Evra Pleased With A Point

Although Patrice Evra insists United went to White Hart Lane to win, the Frenchman was pleased to leave with a point.

The Reds and Tottenham Hotspur played out an entertaining 0-0 draw on Sunday afternoon, with the home side creating more chances but United creating the better ones.

Twice Heurelho Gomes was forced into full-length saves from Wayne Rooney shots, while Edwin van der Sar barely broke sweat at the other end.

But while Spurs struggled to make an impact in the final third, they bossed the midfield for long periods and generally looked the most likely side to score.

“You need to be honest,” Evra told MUTV. “It was a good point because Tottenham played very well. It’s not easy to come to Tottenham and win so I think this is a good point.

“After yesterday’s results it was very important we didn’t lose. We came here to win but you need to give Tottenham credit – they played well.”

Evra played his part in helping restrict Tottenham largely to speculative shots from distance, while Rio Ferdinand and, in particular, Nemanja Vidic, were superb in the heart of the defence.

“The boss was very pleased with all the defenders and Rio and Vida were amazing and won a lot of headers,” Evra revealed. “That was important for us. In general, everybody did a good job and that’s why we’re happy with this point. We defended well, which is important if you want to win the title.

“People always say Aaron Lennon gives me a difficult game but I think they’ve only watched the Carling Cup final [from 2009]. If you watch the games since then I don’t think Lennon has beaten me once. Today he didn’t score and he didn’t make an assist; I think I did a good job and I’m happy with my performance.”

Another defender Patrice singled out for praise was Rafael. The young Brazilian was dismissed after picking up two yellow cards, although Evra believes the second booking – issued for what referee Mike Dean deemed a deliberate trip – was harsh.

“I don’t know about the referee’s decision,” Evra said. “We saw it again in the dressing room and it’s a difficult one… for me, I don’t think it’s a yellow card, but I’m not a referee.

“Rafael did a great job for us and he’s a strong right back. When you play against a player like Gareth Bale you need a strong right back and Rafael showed he’s good enough.”

The draw at White Hart Lane sends Sir Alex’s men back to the top of the Barclays Premier League and extends the Reds’ unbeaten run to 26 league games. It’s an impressive record, although Evra says it’s not something being discussed in the dressing room.

“Nobody in the squad is talking about that challenge. We’re only talking about winning the league. That’s the most important thing.

“Today, all the country was against Manchester United – everybody wanted us to lose. But we didn’t lose. [Winning the league without losing a game] is a great challenge for us, but the most important thing is to win the league.”