New Delhi: A rain-soaked afternoon at Old Trafford would’ve felt overdue for Manchester United supporters, who saw their initial optimism drain away in a 0-3 battering at the hands of Tottenham Hotspurs on Sunday, sending the Red Devils 12th in the Premier League table and leaving maligned manager Erik ten Hag’s future in the balance.
United were listless from the very start, evidenced by Spurs winger Brennan Johnson tapping the ball in with relative ease in the third minute. Half-time proved to be a decisive reference point, with United skipper Bruno Fernandes sent off for a rash challenge in the 42nd minute, and Spurs midfielder Dejan Kulusevski doubling the lead shortly after the break. Marquee signing Dominic Solanke’s goal ensured that Spurs were free from relapsing into a bad habit of not putting their opponents to the sword.
This was the main-event for Matchday 5 of this season’s Premier League, with context painting it as a potential black comedy. On one hand, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs have cut the ribbon on their respective league campaigns with a cough and a sputter, with both under-fire managers in Erik ten Hag and Ange Postecoglou seeing Old Trafford as the Colosseum; there seemed to be room for only one.
Matters certainly weren’t helped with their recent statements—Postecoglou has already promised a trophy in his second season, while Erik ten Hag implied a lack of support from above the reason behind the premature promotion of young talent in Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
Spurs winger Brennan Johnson has managed to score in four consecutive matches. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
To Ten Hag’s delight, young talent was on show within just the first 3 minutes. To his utter dismay, they happened to be dressed in lilywhite. Before the opener, Spurs had already wrestled the reigns of the tie from the hosts, who were being counter-pressed firmly in their own box. United thought they could deliver a sucker punch when winger Marcus Rashford chased a long ball out wide, only for Spurs defender Micky van de Ven to intercept the pass and go on a searing run through the right channel. It seemed to had such a magnetic pull, that when Dutch centerback squared it to Brennan Johnson at the far post, the winger only had to stroll the ball into an open net.
Remember that magical first-half United had against Crystal Palace a week ago? The hosts would’ve felt humbled stepping into Palace’s shoes, with the United backline desperately flying across their box to cover the holes. Maddison was too cheeky in the 11th minute, when he was released in the box by Kulusevski, only to see his chipped effort saved. Johnson could’ve completed a dream brace at Old Trafford in the 20th minute, when his grass-cutter of a shot beating United keeper Andre Onana before smacking into the post.
For accuracy’s sake, Spurs weren’t totally dominant in the first-half. With fullback Destiny Udogie being treated on the sidelines, United were crafty in restarting play quickly, with Mainoo driving down the right channel before cutting it back to forward Joshua Zirkzee, who could only produce a limp shot from close range aimed at Spurs keeper Gugliemo Vicario. It would take them nearly 10 more minutes to knock at the door, with Rashford’s whipped cross finding Garnacho in the box, who lashed his first-time volley into the near post.
Despite their utter and clear dominance, Spurs were probably haunted by the “profligacy” accusations in the 38th minute, when winger Timo Werner was through on goal but with only Onana to beat, shot straight at the keeper. Thankfully for the visitors, United skipper vented out his frustrations on Maddison’s calf with his studs up, producing a red card from referee Michael Oliver’s pocket and effectively sealing United’s fate.
One could only imagine the team talk delivered by Erik ten Hag after a dismal half, topped off by skipper Bruno Fernandes getting sent off. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
The confirmation for the same arrived only two minutes after the restart. A speculative long ball from Rashford was cleared by Spurs defender Cristian Romero, with Solanke nudging substitute Casemiro to win the loose ball and release Brennan Johnson down the right flank. United centerhalf Lisandro Martinez was left eating dust, and could only disturb the trajectory of Johnson’s square ball, only for Kulusevski to acrobatically poke it past a helpless Onana from close-range. Werner added fuel to the fiery discourse that surrounds his finishing when he was set one-on-one against Onana by Kulusevski, only for the German to repeat his previously foiled effort.
The image of a decaying Old Trafford structure complemented by a leaky roof didn’t stop the United side feeling the walls closing in, who temporarily found a way out with direct long balls. With a spell lasting till at least the 75th minute, they put pressure on the visitors through the energetic and direct runs from Garnacho. Casemiro, of all people, even got on the end of two chances; sending a header only a couple of yards away from the far post, before catching a hopeful weighted pass from Martinez and firing a sumptous low volley that glanced past Spurs’ far post.
With Old Trafford finding its raucous voice again, writers were probably licking their lips at another stab at the famed “Spursy” narrative. Not today, said substitutes Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall in the 77th minute, with the former flicking a corner delivery towards the far post for Solanke to score virtually unchallenged. His manager poked fun at the pressure put on the new striker’s shoulders in the post-match conference, which would’ve been wiped off the slate completely if Onana didn’t stick out his leg to valiantly save Solanke’s effort in the final minute of regulation time. It’s not like there were enough Manchester United fans left in the stadium to banter at his expense.
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