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Tottenham were too 'tippy-tappy' and lacked personality against Manchester United, says Jamie Redknapp

Tottenham Hotspur's English defender Eric Dier, Tottenham Hotspur's Belgian midfielder Mousa Dembele (C) and Tottenham Hotspur's English midfielder Dele Al
Image: Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele (C) and Dele Alli leave the field

Jamie Redknapp believes Tottenham lacked personality and were too "tippy-tappy" in their approach against Manchester United.

Substitute Anthony Martial scored the late winner as United beat Tottenham 1-0 on Saturday.

Chances were at a premium for both teams, but Spurs especially struggled in the second half as they found it difficult to gain any momentum in their attacking play.

It was another disappointing visit to Old Trafford for Spurs, where they have now lost 21 of 26 Premier League matches, as they struggled to overcome the loss of the injured Harry Kane, not managing a shot on target after the break.

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Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

"I think at times Tottenham were a bit too 'tippy-tappy' when they could have gone at the Manchester United back three," Redknapp said.

"They decided to play backwards and play into areas which were safe. I still think when Tottenham play in these big away games, they haven't got the personality to win these games yet."

Since Mauricio Pochettino's arrival at Spurs in 2014, the club have enjoyed great progress, yet major silverware has eluded their grasp.

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That is perhaps largely down to Pochettino's woeful record against fellow top-six clubs when playing away from home, having won only one of their 16 away days against the big boys.

Pochettino insisted Kane's absence due to injury was not to blame for the defeat - and Redknapp agreed, citing a wider ranging problem with the way Spurs set up in the big games away from home.

"I think you're missing the point if this result was just because of Harry Kane," he said.

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A disappointed Mauricio Pochettino says his Tottenham side deserved a draw in their 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford

"This has been a feature of a lot of Tottenham's away games against the top six teams. There have been so many games even when Kane has played where Spurs didn't play with any personality. They have to improve this if they want to win the title.

"Pochettino's record against the top-six isn't good enough."

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