3 reasons Manchester United will beat Tottenham on Sunday

Mata = big game player

Juan Mata’s influence in the big matches is quite extraordinary.

The 28-year-old has played 43 times against the top six teams in England, and has scored 13 goals and assisted ten times in those matches.

His average of a goal or an assist every 148 minutes is better than the best the other teams have to offer, with the likes of Philippe Coutinho (172 minutes), Mesut Ozil (179 minutes), and Eden Hazard (230 minutes) well behind the Spanish international.

Mata’s 13 goals are unrivalled – the next best are Hazard and Coutinho with 11 – and only City’s David Silva has more assists with 16.

And Mata has already proved his worth once again in the big games this season, netting the opener in United’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal last month and, although the above stats are for Premier League only, he scored the winner in their 1-0 win over Man City in the League Cup back in October.

The 28-year-old clearly brings his best to the big games, and he could be the difference at Old Trafford on Sunday.