Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United: 3 Talking Points as United edge past Spurs

With less than two weeks to go for the forthcoming season and pre-season well underway, Manchester United took on Tottenham Hotspur in Shanghai in an International Champions Cup fixture hoping to continue their rich vein of form.

In a tightly-contested encounter, Manchester United got the better of their opponents and won by a scoreline of 2-1. Anthony Martial's opener was cancelled out by Lucas Moura's second-half strike before academy starlet Angel Gomes scored a fantastic winner late in the second half.

Tanguy Ndombele made his full debut for Spurs after sealing his record-breaking move to North-London this summer and the Frenchman enjoyed a decent outing, getting valuable minutes under his belt.

As two English teams vying for a spot at the of the table went up against each other, the game didn't lack the competitive edge, which is often the case in most pre-season friendlies as Manchester United eventually ran out 2-1 winners.

On that note, let's look at some of the talking points from the game.

#1 - Anthony Martial's impressive outing

Anthony Martial opened the scoring in the first-half

After blowing hot and cold in recent games, Anthony Martial had his best outing this pre-season against a quality side like Spurs.

Starting as a No. 9 with Mason Greenwood and Daniel James either side of him, the 23-year-old was the standout player as Manchester United went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

Having hit the post early on after being played in by James, Martial continued to grow in stature as the game went on and capped off a fine display with a well-taken goal, beating Paulo Gazzaniga at the near post.

The Frenchman staked his claim for a starting spot with an assured performance as he spearheaded the Red Devils' attack and aside from his goal, Martial's off-the-ball movement and relentless pressing will come as a massive boost as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attempts to implement his philosophy at the club.

#2 - Manchester United's young guns continue to impress

United's young guns enjoyed a fantastic outing

Against last season's Champions League finalists, Manchester United's young crop of players came of age as the likes of Andreas Pereira, Scott McTominay and Angel Gomes enhanced their growing reputations with creditable performances.

McTominay and Pereira started at the heart of Manchester United's midfield in the first-half alongside Paul Pogba and the trio of academy graduates oversaw proceedings as the Red Devils established a lead going into the break.

While McTominay was a calming influence as he broke play and recycled possession efficiently, Pereira played an instrumental role in the final third as he set up Anthony Martial for the opening goal.

Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera have departed the club since the turn of the year and with the lack of options in midfield, the academy pair could go on to play a key role this season for the Red Devils.

Angel Gomes is another one of Manchester United's crown jewels and he showed a glimpse of his outrageous potential. He scored a well-taken goal after a neat one-two with Juan Mata in the second half to score what turned out to be the winner.

#3 - Tottenham's attack showed quality in the second-half

Lucas Moura levelled the score in the second half

After a lacklustre first-half, Mauricio Pochettino made 9 changes as the likes of Son Heung-Min, Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela came on and gave the United back-line a torrid time.

Lucas Moura, Spurs's Champions League hero from last season led the line as Lamela and Son occupied the wings and although Spurs eventually fell short, Pochettino can take positives from his team's attacking display in the second half.

Lucas Moura levelled the score-line, albeit via a lucky deflection but the explosive Brazilian didn't take too long to make his mark as Spurs kept improving as the second-half progressed.

Son Heung-Min also proved to be a handful, as he so often is as he terrorized Diego Dalot after coming on.

The trio will be keen to keep their purple patch going as they look to ease the goal-scoring burden on Harry Kane.

The North-London club depend heavily on their talisman and although he's been supported in recent seasons by useful contributions from his teammates, Pochettino will be hoping Son, Moura and Lamela remain consistent over the course of the season as they look to compete on all fronts this season.