Mauricio Pochettino: 'United only shot one time on target, and I think we deserved more. But this is football'

Published: 9 August, 2015 
by STEVE BARNETT 

Premier League 
MANCHESTER UNITED 1, SPURS 0 

MAURICIO Pochettino vowed to dip back into the transfer market following "a very frustrating" opening day to the new Premier League season on Saturday. 

The Tottenham boss said his team "dominated" their game away at Manchester United, which finished 1-0 to the home side after some desperate defending from Kyle Walker resulted in the Spurs defender poking the ball into his own net. 

Reflecting on the only goal, Pochettino said: "I'm very frustrated and disappointed, until this moment we had dominated the game and created some good chances.

"After we conceded the goal it affected the team, and it was difficult to play in the same way and at the same tempo. 

"United only shot one time on target, and I think we deserved more. But this is football."

Spurs started brightly and should have been in front within the opening five minutes. Harry Kane cleverly chipped a pass in to Christian Eriksen, who brilliantly cushioned the ball with his head only to lift a delicate shot just over the crossbar. 

Spurs were a surging force, pressuring United well all over the pitch and breaking at pace. It was a formula that soon led to another chance, this time for Kane. But his tame effort from an acute angle wasn't too testing for Sergio Romero, charged with guarding the United goal in place of the distracted David De Gea. 

On 22 minutes Tottenham did manage to score the opening goal of the new season – but unfortunately it was at the wrong end of the pitch. Ashley Young's low cross found Wayne Rooney eight-yards out, and, as the United striker took a touch to control the ball, the unfortunate Walker, who was desperately trying to get in a last-ditch tackle, managed to poke the ball into the back of his own net. 

With players still finding their lungs the game lacked intensity, but in the Premier League there's always time for drama. It came in the final minutes of the match with Eriksen forcing two saves from Romero, one a smart stop to his right to keep out a snapshot from the edge of the area. 

Pochettino admitted that, along with preparing his team for the visit of Stoke next Saturday, he would also be scouring the market for squad additions. 

"We need to add some new players, and we're working hard to do this. But the team showed by how they performed today that we're in a good way," he said. 

SPURS: Vorm, Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Bentaleb (Mason, 53), Dier (Alli, 77), Chadli, Eriksen, Dembele (Lamela, 69), Kane. 
Subs not used: Lloris, Trippier, Wimmer, Carroll.
Attendance: 75,261