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Manchester United gave arguably their best performance of the season in the 3-0 victory over Tottenham and certainly started the match better than any other since Louis van Gaal took charge.
However, it has emerged that Wayne Rooney should take a chunk of credit after delivering a team-talk prior to the match from which Van Gaal was excluded.
"I was not in the meeting because the captain has his own privileges," revealed Van Gaal after the victory at Old Trafford that took United to within two points of second-place Manchester City.
"The players knew this game was massively important, so the captain did something to help the players, help the manager and help the club."
It appeared to have the desired effect, with Marouane Fellaini opening the scoring after just nine minutes, Michael Carrick adding a second on 19 minutes and then Rooney himself slotting past Hugo Lloris after 34 minutes to ensure an all-too-rare comfortable afternoon for the Red Devils.
Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratingsShow all 23 1 /23Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings David de Gea A quiet afternoon for the Spaniard. 6
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Antonio Valencia United had less joy down the right than the left, Valencia had a solid game and was rarely troubled in defence. 6
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Ander Herrera Passed the ball well, if a little conservatively. The chances didn’t fall to him on the day. 6
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Michael Carrick Provided the assist for Fellaini’s goal with a perfectly weighted pass before blasting a header into the bottom corner for United’s second. 8
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Chris Smalling Outmuscled Harry Kane on the odd occasion when Tottenham looked to build an attack. His passing was improved. 7
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Phil Jones Played well as Tottenham tried to advance in the second half. Distributed the ball well enough. 7
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Daley Blind Made some good progress down the left and works well pushing forward in attack. 7
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Marouane Fellaini Cool, calm and collected for his goal. His physical presence led to the second goal. A really impressive performance. 7
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Juan Mata Came into the game with the purpose to stake a claim for first-team football. Pressed the ball hard and was very energetic but is not suited to a role on the wing. 7
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Wayne Rooney Seized upon a loose pass from Eric Dier and sythed through the Tottenham defence before finishing well. Probably the goal celebration of the season to boot. 8
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Ashley Young Ran riot down the left and caused a number of good chances. 7
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Hugo Lloris It’s hard to work out his performance considering the shambolic defending in front of him and some clinical finishing from United. Made no glaring errors. 5
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Kyle Walker Played some risky passes in front of his own goal and showed some sloppy ball control. A day to forget. 5
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Eric Dier Didn’t track the run of Fellaini for the first goal and left Hugo Lloris exposed. Appalling back-pass that let Rooney in for United’s third. 5
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Jan Vertonghen Beaten at all ends by Rooney as the striker slotted home United’s third. Poor, poor performance. 4
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Danny Rose Probably Tottenham’s best defender on the day as United exploited the opposite flank relentlessly. Looked to get forward well but didn’t have a lot of joy. 6
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Nabil Bentaleb Failed to pressure the United attack as they had their way in the Tottenham half. 5
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Ryan Mason Had an abject first half before being subbed in the second. Couldn’t influence the game. 4
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Andros Townsend Taken off on 32’ and looked furious. He was having a woeful time before he was subbed as United repeatedly flew down the Tottenham left. 4
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Christian Eriksen Is not suited to a game where his team are under siege for the majority of the match. 5
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Nacer Chadli So much negative passing. Part of a Tottenham midfield that made a poor United defence look very strong. 4
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Harry Kane Found himself outnumbered on the rare occasions that Tottenham got the ball in United’s half. Spurs had no use for a striker on a day like this. 5
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Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0 player ratings Off the Bench: Mousa Dembele Didn’t provide Tottenham with anything more following his introduction. 5
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Speaking to the BBC , Fellaini revealed the "important" speech by Rooney touched on the importance of finishing in the top-four.
"I think last night the captain talked to the team about next season for the Champions League.
"I think it affected the team and I think it was an important speech."
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