Tottenham Hotspur continued their rich vein of form, sending a woeful 10-man Manchester United team to a humbling 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Thursday night. In the process, Spurs extended their unbeaten run to four consecutive head-to-head matches in the Premier League.
The early marker was set when, in the third minute, Micky van de Ven burst forward from his own half before providing a clinical cross for Brennan Johnson to nod home at the back post. The visitors continued to apply pressure throughout the first period as James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski combined well with Destiny Udogie and Johnson almost adding to the advantage.
United had their moments – Kobbie Mainoo creating an opening that Joshua Zirkzee really ought to have converted, Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario making a vital stop – but the home side came even closer when Alejandro Garnacho struck the post from a Marcus Rashford cross.
Things went from bad to worse for United when their captain, Bruno Fernandes, was sent off for a reckless challenge on Maddison just before the break in the game, with the Red Devils going down to ten men.
Spurs took full advantage of their numerical advantage early in the second half as Johnson played a deflected pass that Kulusevski calmly turned home to double Spurs’ lead. Despite a brief resurgence from United, casemiro and Garnacho among those trying their luck, the visitors sealed it in the 78th minute. Substitutes Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr combined to tee up Dominic Solanke, who slotted in Tottenham’s third.
The win marked Spurs’ fourth successive victory, hoisting them back into the top half of the table, while Manchester United’s woes continue with just two Premier League wins this season and three games without a win, stuck in the bottom half.
