David de Gea brilliance keeps Tottenham at bay to secure Manchester United victory

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United: Marcus Rashford's first-half strike proved to be difference, though the visitors have their goalkeeper to thank for all three points

Manchester United's David de Gea celebrates after the final whistle (REUTERS)

A win that might start to now persuade Manchester United that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should stay, and a situation that will give Mauricio Pochettino so much to consider, and all because of a freakish performance that should only convince everyone that David De Gea is still the best goalkeeper in the world.

The Spaniard’s special performance was the main factor in this 1-0 win at Wembley beyond the form of Paul Pogba and goalscorer Marcus Rashford, but its main consequence was something else. It might well be what looked an injury to Harry Kane, after what was a definite muscle injury for Moussa Sissoko, that laid bare just how stretched this Tottenham Hotspur squad is.

Their financial situation means that is unlikely, which should frustrate Pochettino as it will mean they always come up against ceilings like this, but it still doesn’t explain how De Gea made so many unlikely saves.

It is hard to criticise this Spurs team after this performance for everything beyond the finishing, but there can be criticism about the resources available beyond this team.

It is to the credit of Pochettino and the team that Spurs were still the better side, that they still peppered the United goal, still deserved to win – but the make-up of the team allowed Solskjaer to punch that fatal hole in the Argentine’s side. United brilliantly picked Tottenham off when the opportunity suddenly presented itself, amid so much relentless home pressure by the end of the game.

Solskjaer definitely deserves credit for that, and will only encourage talk he deserves the job, even if a lot of luck – and a lot of De Gea brilliance – helped it along.

The key is that Solskjaer displayed a proper gameplan in his first game where that was truly required, and thereby passed what he himself described as his “first proper test”.

The great test for Pochettino, and something that actually complicates the great present questions of whether he should leave Spurs and whether United should appoint him, is that he has to manage this squad so hard. Operating on lesser resources than all of the rest of the top six, he has to push every element to its absolute limit, try and stretch everything to ensure every gap is closed and covered.

That will only ever go so far, and something will eventually give.

So it was with United’s opening goal.

Already struggling with how advanced United’s wide players were, Spurs were given an extra problem to try and solve shortly before half-time when Sissoko – of late one of their few fit midfielders, and all the more influential because of that – had to go off injured.

United had been enjoying so much space in that area before that, but now had an excess of it to really express themselves.

And that’s what they were always going to do, in this kind of mood. If Spurs are now being physically pushed to the limit, United have been mentally released, as best exemplified by the two players responsible for the goal.

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford celebrates with teammates (AFP/Getty Images)

Jesse Lingard impressively got things moving with a clever flick, before Pogba – admittedly granted so many yards of freedom, but also so emboldened by this new regime – lifted a brilliant ball over the asymmetric Spurs defence to release Rashford.

His surge was so cutting, his finish so perfect. Hugo Lloris might have done better, but it was hard to see how Rashford could have.

So much for the accusation he isn’t a striker, and can’t be a finisher. So much for the supposed importance of his underwhelming form before Solskjaer came in.

It can now be seen, as with so much else at United, that was itself down to other factors.

Solskjaer has got these individuals playing the way United players should.

Pogba was revelling in that space, but also that advanced role that allowed him to really make the best of it. He brought two fine saves out of Lloris, but they weren’t quite as special as De Gea’s, who so supremely kept out Harry Kane and Dele Alli – repeatedly – before keeping out Toby Alderweireld miraculously.

Paul Pogba and Christian Eriksen tussle for possession (REUTERS)

That is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Another day – or, more accurately, another goalkeeper – and United could well have lost this match as badly as they did the 3-0 at home. It could have been one to expose any flaws, as so many ended up doing under Jose Mourinho.

Instead, it was one of the more efficient ones Mourinho occasionally enjoyed in 2017-18, thanks to the brilliance of De Gea.

Some of his saves were frankly absurd.

Even for the more routine ones, then, what still stood was how assured he was, how solid he was.

Spurs look like they were never going to score against him. It played a large part in making everything look so much better at United – and might yet ensure they look to their own.