- Man Utd hammered by Tottenham in Premier League
- Bruno Fernandes sent off for hosts
- Goals scored by Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke
Manchester United's slow start to the 2024/25 season continued with a harrowing 3-0 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Bruno Fernandes saw red towards the end of a first-half which the hosts were struggling to compete in, and Spurs took them up on that invitation to tear them apart.
The pressure has been ramped up on United boss Erik ten Hag, while Ange Postecoglou's men have now won four in a row since their north London derby loss to Arsenal.
How the game unfolded
Inside three minutes, Tottenham broke the deadlock. Micky van de Ven pinched possession back from Marcus Rashford midway inside the Spurs half and raced into the opposition box at full tilt, pulling the ball back for Brennan Johnson to tap in.
United's first sight of goal when a long kick from Andre Onana found Rashford racing in behind, but he was denied by Guglielmo Vicario at the near post and an offside flag went up regardless.
Onana then turned saviour at United in his own box when James Maddison looked to beat him from close range after a clever one-two with Dejan Kulusevski, with the Cameroonian's shoulder preventing the chipped shot from landing in the back of the net.
A swift counter attack saw Spurs nearly double their lead. Destiny Udogie raced away from Noussair Mazraoui and passed inside to Kulusevski, who in turn found Johnson free on the right, but his effort rattled back off the post.
United went close to an equaliser when Kobbie Mainoo's cutback found Joshua Zirkzee, whose dragged shot was well saved by Vicario.
An overhead kick from Cristian Romero dribbled inches wide of Onana's post as a frustrated Old Trafford made their discontent known.
The hosts, though struggling, did look a threat in transition. Alejandro Garnacho volleyed a fierce strike off the post from a tight angle after a cross sailed through the Spurs box.
Tottenham really ought to have gone two-up when Kulusevski set Timo Werner racing away, but he fluffed his lines when one-on-one with Onana.
Just before the break, United were reduced to ten men when Fernandes' high challenge while slipping caught James Maddison on the shin.
On the other side of the interval, Tottenham had their second. Lisandro Martinez was this time the player taken out of play with his aggressive pressing, and this allowed Johnson to sprint beyond the last line and tee up Kulusevski to finish over Onana with an impressive volley.
Spurs were queuing up to try and put the ball in the net, and next up was Pedro Porro, whose toe-poke was held by Onana.
The United goalkeeper made a top-drawer double save to deny the visitors minutes later, first stopping Werner again before smothering Dominic Solanke's rebound.
United had a couple of shouts for handball in the Tottenham box dismissed by referee Chris Kavanagh as they looked to mount an unlikely comeback. Casemiro also flashed a shot right across the face of goal in this period of ascendancy.
That burst of positivity was wiped out when Spurs grabbed their third. A delicious corner from Lucas Bergvall was flicked on by Pape Matar Sarr - seconds after they were substituted on - and in for Solanke to tap in on the line.
A fourth goal should have followed in added time as Onana denied Solanke with his feet before Sarr headed wide the rebound.
United were put out of their misery after six added minutes and were booed off by the remaining Old Trafford home crowd.
FCIQ
The headline news pre-match was that Tottenham would have to do without captain Son Heung-min due to injury.
Postecoglou decided to bring in Werner, who was more willing to sprint away down the touchline and get chalk on his boots than the shot-heavy South Korean.
This made Spurs far more fluid in their attacking. Kulusevski, in central midfield, often drifts inside right winger Johnson, while Maddison was now able to get in those same pockets thanks to Werner's quickness stretching United out the other way.
As a result, Kulusevski and Maddison had the game in the palms of their hands. That was the main reason behind their dominance even at 11-vs-11.
Man Utd player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Andre Onana - 6/10 - By a fair way the best United player who was on the pitch from start to finish. Kept the scoreline down with some fine saves and smart goalkeeping.
RB: Noussair Mazraoui - 3/10 - Rinsed time after time by Werner and almost certainly will have breathed a sigh of relief when the German was substituted.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt - 4/10 - Well, he wasn't left flat-footed by Tottenham's quick attackers at least. That's the highest compliment he's getting for his performance. Still not as commanding or authoritative as United fans would have hoped.
CB: Lisandro Martinez - 4/10 - United's best out-ball but his over-eagerness cost them dearly, notably leading to Spurs' second goal.
