Leny Yoro’s first full 90 minutes in a red shirt will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as Manchester United fell to a bizarre 4-3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
United’s Carabao Cup run was ended in a farcical match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the scoreline defined by goalkeeping howlers at both ends.
But despite being part of a defence which shipped four goals, Yoro’s assured performance was a silver lining for manager Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese tactician likes to build from the back, and only right wing-back Noussair Mazraoui took more touches (89) than Yoro’s 88, but the 19-year-old did more with the ball.
He attempted 74 passes and found his man with 68 of them, more than anyone else on the pitch and coming out at an impressive 92% completion.
His was also the most rounded display amongst United’s defenders, where he chipped in with a joint-highest 3 interceptions and three clearances.
Only Mazraoui (5) and the all-action Manuel Ugarte (7) made more tackles than the 3 Yoro managed.
He was a tough proposition on the ground, where he won 5 of the 6 ground duels he contested, and his nimble footwork showed he can go round his man as well as stop him.
With the ball in the air he fared slightly worse, winning only 1 of the 3 aerial duels he contested.
Looking beyond tonight’s game, it is heartening that Yoro completed the full 90 minutes as he seeks a return to full fitness after the injury which delayed the start of his United career.
Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire were rested tonight, while Victor Lindelof went off injured and Lisandro Martinez struggled.
The stage is set for Yoro to cement his place in Ruben Amorim’s first-choice back three, and his competent all-round performance has done his chances no harm at all.
Stats courtesy of sofascore.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
