OLD TRAFFORD When they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, Man United turned in what is perhaps their greatest performance since Erik ten Hag took over as manager.
Fred and Bruno Fernandes scored in the second half to give the Red Devils the three points they richly deserved. The Red Devils dominated the match from the beginning to the end and had numerous opportunities to score more goals, but Hugo Lloris made some outstanding saves for the Spurs.
During a first half that was dominated by the home team, Lloris made a great save from Luke Shaw and stopped Marcus Rashford when he had a one-on-one opportunity, and Antony also hit the post.
MAN UNITED — Fernandes — 69 minutes
Although it took United until deep into injury time to score against Omonia Nicosia and they were frustrated by Newcastle United the previous time they played here, they found a breakthrough early in the second half when Fred’s shot deflected in off of Ben Davies.
After the referees had played to their favour, Fernandes delivered a spectacular second goal, and the outcome never really appeared to be in question. In point of fact, the result could have appeared to be humiliating for Spurs if it weren’t for additional stops made by Lloris against Rashford, one of which was a fantastic one-handed stop.
The result takes Manchester United to within four points of Antonio Conte’s side in the Premier League rankings, with a game in hand. They are also just one point behind fourth-place Chelsea ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge this Saturday.
In-Fred-ible
Fred did a great job, and although if his goal had a touch of luck to it (in fact, he probably only got the deflection because he used his left foot awkwardly since he had skied an earlier effort with his right), he deserved it because of how well he skied).
It was a little surprising to see him stay in the lineup given his ineffective performance against Newcastle, but this was a prime example of a game where using the Brazilian to his strengths can pay dividends. It was a little surprising to see him stay in the lineup given his ineffective performance against Newcastle.
Because of his tireless work in the midst of the field, Casemiro was able to drop back and assist United in maintaining control. On the other hand, despite starting with three central players, Spurs were never able to assert their power in the area. He won possession of the ball high up on the field and played with purpose while he had it to keep United’s assaults going. As a result, he helped give United a balance that wasn’t always obvious earlier in the season.
His impact was best summed up in the second half when, having spun into space to launch a counter-attack, he misplaced a simple pass, forced Spurs backwards, regained possession, and set up a good chance for Rashford all within the space of about 10 seconds. His impact was best summed up in the second half when, having spun into space to launch a counter-attack, he misplaced a simple pass. The Stretford End sang, “Fred will break you apart again,” as their battle cry.
Ten Hag ball finally makes its way to Manchester
Without a question, this was the best showing by United all throughout the current campaign. It will also rate highly among the best performances the team has given under any of their three prior managers, and possibly even higher.
This season’s victory for Manchester United over Liverpool at Anfield was built on merciless counterattacks and a fighting mentality on the part of United’s players. They played a good tactical game in defence against Arsenal at their home stadium and made the most of some bad positioning on the part of the Gunners. Nevertheless, in both of those games, there was a component of clinging to a lead and of having to fight one’s way through challenging situations against opponents who played football with better control.
In the match against Spurs, everything came together.
United completely dominated this contest from the beginning to the end. Even the disappointment of missing their opportunities in the first half did not appear to take them off their game. They continued to play at a high level. They finished the match with 52% possession of the ball, partly due to the fact that they gave it to Spurs in the latter minutes of the game, and they had 28 shots compared to the visitors’ nine. Importantly, De Gea essentially played the role of a spectator, with the exception of a straightforward save made from Kane near the conclusion of the first half.
It’s possible that Manchester United will have a successful season if they can keep performing at this level.
Conte quelled into silent contemplation
In the early stages of the first half, Conte could be seen yelling and pointing at his players almost every time they kicked the ball, as though they were moving pieces about a Subbuteo board. He stayed silently on the touchline throughout the entirety of Spurs’ loss, during which time the supporters of the opposing team roared their approbation of the show.
This must have been humiliating for Conte to experience. It looked like his aim was to hold United at bay by fielding three central midfielders and launch counterattacks with Son and Kane. He did this by switching up his formation. If what you say is true, then it was a dismal failure.
