Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal was unhappy with the way his team failed to convert several great chances against Tottenham in the match at White Hart Lane.
United created several great opportunities, especially in the first half, but the likes of Wayne Rooney and van Persie were guilty of some poor finishing when they normally put the ball in the back of the net. Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was also in impeccable form. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was not because of the lack of chances created. Van Gaal says that it is imperative that players have a high conversion ratio in order to win matches against the top six teams.
The win puts a huge dent on the title hopes for United given that they trail leaders Chelsea by 10 points. Both Chelsea and Manchester City could only draw in their matches and United were unable to take advantage of it. A victory for United would have closed to the gap to just eight points with half of the season remaining.
This was the second draw for United in the space of three matches. The Red Devils could only manage 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Boxing Day despite having majority of the great chances.
“When you play against a top-six club at White Hart Lane and you create six to eight chances, and open chances, then you have to finish that.If you don’t reward yourself, then normally the opponent win. You need a little fortune, because Tottenham could also score in the second half. You could see in the second half it was not football anymore, it was a struggle for life. Tottenham won the second balls and that’s why they were more dominating than Manchester in the second half,” said Van Gaal.