Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Manchester United will mostly be remembered for a Christian Eriksen goal in the first eleven seconds that inspired a frantic, frenetic and fantastic first half between two top Premier League sides who essentially traded blows for 45 minutes.
But it shouldn’t be forgotten how drastically different the game was after the interval; the home side suddenly moved into complete control, producing thirteen shots to United’s one, and much of that owed to Jan Vertonghen’s consistent imperviousness at the heart of defence.
Indeed, the 98-cap Belgium international won the most aerial duels, made the most interceptions, completed the most clearances and won the second-most tackles of any Tottenham player, without committing a single foul, in a formidable defensive display.
Equally tellingly of how effective Vertonghen was, is how ineffective his compatriot Romelu Lukaku was for the Red Devils; he produced just one effort at goal throughout the entire ninety minutes, without completing a single dribble or creating one chance.
Perhaps those are the types of returns you’d expect from a top-quality centre-half, which Vertonghen certainly is. But as United afforded more and more space in desperate hope of getting back into the match, the 30-year-old made contributions offensively as well – creating one chance, registering two dribbles and completing 86% of his passes.
While Toby Alderweireld has been a huge loss to Tottenham, a loss that has affected results at times, it has also provided copious reminders of what a talented centre-back Vertonghen is as well; a real rock defensively and a class act on the ball.
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