Manchester United: De Gea, Bling, Jones, Smalling, Valencia, Carrick, Herrera, Young, Mata, Rooney(c) Tottenham: Lloris(c), Rose, Vertonghen, Dier, Walker, Bentaleb, Mason, Chadli, Eriksen, Townsend, Kane

A dominant 3-0 victory by Manchester United was defined by 2 specific triangles on opposite sides of the pitch which allowed for advanced, suffocating possession. The implementation of Michael Carrick, positionally, made the difference, allowing Blind to influence the left flank by combining with an originally wide Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini, who consistently drifted left. Carrick’s discipline and Blind’s ability to tuck inside when necessary allowed Herrera to advance with freedom and to provide the transitional link on the right.

Tottenham lined up with a formation and personnel that the league has grown accustomed to, with the addition of Andros Townsend wide right to inject pace and provide width. The pairing of Mason and Bentaleb have featured in front the Spurs’ back 4 as starters in each of the past 6 league games and looked to be dynamic in possession and industrious in defense.

Manchester United’s intent was signaled early as Fellaini defined his channel to the left of Rooney. Both Fellaini and Herrera were allowed to push high which caused for early Manchester United possession in their offensive half and immediate pressure on Bentaleb and Mason when either had the ball. United’s first goal came from Fellaini’s ability to exploit a pocket in between Dier and Mason with his original, high positioning.

Tottenham was unable to deal with the 2 triangles United were creating on the flanks. As both United fullbacks pushed on they would join with the midfielders on their respective sides, and caused 2 different problems. As Blind progressed he would often form the bottom of an inverted triangle, with Young and Felliani at the other points. This allowed Young to drag the ball wide and isolate Walker one-on-one – which is a battle he won all match. Or, Young would tuck inside and encourage Blind to overlap to eventually cross the ball or combine in a dangerous area.

The triangle on the right side of Manchester United’s structure was complimented by Herrera’s internal positioning, which was typically high, and his ability to take up pockets in possession. As Mata and Valencia interacted on the right flank, Herrera would always be available internally to maintain the ball and to relieve pressure, but in an advanced role.

Although Fellaini’s consistent contribution was in possession, United did not shy away from finding him with long balls, winning 6/10 attacking aerial duels. United’s second goal came from targeting him on the far post from a corner kick, which he successfully won and Carrick cleaned up with a headed finish.

Tottenham attempted tactical changes throughout the match to provide some sort of offensive link and to cope with United’s wide play. Dembele came in for Townsend for ball retention and the Mason/Bentaleb pairing switched sides at the start of the second half to provide defensive cover on their battered right side. Tottenham started to come into the game in the second half, but the tempo and attitude was already defined. Although United did not score in the 2nd half, Tottehnham’s changes made no significant offensive impact as their only full chance of the match fell to Kane in the 89th minute.

Although the stats did not show Michael Carrick leading in any significant statistical category, his inclusion in Manchester United’s shape allowed for successful, structural changes to be made. It pushed Daley Blind to left back which allowed him to focus on a single channel, both offensively and defensively, and his industrious skill-set wasn’t nullified with too much responsibility. The cover and defensive discipline of Carrick allowed for Ander Herrera to roam within the right, offensive half to express himself in the triangle, and for Louis Van Gaal to include a more offensively minded Juan Mata. All proved effective.

As United’s offensive triangles began to dominate, Tottenham had to make changes to deal with the wide play. This wide attention allowed for Rooney to check into, now, unoccupied space where Mason and Bentaleb were dragged from. Spurs’ flanks were dominated so heavily early in the match that they spent the rest of it trying to compensate – chasing tactical shadows for 90 minutes.

The 3-0 victory was Manchester United’s best performance all season, and it suggested that their best defense could be a good offense.