Pape Sarr walks tightrope in Tottenham v Manchester United, must go off at HT

Ange Postecoglou must bring Pape Matar Sarr off at half-time if Tottenham are to see out their 1-0 lead against Manchester United on Thursday.

Spurs head into half-time of their EFL Cup clash a goal ahead after Dominic Solanke finished smartly after Pedro Porro's effort was saved, but Sarr has struggled at the other end.

Tasked with marshalling visiting captain Bruno Fernandes in the final third, Sarr has so far been unable to keep up with him, picking up a 23rd-minute yellow card for fouling the Portuguese on the break.

Sarr had a phenomenal game against Southampton last time out, but against a higher calibre of opponent with an EFL Cup semi-final place on the line, Postecoglou is risking the win.

Pape Sarr run ragged for Tottenham v Manchester United so far

Starting alongside Yves Bissouma in the Lilywhites' double-pivot against the side Spurs thumped 3-0 at Old Trafford earlier this season, Sarr's display was outshone by that of his team-mate in the first half.

Despite completing most of his passes, Sarr has been all at sea in his defensive third, with Fernandes running riot and threatening to expose the hosts on multiple occasions.

The midfielder's duelling numbers aren't pretty, winning just one of seven ground duels (14 per cent) and completing two defensive actions in total [FotMob], twice being dribbled past by the United skipper.

Sarr may have won his only attempted tackle, but it's clear that his half-hearted attempt to cut down Fernandes wasn't even counted as one – with the Senegalese picking up a yellow card in the process.

It's no wonder that Sarr has been keen to release the ball with a high pass accuracy, given he's not won a single one of three attempted dribbles and has been barged off the ball time and time again [SofaScore].

If Postecoglou wants his side to keep United at bay, a half-time change for Sarr must be in order.

In other Tottenham news, the club are anticipating January transfer approaches for one player who also started on Thursday.

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