Spurs punish abject Man Utd to crank up pressure on Ten Hag
Manchester United’s fans may have thought things could not get much worse than the dire 1-1 Europa League draw with FC Twente in midweek. But at the moment, it seems they always can. Ten-man United lacked intensity, imagination or any semblance of goal threat against a Tottenham team that had all three and should have won by a wider margin.
Brennan Johnson put Spurs ahead in the third minute with his third goal of the season. United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off just before half time for a clumsy foul on James Maddison, his first red card in United colours. Second-half goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke added to the pressure on United manager Erik Ten Hag.
Making and missing chances has been United’s failing, but here they created very little in a limp display even with eleven men, while allowing Tottenham to cut through their defence at will. With trips to Porto and Aston Villa coming up this week, things may get worse before they get better. If they get better, that is.
Even without the injured Heung-Min Son, Ange Postecoglou’s side dominated, and they were ahead after two minutes and 37 seconds. Micky van der Ven made an interception on the left of the defence and galloped 75 yards upfield. With United’s defenders slow to realise the danger, the Dutch centre back was able to cross low and hard for Johnson to tap in at the far post.
It could have been 2-0 minutes later but Andre Onana blocked a shot by Maddison after the England midfield player had played a delightful one-two with Kulusevski.
With United looking lethargic and flat, Spurs almost doubled their lead after 20 minutes when Johnson took Kulusevski’s pass and saw his angled shot through the legs of Diogo Dalot rebound off the foot of the far post. Cristian Romero put a spectacular scissors-kick just wide and you wondered whether the visitors would regret not turning their superiority into more goals. Garnacho reminded them how precarious a single-goal lead at Old Trafford can be with a volley against the outside of the post.
However, any encouragement United took from that was soon replaced by despair as Fernandes slipped as he went to challenge Maddison then raked his studs down Maddison’s shin as he tried to retrieve the situation. Referee Chris Kavanagh, perhaps influenced by the reaction of the Tottenham players, reached immediately for the red cards and although the decision looked harsh, it was not overturned by VAR.
One minute and 56 seconds into the restart, United were caught cold again as Kulusevski doubled the lead, lifting the ball delicately past Onana after Johnson’s low cross had ballooned up off Matthijs de Ligt.
Half-time substitute Casemiro half-volleyed just wide as United finally found some defiance around the 70th minute, But Spurs killed off any lingering hopes of a revival when the alert Solanke reacted first after substitute Pape Sarr nodded on a corner with his first touch.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana 7; Mazraoui 6, de Ligt 6, Martinez 6, Dalot 5; Mainoo 5 (Mount 44, 5; Diallo 85), Ugarte 5 (Eriksen 73); Garnacho 6, Fernandes 4, Rashford 4 (Hojlund 73); Zirkzee 3 (Casemiro ht).
Not used: Bayindir, Evans, Lindelof, Antony.
Booked: Mazraoui, Dalot, Martinez, Ugarte. Sent off: Fernandes.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3): Vicario 6; Porro 6, Romero 7, van der Ven 8 (Dragusin 81), Udogie 7 (Spence ht, 6); Kulusevski 8, Bentancur 7, Maddison 8 (Sarr 77); Johnson 7 (Moore 76), Solanke 5, Werner 5 (Bergvall 77).
Not used: Forster, Bergvall, Bissouma, Gray, Lankshear.
Booked: Johnson, Spence, Porro.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.
