MAN UTD 2, TOTTENHAM 0
Manchester United were irresistible as they defeated a Spurs side which had made its best start to a season since 1963/64.
The Londoners were made to look ordinary as Erik ten Hag’s team produced an eye-catching display and one of its most complete for some time.
The Reds dominated from start to finish and achieved victory through goals from Bruno Fernandes. And but a fabulous goalkeeping display from Spurs’ Hugo Lloris, it would have been a rout.
They created 28 goal attempts, the most by any team in the Premier League this season with the revitalised Fernandes making nine chances, the most by one player since he created 10 against Aston Villa in September 2021.
And this was also a third successive clean sheet in all competitions, the first time they have done this since February/March 2021.
The win sees United fifth and only four points adrift of their noisy neighbours as they have beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs at Old Trafford.
It is a far cry from the opening week of the Premier League season when they were soundly beaten by Brighton and Brentford and appeared in disarray.
It has been some turnabout in their fortunes with this display underlining the vast improvement made since then.
And against Spurs there were some terrific individual performances. Fred was a human dynamo in midfield alongside Fernandes who rediscovered the zip of that memorable first season and a half with the Reds.
Marcus Rashford was lively and a threat and clearly has a focus to impress and make a late charge for a place in England’s World Cup squad while Brazilian Antony gets better with each performance.
The only dampener was Cristiano Ronaldo walking down the tunnel after United had made all five substitutions, something ten Hag later said he will deal with tomorrow.
Embed from Getty ImagesTen Hag described it as United’s best performance of the season.
“You can see the way we have developed in the last few weeks and how we want to play,” he said.
“We had some more really good performances like Liverpool and Arsenal but is this game from start to the end we were really good, and I told the team it was very enjoyable to watch.”
“I will deal with Ronaldo tomorrow, but my focus is on this magnificent squad performance from the 11 players and also the substitutes.
“We had 11 players defending and 11 players attacking and a lot of dynamism. A lot of the elements were very good, and we showed we can achieve a good level based on our philosophies, rules and principles.
“We know there will be setbacks which we will deal with. But the base for a successful team it that it needs a good platform, and that is defensive.”
United captain Fernandes added: “Everyone is really pleased. It was a great performance and the perfect performance. We have to keep going, understand it is a process win or lose and we have to keep the focus and carry on.
“We had many good performances, against Newcastle we did a really good performance, controlled the game and did not get the result. Today overall it was the best performance because we got the result and performance. We need more of this.
“We know the quality we have up front. We know we can be dangerous so if have chances to shoot we have to have the belief we can score. Marcus Rashford didn’t score today but did so much, Jadon Sancho too and he was involved in Fred’s goal.”
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte said: “We have to be honest and say that United deserved to win. From the start they showed much more than us.
“I try to analyse after the game with my players because I like to be really honest and in this season we have struggled a lot every time we have played games at a high level, against Chelsea, Arsenal and United.
“It means we must continue to work and to improve ourselves and to see if it is enough to play at this high level. There is only one way to try to work.
“The approach of the game, we were a bit scared, and we showed this. I do not like this. The table is good for us but in our mind and the mind of our players we need the ambition to play this game in a different way, with more personality, to not miss stupid passes.
“In my experience, in my career I have seen you can improve a lot until the last day you finish your career. My players and myself, we can improve a lot. We need to be humble and to continue to work and show this level is also for us.”
Former Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen, who had been ill himself, was on the bench.
Spurs also made one change from the side that beat Everton last time out.
Yves Bissouma came in for the injured Richarlison who is sweating on his fitness for the World Cup.
There was a lively opening with both sides having early chances.
Rodrigo Bentancur fired narrowly wide for Spurs while Antony and Fred were both denied by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and all inside seven minutes.
Antony cut in from the right and bent a shot which clipped the outside of the upright with Lloris beaten.
Lloris came to Spurs’ rescue three further times in quick succession with another fine stop, this time to deny Rashford who had been released by an inch-perfect pass from Fred, and then to turn over a free kick from Fernandes and Luke Shaw drive.
In a fast and frenetic goalless opening 25 minutes, United has 13 goal attempts, five of which were well kept out by Lloris.
Casemiro drilled a 30-yard drive narrowly wide and Fred also fired wide as United continued to carve out chances, but would their inability to take them come back to haunt them?
Spurs’ best chance of the half came late on when an angled drive from Kane was beaten out by David De Gea.
In the opening half, United created 19 goal attempts, the most by an team in the opening half of a Premier League game without scoring.
They soon put that right making the all-important breakthrough little more than one minute after the restart when Jadon Sancho squared a pass to Fred whose shot from 25 yards took a wicked deflection off Ben Davies to finally beat Lloris.
And it was almost 2-0 shortly afterwards when Rashford cut in from the right with a mazy run only for Lloris to make another big save.
Kane had a chance for Spurs, but De Gea made a big block, though replays showed he was offside so it would not have counted.
United went straight upfield to make it 2-0 through Fernandes who played a return pass with Fred before bending an exquisite shot to Lloris’ left.
It was so nearly three when Rashford cut in from the left only for Lloris to make a great save low to his left.
United made their first change with 15 minutes left, Scott McTominay replacing Antony.
Fernandes thought he had added a third goal after racing on to Rashford’s though ball before rounding Lloris to find the net only to be flagged for being marginally offside.
Ten Hag mad two further changes with three minutes left, Sancho and Casemiro making way for Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen as they were never under any threat as Spurs went down with a whimper, a surprise for a team third in the table and needing only one point to claim second spot.