Kyle Walker scores the first goal of the new season after putting the ball past his own goalkeeper early on in the game
The 2015/2016 Barclays Premier League season got off to a rather uninspiring start at Old Trafford where Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur by a goal to nil. A first half own goal from Kyle Walker made the difference as Mauricio Pochetino’s men were made to head back to London with nothing to show for their efforts. For Manchester United though, the three points that they won were undoubtedly much more than what they deserved. Van Gaal’s boys had a bad day at the office and they can consider themselves to be really lucky to have walked away from this with a win.
United started the game on the back foot while Spurs made a good start. Danish attacker Christian Eriksen had the first real chance of the new season but the delicate lob that he put past on-rushing United ‘keeper Sergio Romero landed on the roof of the net. United failed to get a proper foothold on the game but they somehow managed to find themselves in the lead against the run of play. Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb’s horrendous pass was intercepted by Juan Mata on the half way line, and a swift counter saw the ball land at the feet of Wayne Rooney on the edge of the six yard box.
Christian Eriksen could have put Spurs in the lead within the opening few minutes of the match but the Dane’s lob was slightly over hit
The England forward did not put the ball in the back of the net though as this honour was carried out by his countryman, Kyle Walker. The defender inadvertently played the ball past his goalkeeper and into the back of the net as he made a last ditch attempt to prevent Rooney from scoring. These two fortuitous incidents ultimately helped Van Gaal register his first win of the new campaign, but the Dutch manager had no emotions to show for their narrow escape. United were so poor in fact, that their first shot on target came in the 65th minute of the match when Ashley Young shot at Spurs custodian, Michel Vorm.
Italian right back Matteo Darmian had an impressive debut after putting in a man of the match display
The Red Devil’s gave League debuts to Sergio Romero, Matteo Darmian, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Four of these lads had average displays, but one of them stole the show with a man of the match display. Italian right back Darmian is that man and the composure that he displayed was truly remarkable. The commentators rightfully pointed out that he barely misplaced a pass for as long as he was on the pitch. In addition to this, what was refreshing to see was the fact that the former Torino star looked equally comfortable attacking as he did while defending.
His prowess was even better understood after he was replaced by Antonio Valencia with 10 minutes to go. The Ecuador international failed to play as well as the man he replaced and the game concluded with a relentless stream of Spurs pressure attacking the United goal. Ultimately, all their effort went in vain as Tottenham failed to get on the score sheet, but Pochettino’s boys will take a lot of heart from the valiant display that they put in. United on the other hand will hope to play much better next time around after realizing that this time, they just got lucky.
