MULLOCK

BIG-MATCH VERDICT FROM OLD TRAFFORD

to fill the Tottenham talisman’s boots. The South Korean spent an hour running into the roadblocks put up by Mourinho’s three-man defence.

When he was replaced by Fernando Llorente, the Spaniard displayed all the mobility of a traffic cone.

Spurs’ only chance came just before Martial’s winner. Christian Eriksen’s exquisite clip forward for once found United wanting, but Dele Alli could only fire wide. It was the kind of opportunity Kane dreams about in his sweetest slumber.

Momentum is a wonderful thing – and the truth is that the Reds have stalled since Mourinho applied the brakes at Anfield a fortnight ago.

A draw against Liverpool is usually acceptable, but not when you follow it up by losing at Huddersfield.

Mourinho was his usual pragmatic self, despite no Kane, employing a thee-man defence, locking the back door with midfield stalwarts Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera. But the formation gave him the freedom to link Lukaku with Rashford, then with Martial.

There were gasps of disbelief when Mourinho replaced Rashford, the teenager had looked the most likely player to produce a winner. But when Alli failed to capitalise on United’s only lapse, it was the home side that cranked up the tempo.

David De Gea launched a free-kick forward from inside his own penalty area and Lukaku’s leap above Toby Alderweireld enabled him to flick on.

Martial had read the script perfectly and when Dier failed to track the Frenchman’s dart, he ghosted in behind Vertonghen to score.

Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999 famously sent his United team out to face Spurs with the simple reminder “lads, it’s Tottenham”. They might not be the soft touch they once were, but Pochettino will know what he meant.

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