LB: Diogo Dalot - 2/10 - Simply gave up trying to keep pace with Johnson for the early goal. The Welshman had him on toast.
CM: Manuel Ugarte - 3/10 - Handed his first Premier League start, and it's not one he'll want to watch back in a hurry. Given the runaround despite his lauded engine. Largely successful at disrupting play by way of conceding fouls.
CM: Kobbie Mainoo - 5/10 - Sacrificed after Fernandes' red card. Walked straight down the tunnel before his substitution was made official, leaving United to momentarily play with nine men. Nearly grabbed an assist for Zirkzee which surely would've changed the complexion of the game.
RW: Alejandro Garnacho - 5/10 - United's brightest spark in attack, but the bar wasn't particularly high. Bounced a volley off the post but his concentration levels meant his touch often escaped him.
AM: Bruno Fernandes - 1/10 - Either over-hit or under-hit most of his passes when on the pitch before picking up a red card. A day to forget for the captain.
LW: Marcus Rashford - 4/10 - Like Garnacho just couldn't do the basics of trapping and controlling a ball. Which is, you know, quite important for a forward.
CF: Joshua Zirkzee - 4/10 - Spurned a glorious chance to equalise with United's first opening. Taken off at half-time to ensure his miserable run of form continued, still without a goal since the first day of the season.
Substitutes
SUB: Mason Mount (45' for Mainoo) - 4/10 - Picked up a petulant yellow card shortly after his introduction. Doomed to fail in the predicament he found himself in. Taken off with a head injury in the final minutes.
SUB: Casemiro (46' for Zirkzee) - 4/10 - Bodied out of the way far, far too easily by Solanke before Kulusevski added a second.
SUB: Rasmus Hojlund (73' for Rashford) - 5/10
SUB: Christian Eriksen (73' for Ugarte) - 4/10
SUB: Amad (84' for Mount) - N/A
Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans, Antony
Manager
Erik ten Hag - 2/10 - Even with all 11 men, United were by far the second-best team. Outshone by a manager who has a clear plan and has instilled an identity to his team. Time is running out for Ten Hag.
Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 6/10 - For the most part a spectator but did well to make a couple of saves and claim some crosses.
RB: Pedro Porro - 6/10 - A fine outing from the right-back without too much to shout about either way. One of his quieter games.
CB: Cristian Romero - 7/10 - Defended with integrity despite a couple of loose passes out from the back. Captain for the day in Son's absence.
CB: Micky van de Ven - 9/10 - What a ludicrously absurd athlete Van de Ven is. Sprinted 70 yards to assist Johnson's opener and United got little change out of him going the other way.
LB: Destiny Udogie - 7/10 - Put in an almighty shift before being withdrawn at half-time having picked up a knock in the opening exchanges. Flew up and down the wing, often stepping inside the high-and-wide Werner.
DM: Rodrigo Bentancur - 7/10 - Playing as the lone defensive midfielder in Postecoglou's system is often a thankless and nigh-on impossible task, but the Uruguayan did his absolute best to hold the fort alone and dictate play.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski - 9/10 - Another stunning performance from the born-again central midfielder, who floated between the lines and made light work of United's resistance.
CM: James Maddison - 8/10 - His fine early-season form continued at Old Trafford. Like Kulusevski pushed higher up to tangle United in webs.
RW: Brennan Johnson - 9/10 - Four goals in his last four games is some return for the winger and statistically the best stretch of his career. Got an assist for his troubles and all.
CF: Dominic Solanke - 8/10 - Deservedly got on the scoresheet after selflessly holding play up and harrying United's centre-backs all afternoon.
LW: Timo Werner - 6/10 - Drafted in for Son, and his willingness to stay wide as a winger actually allowed Tottenham to play their more natural game. However, had Spurs not won, the fingers would have been pointed at Werner for failing to convert any of his chances.
Substitutes
SUB: Djed Spence (46' for Udogie) - 7/10 - Brought an injection of pace that United were not happy at all to see.
SUB: Lucas Bergvall (77' for Werner) - 7/10
SUB: Pape Matar Sarr (77' for Maddison) - 7/10
SUB: Mikey Moore (77' for Johnson) - 6/10
SUB: Radu Dragusin (81' for Van de Ven) - 6/10
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, Will Lankshear
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 9/10 - A showcase of what his Tottenham team can be. At last a win away at a 'big-six' team.
