Tottenham player ratings: Who was to blame for Spurs’ dire defeat to Sheffield United?

When Tottenham hosted Sheffield United back in November, they were lucky to come away with a draw.

David McGoldrick had a goal ruled out after VAR adjudged John Lundstram to be offside by half a toenail in the build-up. George Baldock later cancelled out Son Heung-min’s opener to earn Sheffield United a point when it could easily have been three.

There was no need to lament what could have been at Bramall Lane on Thursday evening. In fact, there was a vague sense of cosmic justice when Spurs saw a goal ruled out thanks to a miserably pedantic VAR decision.

Almost immediately after Sander Berge had opened the scoring for Sheffield United, Harry Kane slotted home at the other end. Unfortunately, in the build-up, Lucas Moura had brushed the ball with his arm as he fell after being fouled multiple times.

Sheffield United went into the game with several high-profile absentees including Lundstram, Jack O’Connell, John Fleck and Luke Freeman. Chris Wilder only named seven substitutes rather than the permitted nine, which said a lot about the depleted state of the team.

Winless since the Premier League restart, Wilder had little reason to feel confident before kick off. This was much more like a Sheffield United performance from the first half of the season, however, with the Blades thriving in adversity.

Spurs, meanwhile, were left with few positives to take away from a game which ended in a 3-1 defeat, Harry Kane scoring a consolation in one of their rare incisive moments.

These players should be especially disappointed with their performances.

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Davinson Sanchez

Arguably at fault for all three Sheffield United goals, it was a miserable night for Sanchez in defence.

For Berger’s opener, he could have been far more proactive with his movement. For the second, he allowed himself to be dragged out of position and bamboozled by Ben Osborn.

For the third, he was caught flat-footed as Oli McBurnie swept in to score.

Already a long-running source of frustration for Spurs fans, Sanchez did nothing to change the perception that he is a weak link in the back line.

Jose Mourinho will be furious at Spurs’ defending and Sanchez will have to shoulder a fair portion of the blame.

Eric Dier

Partnering Sanchez at centre-back, Dier wasn’t much better.

While he dealt with Sheffield United’s aerial threat relatively well, he was also far too passive with his positioning for their goals.

Caught completely on the back foot as Lys Mousset doubled the hosts’ advantage in the second half, he repeated the trick for McBurnie’s late strike.

Several clumsy moments on the ball and a couple of mistimed challenges only compounded an unhappy outing in defence.

Serge Aurier

Serge Aurier couldn’t make his mark at Bramall Lane (Photo: PA)

While Aurier certainly showed plenty of attacking intent at right-back, very little came from it.

His crossing was wildly erratic and, as always, he left Spurs’ back line looking precariously undermanned.

Brought off for Dele Alli, Mourinho seemed less than impressed with his showing.

Sometimes his relentless marauding runs forward bring a welcome chaos factor to Spurs’ game. This was not one of those times.

Moussa Sissoko

Hooked for Tanguy Ndombele with 20 minutes to play, Sissoko did little to justify his starting spot.

While he charged forward time and again, his final ball was completely lacking.

As so often happens with Sissoko, he looked unstoppable with the ball at his feet. Sadly, when it came to releasing it at the right moment, he seemed to confound himself as much as the Sheffield United defence.

Giovani Lo Celso

There’s little doubting Lo Celso’s talent, but this was not his best game in a Spurs shirt.

Despite several bright moments in the first half, he faded badly in the second. His set piece deliveries were overhit and he struggled to match Sheffield United’s midfield for physical presence.

For the first goal, he also failed to block Berge’s effort. A substandard performance from a mercurial player.

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