Diogo Dalot says Manchester United “lost composure” in combating Tottenham’s press in Thursday’s 2-2 draw.
First-half goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford had put the visitors two goals ahead at the break but sloppy play after the break saw Spurs strike back through Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min.
United now lie two points behind Newcastle in third, albeit have a game in hand. Dalot continued his four-game streak of starting at left-back before moving back into his natural role on the right after Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s departure.
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After a strong first 45 minutes, the Portugal star said United stepped off the pace after the break. “We should have done much better,” he told MUTV.
“These are the types of mistakes we cannot make, especially having two goals [ahead]. We have to control the game, we have to kill the game. We have to score the third goal and then I think the game will become more easy for us.
“It’s very disappointing to look back on what we did in the first half and not get out of there with three points. We have to focus on ourselves and if we could have controlled [the second half] like we controlled the first half, the game could have become easier for us.”
Dalot said the win escaped United due to an absence of concentration, adding: “I think we lost that composure to find spaces, to keep the ball, to go through their press. We have to look back on this 45 minutes and learn from it.”
United - who will have three games in eight days - host Aston Villa on Sunday, against whom they lost 3-1 in Unai Emery’s first game back in October. Dalot insists that his team are up for the fight against the Villains, who sit sixth following a nine-game unbeaten run.
“We’re going to be [ready], for sure,” he said. “We have professional players and all the conditions to recover.
“This is the type of schedule we’re going to face if we want to be fighting for every competition so we have to manage that. We have a big squad ready to play the games. You have to be fit and then the manager will decide who is going to play.”
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