Give right-backs a chance
Full-backs don’t often grab the headlines, and sure enough they didn’t at Old Trafford as Rodrigo Bentancur, Rasmus Højlund and Marcus Rashford all scored classy goals. But the best player on either side, according to the WhoScored.com ratings, was the right-back. For Spurs, Pedro Porro earned 8.1 out of 10 for a fearless attacking display that included an assist when his pinpoint corner picked out the peroxide head of Richarlison. Ange Postecoglou says he wants his players to stop thinking of themselves as defenders or attackers, and Porro is both at once. For Manchester United, Diogo Dalot did even better with a rating of 8.2. If he was less buccaneering than Porro, he was the more polished defender, making crucial interceptions and heading off the line. One of the two, surely, should have been player of the match – but another right-back, Gary Neville, gave the award to Bentancur. Tim de Lisle
