Ten men United sink the Spurs

TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS 1-3 MANCHESTER UNITED

Photo Highlights

Seems like SAF is missing Ronaldo :P

John O' Shea recovered excellently after the mid-week international duty.

Ekotto and Fletcher battle for the ball.

Spur's goalie Carlo Cudicini positioning his players before a spectacular Ryan Gigg's free kick goal which led the Red Devils to equalise. He just cant do enough to beat the Welsh.

Sloppy work from Berbatov, missing chances afer chances!

Paul Scholes being shown his 1st Yellow card, Will he "ever" learn?

Rooney celebrating his 5th goal of the season so far, the fans are ecstatic.

Detailed Highlights

Premier League champions Manchester United overcame the second-half dismissal of Paul Scholesto to end Tottennham Hotspur's 100% start to the season with a 3-1 win at an away game at the White Hart Lane.

England striker Jermain Defoe gave Spurs the lead after just 47 second but United hit back through a Ryan Giggs freekick, Anderson's first competitive goal for the club and a Wayne Rooney strike.

Defoe posed some serious threat during the start of the match which was later watered out by some effective defence of the 10 men united team. Ryan Giggs striked a perfect free kick to equalise at the end of 18 minutes. During the post-match interview, when he was asked that how much time he spent in preparing for such situations, he honestly and funnily replied "Quite a lot, since Cristiano left". Ryan's kick certainly uplifted United's spirit as they came in the lead with a great low strike finish from Anderson who scored his first goal of the season. This was Anderson's only second performance so far this season. Dimitar Berbatov seemed lazy and uneffective as usual with some silly, "repeated" and frustrating misses. The ex- Hotspur player was substituted by the England midfielder as well as his fellow ex-Hotspur Michael Carrick. Paul Scholes was red carded after an unneccessary tackle and the second one hit Huddlestone on his face. Funny enough, this was Scholes' 9th red card for the one club-man!

This was meant to be the game when Spurs proved their top-four credentials after four straight wins but instead it was United who showed their steel, if anyone thought they would not challenge for titles without Cristiano Ronaldo.

United's Player Ratings-

1) Rooney 8 -His goal capped off a tremendous performance. Dove-tailed well with Berbatov before the Bulgarian was removed, he came into his own as a roving striker after Scholes left the fray.

2) Evra 8 - Exorcised the demons of last season with a steady performance against Aaron Lennon. Nearly scored a memorable goal after burning off Hutton.

3) Giggs 8 -Struck a scorcher of a free kick to level the scores. Given the freedom of the pitch by a standoff Spurs team, he wound back the clock to claim the man of the match honours.

4) Anderson 7 - What a way to open a Premier League account. The Brazilian reacted well to Sir Alex Ferguson's snub, putting in one of his better performances in an United shirt.

5) Berbatov 7 -The former Spurs star's every touch was booed, but there was more than a hint of jealousy in the cat calls as he elegantly led the United attack. Sacrificed after Scholes saw red.

6) Fletcher 7 -Even though he was played out of position on the right, his tireless energy and ability to rile the opposition disrupted Spurs' rhythm, laying the platform for the win.

7) Foster 7 - Reacted well from the worst possible start to a match. Was barely in it, but pulled out a top drawer save from Jenas when he was needed.

8) O'Shea 6 - Quiet afternoon for the Irishman. Was rarely beaten by his opposite man or seen in Spurs' half.

9) Ferdinand 6 -Shaky at the start, and will look back with regret at the ease in which he let Defoe strike. Rustiness evaporated as the game went on.

10) Vidic 6 - Culpable for the opener, he made amends with a trademark block on Robbie Keane at the start of the second half.

11) Carrick 6- Brought on to steady the ship after the sending off. His skill in possession helped the 10 men stay ahead.

12) Nani 6 - After coming on for Anderson, the Portugese had little to do.

13) Scholes 5- Belied his years of experience with a reckless second booking. Before that, he was untouchable. Will he ever learn?

United played a beautiful game of football today, there was hardly a room of error. Even after being a 10 men side, they played superbly and the defending especially was on the mark. Now they have won 3 games consecutively, they certainly look in great form. Can you imagine, they have scored 10 goals in their last 3 games and Rooney has contributed 4 of them. I reckon Rooney can easily score 25 goals this season and dont seem why he shouldn't score atleast 30. Fingers crossed.

Join us again during the mid-week Champions League game as United take on the Turkish club Besiktas. Kick off is at 19 : 45 British Summer Time on the 15th of September. Keep it locked!

Courtesy to Eurosport for the images and goal.com for the precise player reviews

Photo Highlights