United vs Spurs - Post game thoughts

The one result that no one thought likely with all the attacking threat on the pitch was played out at White Hart Lane. While a goalless draw is an acceptable result considering this was always going to be one of our toughest remaining fixtures, some will see it as two points dropped.

The main reason for this is the way United were extremely careless in possession at times and certainly lax when it came to placing a killer ball in the final third. With a little more quality, the three points could well have been heading back up North tonight.

Based on the pattern of play, then a draw was a fair result even if United were holding on a bit in the final fifteen minutes once the effervescent Rafael was harshly sent off for a second yellow by Mike Dean.

The case for the defence
Huge praise must go to the United back line, marshalled splendidly by the Serbian war horse Vidic who seems to have gone up a level since being awarded the captaincy at the start of the season. Along with Rafael, Ferdinand, VDS and Evra, by and large Spurs were limited to speculative crosses and the odd half chance.

Although you could describe the game as "end to end" and nothing less than compulsive viewing at all times, quality in the final third from both teams was poor with defence's on top.

Modric caught the eye for our opponents certainly in the first half when Fletcher and Carrick were wasteful in possession and at times slow to react when Spurs pressed. This was the key to their game plan until they started to tire in the second half. No United player was allowed time on the ball and this led to loss of possession or an aimless final ball.

Legend passes 600 mark
Ryan Giggs was making his 600th league appearance for the Red Devils and this is an amazing achievement that will surely never be surpassed. He did, however, mark the occasion with frequent mis-placed passes which seemed to frustrate his team mates and perhaps shows that the legend is starting to show he is mortal after all. Let's hope that he knows when it is time to bow out rather than begin to be a bit of a liability like Gary Neville has unfortunately started to resemble.

It has to be said that all four wingers on the pitch did not make the mark that was expected of them considering the quality they all possess. This goes to show just how well both sets of full backs played.

The centre of attention
The big talking point of the game was the sending off of Rafael which unfortunately looked almost inevitable as the game wore on. The first tackle was a touch reckless and although he seemed to make contact with the ball, in this day and age if you leave the ground when making a tackle you do run the risk of a card happy official brandishing the red card. Although Mike Dean was sensible in this case and only produced a yellow, you felt that he was looking for an excuse to whip out a second one to make him the centre of attention that he often likes to be. No one can argue the non validity of the second yellow as Assou-Ekotto simply crossed the young Brazilian's path with minimal contact. There is no right of appeal available for Rafael and he will miss the next game but I am sure that United could get away with naming Fabio on the team sheet as right back and then simply hand the shirt to Rafael! Surely no one would know.

Apart from the two cards, Rafael had another fine game and was more prevalent in an attacking sense than in previous games. He tends to be a bit impetuous at times but he is learning all the time and it is a great thought to imagine him and Fabio rampaging up and down the flanks in the coming years.

In summary, a point and a clean sheet means we are well placed to land the Premier League title in May. It is a minor miracle that we are still unbeaten in light of some of our performances but with our opponents all dropping points regularly, one of them is going to have to string together a consistent run to overcome the Reds. The main worry is that one defeat (if it comes) could lead to two or three and allow our rivals to pounce. For now all is looking good and it was pleasing to see such a strong bench today which augurs well for the coming weeks. I can see the return of the genius that is Paul Scholes playing a vital role as his know-how and calmness will rub off positively on his team mates.

Match ratings:
VDS - 6, Rafael - 7, Rio - 8, Vidic - 9, Evra - 7, Nani - 6, Fletcher - 6, Carrick - 6, Giggs - 5, Rooney - 6, Berbatov - 5. Anderson - 6, Hernandez - 6.

What are your views on the goalless draw to Spurs?

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