-1 Premier League draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The London giants went into the game with just two points from five matches. They were the dominant outfit in the opening 30 minutes where United could not muster a single attempt on goal.
Spurs continued to dominate midfield proceedings after the break, but Bryan Mbeumo eventually broke the deadlock for Man United. He netted his seventh goal against Spurs in the 73rd minute.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s 78th minute red card left Spurs with a big disadvantage, but they continued to press for the equaliser and ultimately found the back of the net through Dominic Solanke in stoppage time.
Solanke got the better of Lisandro Martinez before heading home the equaliser with a glancing header. The goal was made by a brilliant cross from Tonali, who had his best game in the Tottenham shirt.
Fantastic
Tonali had a fantastic outing in the centre of the park. He showed an exceptional work rate with and without the ball and clearly outsmarted Youri Tielemans, who was subbed off at the hour mark. United’s midfield could not cope with his movement.
The Italian international registered 79 touches and 53 passes, as per Fotmob. He also won 4 duels and made 6 recoveries for the London heavyweights and looked a class apart with his midfield mobility.
We believe this was Tonali’s best appearance since joining Spurs from Newcastle United over the summer. The 26-year-old showed why he is widely regarded as one of the leading Premier League midfielders.
Spurs could not muster their first win of the league campaign, but it was definitely an improvement from the first 5 matches. They now need to find more consistency with their finishing to pick up wins.
The lack of cutting edge in the final third remains a cause for concern, and manager Roberto De Zerbi needs to particularly work on that in training as Spurs seek to climb up the table beyond the relegation zone.
Next up, Tottenham have a home league game against newly-promoted Coventry City on October 19. They should be favourites to pick up a victory and anything less could lead to more criticism towards De Zerbi.
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