Tottenham Hotspur thrashed 10-man Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, adding pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.
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Micky van de Ven opened up United’s defence with a blistering run to set up Brennan Johnson with just three minutes on the clock, and it never got better for United from then on.
Bruno Fernandes received a straight red card in the 42nd minute for a late tackle on James Maddison, giving United a mountain to climb.
It was a challenge they were unable to overcome, with Spurs capitalising on their numerical advantage early in the second half through Dejan Kulusevski before Dominic Solanke tapped home a third.
Ange Postecoglou’s side rise to eighth with 10 points, while United slip to 12th, behind Brentford on goal difference.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |
Spurs
TOT
|
10 | +11 | 16 |
| 8 |
Brighton
BHA
|
10 | +3 | 16 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
10 | +1 | 15 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
10 | +1 | 15 |
| 11 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
10 | 0 | 15 |
| 12 |
Brentford
BRE
|
10 | -1 | 13 |
How the match unfolded
Van de Ven set the stage for a brilliant Spurs display when he pounced on Marcus Rashford’s loose touch before marauding 70 yards to the byline and teeing up Johnson for the simplest of back-post tap-ins.
Andre Onana kept United in the contest, making two smothering saves to deny Maddison and Timo Werner either side of Johnson striking the foot of the post.
Alejandro Garnacho volleyed the hosts’ best chance of the first half against the upright, but their day soon got worse as Fernandes received the first red card of his United career, his foot slipping as he stretched so he caught Maddison high on the shin, with VAR confirming the referee’s decision to show a red card.
Johnson was involved in another early goal after the break, racing down the right to tee Kulusevski up, who flicked the ball over Onana in the 47th minute.
United were indebted to their goalkeeper as he made a fine double save to keep out Werner and Solanke soon after, but he was helpless as the latter stretched to direct Pape Sarr’s flick-on into the net to round off a miserable afternoon for Ten Hag.
No let up for Ten Hag
There is little reprieve in the Premier League, and after an up-and-down start to the season, Ten Hag finds himself coming under increasing pressure.
After their 3-0 loss to Liverpool, Man Utd had kept consecutive top-flight clean sheets and looked to be improving on the defensive problems that plagued them last season, but Spurs’ pace in behind saw them come undone time and time again.
There were flashes of promise in the first half, with Joshua Zirkzee poking a first-time shot at Guglielmo Vicario before Garnacho struck the woodwork.
But their hopes of a comeback were hampered when Fernandes received his marching orders, compounding the captain’s poor start to the season.
Mason Mount and Casemiro were introduced to steady the ship, but Spurs were always in control, with Kulusevski and Solanke making sure the scoreline reflected their dominance, even as Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Rasmus Hojlund squandered chances for a United consolation.
Ten Hag is no stranger to scrutiny since taking the job at Old Trafford, but after failing to win any of the last three matches in all competitions and with tricky tests against Porto and Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League and Premier League respectively coming up, he will be hoping to find a solution quickly.
Son-less Spurs shrug off away day blues
Postecoglou may have played down the seriousness of Son Heung-min’s injury from Spurs’ Europa League tie on Thursday, but when the Spurs captain was left out of the squad, it was certainly seen as a blow to the visitors.
The absence of their most creative player so far this season did not affect Spurs in any way though, as they made a lightning-quick start, mainly thanks to Van de Ven’s assertiveness and searing pace.
Postecoglou will perhaps be left scratching his head as to how they did not score more as they ran riot in the final third, their front three along with Maddison and Kulusevski providing constant outlets as Onana made big saves to keep the scoreline down, while Sarr headed wide late on too.
But, with a first away win of the Premier League season under their belt, Postecoglou has solved a big problem, and just in time with a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion. Spurs’ next task in the top flight.
Club reports
What the managers said
Erik ten Hag: "To concede a goal after two or three minutes like that, it did something to our belief. Totally unneccessary. To concede a goal like this, the [opposing] centre-half stepping in and passing the whole team over the right side and then the winger tapping in at the far post. Same mistake as in the midweek against Twente, it should be stopped in the first moment."
Ange Postecoglou: "I thought it was an outstanding performance. We started the game well, scored a great goal and probably should have had two or three. The pressure then overwhelms them and they get the red card. After that I thought we controlled the game well. Just an outstanding effort from all the lads."
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Match facts
Manchester United’s seven points are their joint-fewest after six games of a Premier League season (W2 D1 L3 – same record in both 2013/14 and 2020/21). Meanwhile, only in 2007-08 (4) have they scored fewer goals through their first six Premier League games than they have this term (5).
Spurs are now unbeaten in each of their last four Premier League games against Manchester United (W2 D2), their longest run without defeat against them in the competition since September 2012-December 2014 (five games – W2 D3).
Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the first time in his Manchester United career, on what was his 242nd appearance for the club. It was just the fourth straight red card in a Premier League game between the Red Devils and Spurs, after Anthony Martial in 2020, Mauricio Taricco in 2002 and Gary Neville in 1998.
