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A late route-one Anthony Martial goal sealed the points for United.

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Sat 28 Oct 2017 09.23 EDTFirst published on Sat 28 Oct 2017 06.00 EDT
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial celebrates after opening the scoring.
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial celebrates after opening the scoring. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial celebrates after opening the scoring. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

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FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

And that’s that! Anthony Martial’s late goal secures a precious three points for Manchester United! They’ll remain on Manchester City’s tail; Spurs by contrast could be eight adrift by the end of the day, depending on how Pep Guardiola’s side do at West Bromwich Albion. Spurs will rue Dele Alli’s miss just before Martial’s decisive strike, but in truth United were the better side in the second half and always the most likely to snatch the win. United close to within two of City at the top, for a couple of hours at least.

90 min +2: A couple of throws down the Spurs right come to nothing. Lingard chases a United throw up the other end, but can’t get clear. Young is replaced by Darmian.

90 min: A free kick for Spurs in the midfield. A chance to load the United box and hit long. Eriksen takes. De Gea flaps a bit, only half clearing. But Spurs can’t take advantage, and suddenly a big boot upfield sends Lingard clear in the Spurs half! A great chance to wrap it up, but he panics and blooters wildly over the bar from the edge of the box. There will be three added minutes.

88 min: Old Trafford is bouncing. Such a potentially crucial goal from Martial. Spurs are wandering around in a collective funk right now. The game’s gone bitty and they can’t put any pressure on the hosts.

86 min: Alli clatters into Young, a legacy of that first-half brouhaha. Young takes the opportunity to go down and eat up some time in the professional style. Alli’s not happy about it, but he can only blame himself.

84 min: Space for Eriksen down the right. He curls deep for Alli, but Bailly is always winning that battle.

83 min: United have been by far the better side in this second half. On the balance of play, they deserve their lead. But can they hold on? Spurs have upped the tempo, and the home side are sitting back. This could be quite a final few minutes!

GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Martial 81)

First off, Spurs get the ball in the net: Dier and Winks shuttle the ball left to right, Aurier slams a low ball across goal, and Alli follows it in at the far post. But Aurier had stupidly strayed offside, nixing a very promising move. De Gea hoicks the free kick forward. Lukaku rises to flick a header on. Martial gets a yard on Vertonghen and, running down the inside-left channel, guides a ball past Lloris and into the bottom right! Such a basic goal for Spurs to concede. But from United’s view, it’s Reeptastic!

Anthony Martial fires United into the lead. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters
Martial and the home fans celebrate. Photograph: Tom Purslow/Man Utd via Getty Images
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79 min: And now they nearly go ahead! Lingard makes off down the right and swings a glorious cross onto the head of Lukaku, rising above Alderweireld on the penalty spot. His effort beats Lloris but smacks off the right-hand post and away. All in slow motion. Now it’s Tottenham’s turn to survive!

Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku heads the ball goalwards ... Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
But sees it cannon off the post. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
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77 min: More of the patient Spurs passing. Eriksen, sitting deep, suddenly springs to life and wedges a glorious ball forward for Alli, who is on Smalling’s shoulder and bursting into the box. Alli gets a yard on the defender, and reaches the ball ahead of the out-rushing de Gea. But Alli’s feathered touch past the keeper sails past the left-hand post. It wasn’t the easiest chance, but Alli is such a good player you’d expect him to score. United survive!

Dele Alli steers his shot past Manchester United’s David De Gea but unfortunately for Tottenham he also steers it past the post. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
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75 min: Spurs ping it around in the patient style. Suddenly, having hypnotised United into sleepiness, Dembele, down the inside left, slips a ball inside to Eriksen, who is clear 25 yards from goal! But Eriksen’s first touch isn’t the best, and he hesitates too, so when he eventually has a shot, it’s wild and snatched. That was a chance to trouble de Gea spurned. Spurs haven’t had too many of those this afternoon.

74 min: Valencia is booked for an amateurish dive in the Spurs box, as he cuts in from the right. An easy decision for the referee.

73 min: Llorente wins a header on the edge of the United box and very nearly sets Eriksen up for a break free into the area. Not quite. United clear, and suddenly Lukaku is bombing down the inside-left channel. He powers into the Spurs box and shoots across Lloris, aiming for the bottom right. It’s a fine effort, but Lloris sticks out a strong hand to palm clear.

71 min: Martial comes on for Rashford. He’s quickly involved in some scrappy action along the front of the Spurs box. Nothing comes of it, but the home team look the most likely to break the deadlock.

69 min: Rashford, deep on the left wing, attempts to set Lukaku free with a curling rake down the middle. Not quite, and Lloris gathers, but what ambition. A few seconds earlier, Dembele had slid into a tackle with Herrera, the latter falling easily then finding the former up in his grille the second he stood back up. It’s more pantomime silliness, and once again we move on without fuss.