It was hypothesised that Spurs’ strong run in 2022–23, during which they suffered only one loss in 10 league games, occurred despite the fact that the team was coasting in second or third gear much of the time. They didn’t even get out of the parking lot at Old Trafford.
After halftime, Conte sent his players back out a couple of minutes early, but whatever message he was trying to convey evidently did not succeed. They were defeated handily, and if not for Lloris, the scoreline would have appeared to be much more lopsided than it actually was.
Live coverage and video highlights from the Premier League encounter between Manchester United and Tottenham.
FT: The final score is 2-0 in favour of Manchester United, who were more than deserving winners in a match that was lopsided for the most part. They secured all three points in the second half thanks to a goal by Fred that was assisted by a deflection and a wonderful finish by Bruno Fernandes, and from that point on, they were hardly bothered by Spurs at all. This season, Ten Hag’s team has now won at Old Trafford against Arsenal, Liverpool, and Spurs. They have scored seven goals while only allowing two to be scored against them.
Kane gets a corner kick off of Martinez after 90+4 minutes, but Sessegnon flicks Son’s throw high and wide, and the game is over as a result!
Spence makes a promising move towards the United area, but Shaw is there to clear away the threat. 90+2 minutes played. Fred then capped off an incredible effort by stealing the ball from Harry Kane, but Rashford was offside as Manchester United attempted to counterattack.
At the 90-minute mark, Fred delivers a beautiful ball over the top to Elanga, but Elanga’s touch prevents him from scoring. United is making a late push for a third goal here (or just keeping the ball away from their own goal). This is the most dominant performance they’ve managed to pull off under Ten Hag’s direction. Extra time has been added, giving us a total of four minutes.
At the 87 minute mark, United made substitutions by bringing on Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga. Casemiro receives a resounding standing ovation because he has performed so admirably tonight. The Spurs faithful have a range of reactions to Eriksen’s signing with the team.
At the 85 minute mark, the home crowd applauds the Spurs contingent as they try to rally support for their team to make a late comeback. They are now able to support Son and Kane in attack with Lucas Moura and Ryan Sessegnon, while United are falling back a little bit more to defend.
In the 82nd minute, Fernandes puts the ball in the back of the net after going around Lloris and finishing in a stylish manner. However, he was just a hair offside when Rashford sent the pass in his direction. Conte is throwing caution to the wind by bringing on four different players at the same time.
79th minute: After conceding a second goal, United has adjusted their strategy to focus more on maintaining possession of the ball. Antony has been replaced by McTominay, who will get some rest in preparation for the match against Chelsea at the weekend.
Lloris pulls off an incredible save with 74 minutes left! Fred, being Fred, starts a counterattack, loses the ball, then quickly gets it back and passes it to Rashford. Rashford then advances the play. The attacker creates space for himself with his right foot and fires a shot, but Lloris makes a spectacular one-handed save to keep the ball out of the net. Again, it was struck with a lot of power, but it was a touch too close to the goalkeeper for comfort for the Spurs.
69 mins: GOAL! Fernandes makes it 2-0! Just inside the Spurs box, Fred attempted to convert a loose ball forwards, but it was blocked by Dier and sent back to Fernandes. Fernandes then swept a beautiful first-time finish past Lloris, who was unable to reach it. United has already doubled their advantage!
At this point in the game (66 minutes), you have to wonder if Conte will make any adjustments soon because the Spurs are having trouble gaining a foothold in this contest. When Rashford raced through onto De Gea’s long ball just now, he had another opportunity, but he was unable to capitalise since there was no space for him in the Spurs box.
At this point in the game, it appears that United has the better chance of scoring the game’s second goal. Antony’s effort just missed the near post by a hair, and Rashford’s appeal for a penalty was turned down when he raced in behind Dier (who didn’t really seem to make much contact; it seemed like the United striker fell on the ball). Antony’s attempt went just outside the near post by a hair. Rashford is then presented with a fantastic opportunity by Fred in the form of a cross, but he botches the header. That was more of a delivery for Ronaldo to attack, therefore we should credit him with the goal.
