Ander Herrera’s second-half strike was the difference as Manchester United successfully managed to return to Wembley for FA Cup final, ousting Tottenham Hotspur in the process.
It was a game of two halves, as Spurs dominated the game early on, but thanks to Mourinho’s extreme resilience, the Red Devils fought back well. Alexis Sanchez’s quick equalizer coupled with Ander Herrera’s strike just after the hour mark sent Manchester United to the final of the FA Cup.
Spurs, on the other hand, failed to capitalize on their strong start as Mauricio Pochettino once again fail the opportunity to win his first silverware as Tottenham manager. The job is getting tougher for the Argentinian, who was highly courted by Real Madrid, earlier this season.
Here are the Tottenham players rated in their defeat over Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Michael Vorm (7/10): Not playing Lloris finally proved to be a huge mistake by Mauricio Pochettino as Michael Vorm failed to provide security in between the sticks. The Dutch keeper perhaps should have done better on the Herrera strikes as well. However, he did make a couple of great saves.
Kieran Trippier (7/10): A relatively decent outing on Kieran Trippier, who showed great confidence and tenacity, especially in the first half. Although he did fail to provide the necessary attacking impetus.
Davinson Sanchez (7.5/10): A vital cog in the Tottenham defence, Davinson Sanchez is turning out to be a great addition to the Lilywhites. The Colombian flighted down a perfect ball for Eriksen who went on to produce a nice assist to Dele Alli for the opener.
Jan Vertonghen (7/10): Perhaps should have led his team better, rather than struggling with the physicality of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku throughout the course of the game.
Ben Davies (6.5/10): Not a great game for Ben Davies, who lacked the attacking thrust, ultimately leading to the demise of Spurs in the wide department.
Eric Dier (8/10): Was an important operator in the centre of the field, where he made some nice passes but most importantly, put in some decent shots. Aside from making a superb slide tackle on Marcus Rashford in the dying embers of the game, the former Sporting CP player also slotted in at defence following the substitution of Ben Davies.
Moussa Dembele (6.5/10): Never looked in shape against a physically challenging Manchester United defence. The Belgian international struggled to carry the ball around the middle third of the pitch, which ultimately allowed the opposition with more freedom in midfield. Not a great game for the highly rated midfielder.
Christian Eriksen (7.5/10): Produced a truly stunning assist for Dele Alli’s opener but other than that, the Danish international failed to lay his mark on the game.
Dele Alli (7.5/10): Showed terrific purpose to make that run in the early stages of the game, as he scored the opener in the 11th minute. Was arguably the best attacker for Spurs tonight, but, the English international was nowhere near his level best.
Heung-Min Son (6.5/10): Failed to replicate his performances in recent weeks as the South Korean international failed to assert his dominance in the final third of the pitch.
Harry Kane (6/10): An awful game for Harry Kane who didn’t look shape enough throughout the entirety of the game. Jose Mourinho did his homework on the highly rated English forward, as it seems.
Substitutes
Lucas Moura (7/10): Was introduced just after Herrera’s goal as Mauricio Pochettino looked for more bodies up front. The former PSG starlet, however, failed to make a difference in the second half.
Victor Wanyama (NA): Replaced the ineffective Mousa Dembele who was looking jaded, especially in the second half.
Erik Lamela (NA): Came on in the final few minutes for the struggling Heung-Min Son.
