Senne Lammens keeps clean sheet on Manchester United debut as Mohammed Kudus shows worth for Tottenham – Premier League hits and misses | Football News

Clean sheet for Lammens on Man Utd debut

Senne Lammens kept a clean sheet on his Manchester United debut to help ease some of the pressure on his boss Ruben Amorim. Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko scored the goals in United’s 2-0 win over Sunderland but the crowd enjoyed the goalkeeper’s display.

Lammens’ best save came late in the game when he kept out a Chemsdine Talbi effort with his legs but the Belgian goalkeeper was hardly overworked. There were bigger cheers when he claimed a cross in stoppage time, his second good claim of the game.

How United need that sort of commanding presence in goal with supporters unconvinced by the performances of Altay Bayindir. Lammens, signed from Antwerp late in the window, also looked composed when kicking with his right and left foot.

There was one hairy moment when he chased out of his goal on the angle only to see Bertrand Traore get there first amid some uncertainty with Bruno Fernandes. But as debuts go, this was a fine effort from a 23-year-old goalkeeper with a huge task ahead of him.
Adam Bate

Timber’s attacking evolution boosts Arsenal

Mikel Arteta described Jurrien Timber as a “total player” after news emerged that Arsenal were trying to tie him to a new contract this week. “He has almost every quality that you want from a defender,” he said. He is growing in an offensive sense too.

The 24-year-old, who scored two goals and set up another in the 5-0 win over Leeds earlier this season, produced another outstanding attacking display against West Ham on Saturday, his efforts rewarded when he won the penalty for the second goal.

That burst into the box, when he was brought down by Malik Diouf following a brilliant touch on the turn to control a high ball, was one of numerous dangerous moments. He had as many touches in the opposition box as Bukayo Saka, with six, and two shots.

His defensive and technical qualities have long been clear, but it previously felt like Ben White, his competition for the Arsenal right-back spot, might have an edge in the final third. Increasingly, though, it feels like Timber is offering just as much.

This “total player” is still finding ways to improve.
Nick Wright

Leeds can’t allow themselves to be defined by near-misses

Leeds will go home feeling as if they deserved more after defeat by Spurs. It is not an unfamiliar feeling. This is the third time in just seven Premier League games.

A freak own-goal cost them a point at Fulham, a stoppage-time equaliser cost them victory against Bournemouth and this time two deflected goals cost them what could have been three points against Spurs.

“We’ve not won one point so far [being] lucky but we’ve lost I would say really at least six points [through being] unlucky,” Leeds boss Daniel Farke said after the game.

Leeds have been praised for the way they’ve started in their Premier League return – and would have probably taken eight points from their opening seven games before a ball was kicked – but they cannot afford to be a team defined by near-misses this season.

As Farke said, Leeds were better by nearly every measure against Spurs. Shots, shots on target, possession, big chances, possession, touches in the opposition box. But they lost in the only one that counts.

Finding a way to convert these impressive performances will be crucial because there will no doubt be down moments for the newly-promoted side this season. So they need to bank as many points as they can when they are on form to give themselves the best chance of survival.
Zinny Boswell

Kudus’ performance exemplifies Spurs’ change of mentality

Tottenham’s 2-1 win against Leeds was, without a doubt, not their finest outing. A scrappy win was secured by two deflected goals and was devoid of much quality elsewhere.

Nonetheless, in many ways, this will be more reassuring to fans than a trouncing. When the going got tough, Spurs got going – and got the result to boot.

Thomas Frank’s men have had a winning mentality this season, and nowhere was this more evident than in the performance of Mohammed Kudus. The forward was at the heart of everything good for his side, and made sure he was able to provide the winning moment in the second half to a team who definitely needed one.

Kudus’ winner was his first goal for the club since signing, and, alongside four assists, his fifth goal involvement this season. Only Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo (9) have more.

He radiates the newfound confidence of this Spurs side. The Ghanaian hasn’t been rattled by having to wait until October to hit the back of the net, and took his chance well when it finally came. His head coach knows this is due to be the first of many.

“It’s about time [Kudus scored]!”, said Frank. “We have big expectations for him. He’s been good for us – I would say our best attacking player so far this season.

“The mentality and character is the foundation of any great team. No matter if you play like Inter or Barcelona or whatever style of play, you need that willingness to do everything to win. I think we are building that more and more on the team.”

Size of Nuno’s task at West Ham exposed

If Nuno Espirito Santo did not know the scale of the task facing him at West Ham, he does now. It’s frightening.

Absolutely nothing worked for him at Arsenal, with a failure to land a single shot on target not even the most glaring issue on a long list of challenges. West Ham’s four points from their opening seven games is their joint-worst return at this stage of a Premier League campaign.

Both ends of the pitch are a problem. And the middle isn’t much better either. Nuno’s side conceded 21 efforts on their goal at the Emirates and four big chances – fortunately for them, Arsenal only took half. It will come as little surprise to learn they have faced more shots on target than any other side in the division (34), with a -10 goal difference also a league low.

What all of that amounts to is one big headache for Nuno. “All the aspects of the game we have to address, a lot of work on the basics,” he admitted post-match.

His reign is only two games old but even he must be dispirited by what he’s watching. Midway through the second period, with the scoreline only 1-0, he chose to throw Freddie Potts and Callum Marshall on, 22 and 20 respectively, despite having far more experienced options on the bench.

Perhaps there is a difficult but important message in that.
Laura Hunter

Sunderland’s reality check

It’s easy to talk about heart, about shape about defending with your lives – something which has provided the platform for some impressive results for Sunderland against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. But resolve only gets you so far.

At some point, you have to hurt teams and possess quality in the final third. And at Old Trafford, Sunderland looked woefully short in that department, creating just 0.71 worth of expected goals and rarely testing Senne Lammens, who would have been feeling it ahead of his United debut.

And while it’s fair to say United were efficient rather than exceptional once racing into their 2-0 lead, the gap in quality was undeniable.

This was a bit of a reality check. A performance that strips back the optimism and lays bare the challenge ahead of survival.
Lewis Jones