68 min: Eriksen and Aurier one-two their way down the inside-right channel. Nice, crisp football. Aurier then tries to free Eriksen into the area, but his sliderule pass along the channel is too strong. He could have shot himself, as well. As it is, United’s goal is untroubled.

66 min: United respond to the Spurs shuffle with a swap of their own. Off goes Mkhitaryan, on comes Lingard. “I do like Llorente but no one seems to be fussed that at this stage in their respective spells at Spurs both Soldado and Janssen had scored,” notes John Tumbridge.

65 min: Rashford and Mkhitaryan combine down the left and earn a corner for United. The latter takes. Llorente meets it at the near post, and nearly slices the ball into his own net. Another corner, once again taken by Mkhitaryan. It’s only half cleared. Valencia meets it at the right-hand corner of the D. He nearly pearls one into the top left. It’s an inch away from sensational. It would have rivalled his recent strike against Everton. What a shot that was!

60 min: ... Rashford fails to beat the first man. Son generously tries to help United out by skying a clearance, causing a brief kerfuffle in the Spurs box as the ball returns from orbit. But Spurs deal with the problem, and there goes that pressure.

59 min: Dier is very nearly outstripped for pace by Rashford on the left. He’s forced to concede a corner. The first set piece leads to another, from which ...

57 min: A couple more probes from Rashford cause Spurs some worry. United have suddenly gone up a gear, and the crowd have cranked up the volume by way of reward. Once again, Spurs are starting the half slowly. Can they respond like they did in the first?

55 min: Spurs suddenly look uncharacteristically shaky at the back. Mkhitaryan latches onto a loose Davies header and has a dig from the edge of the box. Lloris spills it. Rashford is waiting to smash home from a couple of yards, but Davies makes up for it with a wonderful last-ditch slide and hook. Then United come again through Mkhitaryan down the left. He reaches the byline but his ball inside is blasted clear by Vertonghen. Finally Valencia has a smack, coming in from the right, but his effort is blocked and after some ricochets, it’s a goal kick to Spurs.

Tottenham’s Ben Davies thwarts Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters
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53 min: Spurs put a few passes together for the first time since the restart. Vertonghen eventually breaks into space down the inside left. He threatens to shoot, but instead feeds Davies, who tees up Eriksen to the left of the United D. Eriksen attempts a curler into the top right, but his effort is all wrong.

51 min: Young turns on the jets and makes good down the left. It’s a brilliant run. He crosses hard and low towards the near post. Lloris claims, though Rashford wasn’t far away from getting a toe to that.

49 min: Herrera nicks the ankles of Alli and gets a slap in the chops for his trouble as the pair fall. All in one smooth movement. Nothing to worry the ref, though it’s fairly clear that United have decided to target Alli’s hair-trigger temper since that incident with Young on the half hour. They’ve been taking turns to work him over. All part of the dance.

47 min: Mkhitaryan and Valencia combine well down the right wing, but can’t quite open Spurs up. They try again, Davies bundling Valencia over out on the right touchline. Free kick. Just about every player on the field lines up on the edge of the Tottenham box. Mkhitaryan balloons the free kick over them all and out of play on the left. What a waste. But again, United start the half strongly.

And we’re off again! Manchester United get the second half underway at a drizzly Old Trafford. No changes by either side.

HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Rashford’s effort doesn’t beat the first man. Half cleared. A throw back into the box. Matic goes down, claiming to have been dragged to the floor by Vertonghen, but there didn’t appear to be much in that. And that’s pretty much your lot for the first half. Not a single gilt-edged chance to speak of, and yet it was a very entertaining half of ebb and flow. Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be back before you know it!

45 min: There will be one minute of added time. And United are awarded a free kick out on the right. A chance to load the box.

43 min: Herrera slides in with two feet on Son. The referee gives him a good talking to, as he was sailing through the air for a split second there. But nobody makes a big fuss of it, and we move on.

41 min: Son feeds Aurier down the right. Aurier tries a curler towards the top left, but it’s deflected out for a corner. The set piece leads to a game of pinball in the United box. Eventually Dier, falling backwards, sticks out a telescopic leg and hooks an effort towards the top left from ten yards. There’s no power in that, and de Gea plucks it from the sky.

Manchester United’s David De Gea saves a shot from Tottenham’s Eric Dier. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
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40 min: That’s got the Old Trafford crowd going again. As has a fairly meaty challenge from Valencia on Alli. Should have been a foul, but the referee is determined to keep this match flowing. This is a lot of high-octane fun.

39 min: United seriously come at Spurs for the first time in a wee while. Mkhitaryan nearly breaks through the middle, but not quite. Then Rashford has a dig from distance. It’s deflected out for a corner. The set piece, coming in from the left, falls to Herrera, level with the far stick, 12 yards out. He blooters wildly away from goal.

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