Tottenham Hotspur overwhelmed Manchester United in January’s Premier League meeting between the two sides and for the opening quarter of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final, it looked as if something similar may happen.
Dele Alli put Spurs ahead after just 11 minutes and at that stage, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were first to every ball, sharper than United all over the pitch. One man who couldn’t get going was Paul Pogba.
The Frenchman – valued at £81m by Transfermarkt – was strolling about the Wembley pitch but it was him who turned the tide of the game by out-muscling Mousa Dembele deep into Spurs territory, before producing a wonderful cross that Alexis Sanchez nodded home.
That sprung United and Pogba into life. From that point, they never looked like losing the match and the playmaker took a grip of midfield.
For a man who is often accused of not being effective enough, three shots (two on target) and three key passes is a productive afternoon’s work in a tight and tense game.
He also got his hands dirty at the other end, with two tackles as United saw the game out with relative ease. Sanchez may have won man of the match but Pogba was another big-name player who needed a big-game performance.
He duly delivered.
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