It proved to be a frustratingly familiar story for Tottenham as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United for the third season in a row.
In a game of fine margins and few clear chances, Spurs were on course for a useful point with 10 minutes to go. But having missed their only gilt-edged opportunity as Dele Alli prodded wide from six yards, the north Londoners momentarily switched off at the back and conceded a killer blow from a routine long ball as United substitute Anthony Martial struck an 81st-minute winner.
Positives
Spurs matched United and kept their attacking players quiet for the vast majority of this encounter, while Harry Winks produced yet another assured display. But given Tottenham have title ambitions these days, this result can only be seen as a big disappointment.
Negatives
All their hard work was ruined in an instant, allowing United to open up a three-point gap in the table, while league leaders Manchester City are now eight points away. The importance of the absent Harry Kane was underlined and Spurs have now lost two consecutive matches as they prepare to host Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Manager rating out of 10
8 -- Mauricio Pochettino's decision to play Eric Dier in central defence rather than Davinson Sanchez looked entirely justified with 10 minutes to go, while he was probably right to pick Son Heung-Min over Fernando Llorente up front. There was little wrong with his substitutions either. He was just let down by a lack of concentration and two individual defensive errors, which he cannot really legislate for.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hugo Lloris, 6 -- Dived to intercept a couple of dangerous crosses and was quick off his line as usual, but the captain was lucky Ben Davies was there to clear when he spilled Henrikh Mkhitaryan's shot, nearly gifting United a tap-in.
DF Serge Aurier, 7 -- Seems to be settling into the side now and had a decent game, combining nicely with Moussa Sissoko at times.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 5 -- After a poor second half against West Ham in midweek, the Belgian allowed Romelu Lukaku to jump above him and win two uncontested headers in the closing stages. The first hit the post, the second set up United's winner.
DF Eric Dier, 7 -- Could have been Spurs' man of the match after defending excellently for 80 minutes, but he was largely at fault for the decisive goal, allowing Martial to get behind him, latch on to Lukaku's flick-on and slot past Lloris.
DF Jan Vertonghen, 7 -- Defended well and always sought to be positive on the ball, threading some useful passes forward, including one that dissected a congested midfield and sent Son running into the home side's box.
DF Ben Davies, 7 -- Made some good blocks and saved Lloris' blushes when he anticipated an error and made a crucial clearance inside the six-yard box. But he didn't worry United much going forward.
MF Harry Winks, 8 -- Looked utterly unfazed again, knitting the play together in central areas and stringing forward passes between the lines whenever possible while being careful not to give the ball away and hand United chances to counter. Battled hard out of possession too and Pochettino kept him on until the end.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 6 -- Lent his muscle to the midfield battle and covered plenty of ground in tandem with Aurier, but was fairly ineffective offensively and fired over the bar after De Gea dropped a cross.
MF Christian Eriksen, 6 -- The Dane was largely kept quiet, and Spurs lacked creativity as a result, but he still set up a golden chance for Alli when the game was goalless, floating a pass in that gave his teammate an opportunity to finish six yards out.
MF Dele Alli, 5 -- Saw a first half header blocked by Dier but was mostly frustrated by United's defenders, and when his big chance came he squandered it. It was a key moment and if he had shown more composure, Spurs may well have left with three points rather than none.
FW Son Heung-Min, 5 -- Worked hard and showed some neat footwork at times but never provided a goal threat. On the one occasion when he managed to burst between a couple of players into the box, he opted to pass sideways to Davies rather than backing himself.
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Substitutes:
MF Mousa Dembele, 6 -- Entered the fray just after the hour-mark and gave Tottenham fresh legs in the midfield battle but couldn't swing the game in their favour.
FW Fernando Llorente, 5 -- Replaced Son with half an hour to go but came no closer to providing a breakthrough. He could justifiably claim he got little service.
Source: espn.co.uk