“We got to…”: United star tells teammates what must change to keep CL dream alive after drab draw vs. Tottenham

Manchester United right-back Jayde Riviere has encouraged her teammates to “take risks” moving forward, after they played out a frustrating draw against Tottenham Hotspur. United held United were largely second best against Tottenham, who held them to a goalless stalemate on Sunday afternoon. Not even the return of Ella Toone could inspire a lacklustre United side that only managed 10 shots at goal to Tottenham’s 22. The Reds needed goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce to bail them out time and again. Fortunately for the visitors, she had a response for almost everything the opposition threw at her. The result has seen United jump to third place in the WSL table, just one point above Arsenal who have three games in hand. Speaking to reporters after the final whistle, a disappointed Marc Skinner took aim at his players’ passive pressing. He also criticised the lack of energy on the pitch, which has left United’s Champions League qualification hopes in a precarious position. In an interview with MUTV, Riviere also said that it comes down to attitude, as she called on everyone at the club to take more risks as the campaign nears its end. Riviere’s remarks Riviere said, “Yeah, I would say 0-0 is a fair result. It’s not the result we wanted, obviously. We knew that these next three matches were going to be crucial for us. But I think today, sometimes it just comes down to attitude and I think we have everything to play for.” “We’re a team that always wants to win, so we’re going to finish the season hard and hope for the best. Obviously it’s not really in our hands now, which is unfortunate.” “But Spurs are a good team, we’re a good team and we just need to get back into our rhythm.” On the changes which had somewhat of an impact, Riviere remarked, “I mean, yeah. It’s good that we have a bench now, you know.” “We’ve been going thin for a little bit now. But, yeah. The people who come in are gamechangers for a reason. They bring energy. Melvine [Malard] came in and she does what Melvine does and that’s that little bit of swagger, if you will, that you kind of need in big games like this.” “You’ve got to take risks and right now we’re in a moment where we got to take risks.” The defender emphasised that the return of several injured players will only benefit United as they prepare for their final two games of the season. “For sure. They were very very missed. They’re great characters off the pitch, but obviously what they do on the pitch helps the team a lot. The likes of [Ella] Tooney, having Anna [Sandberg] back in, Ellen [Wangerheim] back in as well. Then we’ll have Dom [Janssen] and the rest of the group back too in the next weeks, so it’s going to be good for us to have some depth.” Riviere explained that United can now do no more than give their utmost against Chelsea and Brighton while hoping that results elsewhere proceed in their favour. Featured image Maja Hitij via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Derick Kinoti Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the Premier League extensively for years. His work blends sharp analysis, tactical insight, and engaging storytelling that resonates with fans around the world. Derick has gained valuable experience in football journalism, developing strong expertise in SEO writing, digital content creation, and social media engagement. A tech enthusiast with a Computer Science degree from the University of Nairobi, he ultimately swapped code for football commentary, bringing an analytical, detail-oriented approach to his writing. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!