Premier League: United dominate under Old Trafford floodlights
Manchester United 2 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur
United produced their finest performance under manager Erik ten Hag.
It was only the brilliance of Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris denied them the truly emphatic victory they deserved.
Fred broke the deadlock two minutes after the break, his shot carrying a degree of good fortune as Lloris was finally beaten by Ben Davies' deflection.
It was no more than United deserved for a display high on quality and intensity. United moved out of sight after 69 minutes when Bruno Fernandes curled a precise right-foot finish beyond the stretching Lloris in front of an noisy and excited Stretford End.
What a win! What support! Fighting together at OT!! 💪🏼🔴 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/djLXqKZ5KG
— Lisandro Martinez (@LisandrMartinez) October 19, 2022
This tweet from Lisandro Martinez probably summed up the mood of many Manchester United fans and players.
The win keeps Manchester United fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal. Their next game is against Chelsea. A similar result and performance then will surely get people taking notice.
Spurs fans will clearly be very unhappy with the result and the performance that went with it. Only their French goalkeeper came out with any real credit.
Their manager told BBC Sport after the match: "For sure when the level is high, we are going to struggle. This means we have to continue to work to try to improve, to work on the pitch and to work outside the pitch.
We can improve, we need to continue to work and for sure it is right with the club also to analyse very well why when we are going to play this type of game where the level is very high and we are struggling."
Tactical masterclass or just a poor performance from Spurs?
This video from Football Made Simple explored what it describes as a tactical masterclass from Manchester United's Dutch manager. However, it has left other people asking a different question, was this just a poor performance from Spurs.
Fernandes shines
Bruno Fernandes showed some of the qualities that made him such a resounding success when he first joined United. The way he steered his finish past the Spurs keeper for United's crucial was a sign of his restored confidence. Can he continue this form?