At the 51-minute mark, Rashford has an opportunity to make it 2-0! He fights his way into the box and cuts back onto his left foot, but Lloris is able to preserve his size advantage and keep the ball out of the goal. Kane is able to find space at the opposite end of the field, but his attempt to score is deflected behind for a corner that does not result in a goal.
47 mins: GOAL! Fred’s goal has put Manchester United in the lead, and he’s the one who scored it! Fernandes regains possession of the ball inside the Spurs’ half of the field and finds Antony. The Brazilian passes the ball to Sancho, and then Sancho passes the ball to Fred, who is standing on the sideline of the box. The first attempt at goal is made with his left foot, and after a significant deflection from Davies, the ball finds its way into the bottom-left corner.
KO: Here we go – will we see a winner here?
HT: Conte has released his players earlier than expected. It’s possible that all that was required were a few words of reprimand. Both McTominay and Eriksen have been warming up for the home team, but it does not appear like either of them will be coming on anytime soon.
After what happened with Dalot, the first half comes to a peaceful close. Conte will undoubtedly be relieved with the final result, but Spurs have been the worse team throughout this match. This has been one of the stronger first-half performances from United in recent weeks, but they were unable to get the goal that would put them ahead. You have to worry if some of those missed opportunities, particularly the one from Rashford, will come back to haunt them in the second half.
44 mins: In this first half, United have played well and with purpose, but Spurs’ formation, which consists of a back five and three central midfielders, has for the most part limited the number of clear-cut chances they have had. After a great move by the away team, which was ultimately ended by a save by De Gea at the near post from Kane’s attempt, the England striker then blasted the rebound into the throat of Dalot, who is currently being treated for his injuries.
39 minutes in, many meaty challenges are thrown in from both teams, and all of a sudden, the volume of the uproar inside Old Trafford is turned up. After Fred’s attempt at a shot goes high and wide, Dalot takes a shot from around the same distance, and the referee immediately stops the game because it hits Dier square in the face. That must have been excruciating for you.
In the 34th minute, Perisic makes a breakaway after intercepting a pass on the edge of the Spurs’ penalty area. However, he halts his advance near the halfway line in order to maintain possession, which causes the travelling supporters to grumble. Spurs are eventually able to move the ball forward, but Son’s shot from the edge of the box misses the target by a significant margin.
29 minutes in, some great one-touch stuff between Sancho, Shaw, and Fernandes sets up Casemiro for a first-time shot with his left foot, but it just fizzes beyond of Lloris’ right-hand post. Sancho, Shaw, and Fernandes all had a hand in setting up the play. The goalkeeper for the Spurs was standing there and watching that one. United has displayed some excellent football at times, but the away team is aware that they will have opportunities to break the game open at some point.
Lloris is currently keeping this match scoreless at the 24 minute mark. He deflects a free kick taken by Fernandes, and then he does the same thing to a volley taken by Shaw in response to a cross by Dalot. United is the team that is currently carrying the threat, but they are unable to make that breakthrough.
At 21 minutes, Rashford has a fantastic opportunity. Rashford has a clear shot at goal after receiving a brilliant through pass from Fred; however, Lloris makes a fantastic save to keep the low shot out of the net. The goalkeeper for Spurs should not have been given a chance in those situation.
Twenty minutes in, Conte is commanding everything and everyone from the sideline, while Ten Hag is standing pretty quietly and observing. Conte has been in this position for the past twenty minutes. Just at that moment, he had a fantastic vision of Kane making a wonderful crossfield pass to Doherty, who advanced into the penalty area but was unable to hit the target.
15 minutes in, Spurs get a chance on the break, but Dalot does a good job of defending against Perisic in a one-on-one situation, and the ball ends up going out for a goal kick. Spurs are just getting into the swing of things at this point in the game.
11 minutes in, and Antony finds the back of the net! The Brazilian player cuts inside with his left foot and curls the ball towards the right-hand upright. The ball clips the upright on its way behind for a goal kick. It is possible that the former Ajax player will use this play, but when it is successful, it poses a significant risk.
