Manchester United new boy Memphis Depay (centre) congratulates Wayne Rooney as the home side take a 1-0 lead
Jan Vertonghen (left) looks to the turf as Rooney is joined by Depay and Juan Mata in celebration of United's opener
United's new No 7 Depay, who started brightly on his Premier League debut, revels in the opening goal celebrations
Tottenham
came close to taking an early 1-0 lead through Christian Eriksen, but
the Danish star lofted his effort just over the crossbar
Spurs winger Eriksen reacts after seeing his effort drift agonisingly over Sergio Romero's bar during the first 45 minutes
Matteo Darmian (left) gets to grips with Spurs star Harry Kane as Mauricio Pochettino's side impose themselves at Old Trafford
Spurs defender Kyle Walker inadvertently taps the ball into his own net while attempting to tackle Rooney
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Rooney
found himself in space inside the Spurs penalty area before Walker
robbed him of the ball and pushed the ball past Michel Vorm
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Walker watches on as Spurs goalkeeper Vorm is unable to prevent United taking a 1-0 lead at Old Trafford
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Spurs midfielder Eriksen is surrounded by United players as he looks to drive Pochettino's side forwards during the early stages
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David de Gea, who was left out of Saturday's matchday squad by Louis van Gaal, signs an autograph for a fan at Old Trafford
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Real Madrid will bid £25million for De Gea this week as they step up their pursuit for the talented goalkeeper
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(From left) James Wilson, Tyler Blackett, Jesse Lingard, Victor Valdes, De Gea, Anders Lindegaard and Adnan Januzaj look on
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Eric Dier makes a brilliant challenge to take the ball away from Luke Shaw as the United defender attacks down the left
Even then
Toby Alderweireld might have blocked the coming cross but Young had
time and space to find Wayne Rooney. As the England centre forward sized
up her first goal of the season, Kyle Walker intervened with a decisive
challenge; decisive in that he took the ball off the foot of Rooney and
directed it into the bottom corner.
It was
enough for Tottenham to lose all their momentum. They suddenly looked
nervous at the back, lost their intensity in midfield and stopped
creating chances up front. Another loose pass allowed Rooney to set up
Juan Mata on 35 minutes who eventually shot just wide. That said, it
wasn’t that United looked particularly impressive in that opening 45
minutes, simply that they took advantage of the opportunity which had
been presented to them.
United
improved noticeably for the second half but not so much that you ever
felt they would oput he game beyond doubt. Depay had a striker just over
on 49 minutes and Young, who continued last season’s good run, dodged
away from Bentaleb on 64 minutes to force a save from Michel Vorm.
Darmian’s best moment came on 73 minutes when his superb run down the
right resulted in wayward scissor kick from Rooney.
Only in
the final ten minutes did Tottenham seem to contest the game again.
Primarily it was Eriksen who was the danger, with two striker both of
which Romero saved. But all around him, the likes of Kane and Chadli
suddenly came to life in possession of the ball. It wasn’t enough to
earn them a point; it might have been enough to elevate Romero to the
status of cult hero.
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Spanish midfielder Juan Mata fires a shot towards goal as United look to build on their 1-0 advantage
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Opposing managers Van Gaal (left) and Pochettino leave the field at half-time with the Dutchman's side leading 1-0
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Former Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin leaps into a challenge and earns possession for his team
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United new boy Depay made an impressive start to his Old Trafford career -
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German star Bastian Schweinsteiger replaces Michael Carrick in the 60th minute to make his Premier League debut
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The Old Trafford faithful give new signing Schweinsteiger a huge welcome as the German takes to the field
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Travelling Tottenham fans were in good voice during the 2015-16 Premier League opener in Manchester
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The best chance of the second half fell to Rooney, but the United skipper's acrobatic effort failed to hit the target
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Rooney's spectacular effort actually spins away from Vorm's goal before being cleared to safety by the spurs defence
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The 29-year-old frontman buries his head in the Old Trafford turf after missing a chance to give United a 2-0 lead
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Schweinsteiger, seen here barking orders to his team-mates, cut an imposing figure during his cameo at Old Trafford
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Argentine goalkeeper Romero reaches the ball before Walker in a bid to maintain a cleansheet for his side
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United substitute Antonio Valencia helps Mata, who suffered from cramp during the closing stages
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Spurs substitue Erik Lamela (centre) clashes with Shaw and Daley Blind as United close in on three points
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