Heartless: Tottenham Hotspur 2 - Manchester United 1

photo by Toronja Azul	via PhotoRee

As they have on so many other occasions this season, Manchester United laid an egg at home on New Year's Day, losing to Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 to bring a dour end to the festive season of Premier League football. Although the Reds began the contest on the front foot, they quickly devolved into a disjointed, heartless group for the next hour, coming to life only after going down by a two goal margin. Although Danny Welbeck quickly responded to halve the deficit, it was all too little, too late for a team that played as if they are growing steadily accustomed to their mid-table status.

Once again, it was the center of the park that showed little drive or imagination, as the attack was customarily shunted out to the wings for a cross which never arrived. The defensive effort turned in by the squad should not escape criticism, either, as another day of shambolic defending contributed to the day's woeful outcome. The fact that the match ended with no recognized central midfielder on the pitch showed the extraordinary contortions David Moyes considered necessary to devise a route back into the contest, although the lateness of the manager's substitutions can also be questioned.

Herewith, the individual player ratings in a game that saw the Reds' chances for a top four finish take a major blow:

De Gea: Big early save on Aaron Lennon, but little he could have done on Spurs' two goals. 5.0

Smalling: Barnstorming run to begin the contest and combined well with Valencia, but beaten much too easily in the air for Spurs' goal.  Given an early hook. 3.5

Evans: Displayed decent pace up and down the pitch. 4.5

Vidic (c): Unremarkable performance, but did his best to put the ball in the net late on. 4.5

Evra: Beaten badly by Lennon on too many occasions. 4.0

Valencia: Routinely failed to get a cross past his man. Completely switched off for Spurs' second goal. 4.0

Carrick: A calming presence in midfield. 5.0

Cleverley: Worked diligently in the center but added little invention. Appears completely redundant with Carrick back in the side. 4.0

Coming Home to Roost: Round 31 in the BPL

photo by goosegrease	via PhotoRee

o Lord, but that Theo Walcott is hot right now. Correspondent Ed can malign the Arsenal man all he wants, but Walcott's stats for the season are beginning to pile up, and he seems to be playing the game with a little more patience and confidence than earlier in the season. Could his decision making also be improving...?  There's never been any doubt about the fleet-footed Englishman's skills, but the rap was that he never made the right decision. Well, now he's beginning to, and look out RVP:  your one man team is in danger of becoming a two man show.

o For the record, Ed, Walcott is on 10 goals and 10 assists for the season to date, while The Best Player in the World TM (Gareth Bale) has almost identical stats: 10 goals and 11 assists.  I'd call that pretty equal.

o It looks as if Mark Hughes is sparking QPR to life at just the right time of the season. Their run in looked daunting as can be, but with two straight home wins over Liverpool and Arsenal, who knows what's going to happen?  Here's hoping Rangers revert to form for their Easter Sunday trip to Old Trafford.

o Apparently Referee Lee Mason thought it was perfectly acceptable to stop play to allow Gary Cahill to tie his shoe.  What's next?  Officials stopping play so David Luiz can pull up his tights?

o Who knew American Eric Lichaj was cut from the same long throw mould as Stoke's Rory DeLap and Ryan Shotton?  I wonder of Jurgen Klinsman is going to turn the USMNT into the international version of Stoke City...? With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Lichaj just might be making Klinsi sit up and take notice.

o Meanwhile, an indication of how poorly Aston Villa's season has gone came when their fans lit a flare after the team briefly tied Chelsea on Saturday.  And I thought fans of second rate teams only did that kind of stuff in Italy....

o Quick question for Shay Given: how lowly do you feel after being beaten by Fernando Torres?  There's not too many goalies this season that can claim that accomplishment.

o I won't say much about City vs. Sunderland except the following: All the chicks in Manchester City came home to roost on Saturday.  Players arguing, fingers pointing, fans booing, and a manager with his head in his hands on the bench. Does this look like a title winning team?  Or more likely, a team that's going to need to replace its manager....?