7 minutes: That must have been a tense time for Lloris! Fernandes performs a brilliant dummy in the middle of the pitch, and Fred then sends the ball through to Rashford. The Spurs are able to clear the ball, but only as far as Antony, who is attempting to draw Lloris out of position. The Spurs goalkeeper gets a hand on it but manages to botch it in the process, but the ball ends up going out for a corner kick rather than into his own net. A few moments later, he appears to try to make amends by deflecting a solid strike from Fred.
KO: Now we fight under the bright lights!
After finishing their pregame warmup 15 minutes before the start of the match, players for the Spurs are now making their way back down the tunnel. The United contingent is close behind (albeit the substitutes make up the majority of those who are still out there). The start of the game is drawing near!
30 minutes till kickoff, and Ten Hag has made a significant decision by deciding not to start Ronaldo, who not only scored a hat-trick in this matchup against Spurs last season but also, according to Conte, was the sole cause of Spurs’ loss. Rashford provides better mobility when going up against the opposing defence, but he was the one who blew a clear opportunity to score a late winner against Newcastle. If Ronaldo had been given the same opportunity, one would have expected him to score. When it comes to the Spurs, their formation indicates that they should take a more conservative approach and use the ruthless combination of Kane and Son on the break, which has the potential to work well for them.
Marcus Rashford will start for United in lieu of Cristiano Ronaldo, which is the biggest piece of news about the team. There is a spot available for Fred in centre midfield, where he will play alongside Casemiro. Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen will be on the bench for this match.
In what appears to be a 5-3-2 formation, Ivan Perisic is given the nod to start for Tottenham on the left side of the field. Yves Bissouma will be playing in the midfield alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, while Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will be leading the attack.
In the pre-match interview for the official programme, which took place with 80 minutes left till kickoff, Bruno Fernandes expressed his desire to continue playing for Manchester United for “many years.” He stated, “I want there to be some consistency in my family’s life.” Because his offensive production has dried up, Ten Hag’s men have appeared a touch blunt in recent matches, not the least of which is the fact that they struggled to break down Omonoia and Newcastle in their past two home games. Many fans of United might yearn for more consistency in his form.
Even though it’s still early in the season, one could argue that this match against Spurs is less significant for United than the one we’re about to play. Given that Conte’s team is now seven points ahead of the Red Devils in the standings and is only four points away from first place, a draw would be an extremely respectable outcome in this matchup. If United were to lose tonight and Chelsea were to win their match against Brentford, they would fall six points behind the top four teams in the table. They have a trip to Stamford Bridge scheduled for the next three days.
Old Trafford is the setting for a pivotal match in the race for one of the top four spots in the Premier League and, in the case of Spurs, the chance to win the league championship. The game will begin in one hour and twenty minutes. Allow Antonio Conte to be the one to stir the pot in the lead-up to the match.
Manchester United vs. Tottenham lineups
Although Scott McTominay has returned from his suspension, which caused him to miss the draw with Newcastle, both he and Christian Eriksen, who has returned to full fitness, will start the game on the bench. Marcus Rashford was just healthy enough to come off the bench against Newcastle United; however, he has replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting lineup for the match against Tottenham.
Anthony Martial, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Donny van de Beek have not yet returned from their respective injuries. Although Brandon Williams has resumed his individual training sessions outside, Axel Tuanzebe is not scheduled to return until the latter half of December.
The starting lineup for Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Rashford, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Fred, Antony, Fernandes, Sancho, and David de Gea in goal for Manchester United.
Subs: Malacia, Elanga, Ronaldo, Heaton, Pellistri, Garnacho, Eriksen, Lindelof, McTominay
In what appears to be a 5-3-2 formation, Ivan Perisic is given the nod to start for Tottenham on the left side of the field. Yves Bissouma will be playing in the midfield alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, while Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will be leading the attack.
Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski won’t play, and Emerson Royal will sit this one out because he was suspended.
Tottenham lineup (5-3-2): Lloris (GK) — Doherty, Romero, Dier, Davies, Perisic — Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Bissouma — Son, Kane
Forster, Spence, Gil, Lucas Moura, Lenglet, Sanchez, Sessegnon, Tanganga, and Skipp were the players that came on as substitutes.
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