Manchester United dominated Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at Old Trafford, producing perhaps their best performance under manager Erik ten Hag.
Only the brilliant play of Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris prevented United from earning the resounding win they deserved. Thus the final score did not accurately reflect their massive advantage.
United poured 19 shots on the Spur’s goal in the first half alone, but Lloris kept it intact with five great stops.
Two minutes after the interval, Ben Davies’ deflection allowed Fred to beat Lloris with a shot eventually. However, it was no more than United deserved after a performance that was strong on quality and effort.
In front of a jubilant Stretford End, Bruno Fernandes curled a deft right-foot finish past the extending Lloris to put United out of reach after 69 minutes.
If Manchester United wins, they will remain in fifth place overall, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, while Spurs will pass Manchester City and remain in third place.
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Ten Hag’s imprint starts to show.
Ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, was naturally beaming as he left the Old Trafford field after a victory that embodied everything he wanted from his new players.
The only worry was that United could have been punished for failing to score in the first 45 minutes, which saw Lloris build a one-person resistance barrier thanks to brilliant saves from Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw.
United was quicker, stronger, and sharper than Spurs from the get-go. The vivacious Antony’s 25-yard attempt also just missed the post.
With Fred and Casemiro’s stabilizing presence in midfield, fast and precise passing was used.
The way Fernandes guided his shot past Lloris for United’s critical second goal showed his rediscovered confidence. Again, he displayed attributes that made him such a resounding success when he first joined United.
Ten Hag’s only criticism, and there won’t be many, will be that United’s two-goal win margin does not accurately represent how superior they were against a subpar Spurs.
A top-four finish in the Premier League would have been a welcome goal at the beginning of the season, particularly following home losses to Brighton and the disastrous 4-0 performance against Brentford. However, United is well within its scope if they continue to pursue this goal.