Man Utd player ratings gallery: Five players score 8/10 as two earn 9/10 in 2-0 win vs Tottenham
Fred and Bruno Fernandes scored for Manchester United in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United produced their best performance so far of the Erik ten Hag era on Wednesday as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League.
It was an electric atmosphere inside Old Trafford as the Red Devils controlled all aspects of the game, created 28 shots and forced Spurs into repeated mistakes with their irrepressible pressing. It was Fred and Bruno Fernandes who netted the goals in the second period that moved United to within a point of the top four.
It was a first half United dominated with Antony going close with a strike from distance that Hugo Lloris spilled, while the winger hit the outside of the post with a curling shot on 10 minutes. The Spurs goalkeeper had his work cut out in the opening exchanges as he denied Fred’s dipping effort, a Marcus Rashford shot from close distance, Fernandes’ free-kick and a powerful volley from Luke Shaw - the pick of United’s 19 first-half shots.
As for the visitors, Rodrigo Bentancur had an early shot that went wide, while Harry Kane forced a save from David de Gea in the latter stages of the opening 45 minutes.
But within the opening two minutes of the second half, United netted the opener that they so richly deserved. It was Fred who finished off the Red Devils’ counter-attack, although his shot from the edge of the box took a massive deflection off Pierre-Emile Hjojberg and gave Lloris in the Tottenham net no chance.
The Frenchman was on hand moments later to keep out a fierce shot from Rashford as United’s domination continued. But it took until the 69th minute for the Red Devils to double their lead. It was Fernandes who flashed a shot past Lloris after the ball bounced back to him inside the box off Eric Dier, with the Portugal international netting his second of the season.
Lloris then kept out Fernandes and Rashford with excellent saves, while the former saw a goal ruled out for offside after he rounded Lloris and tapped the ball into the net. It proved to be a quiet end as United had the points wrapped up, especially following a plethora of substitutes. Here’s how we rated the players.
1. David de Gea- 7
Didn’t have a huge amount to deal with, but the goalkeeper did well to keep out Kane on a few occasions and played Rashford through on goal at one stage thanks to a brilliant long pass.
2. Diogo Dalot- 7
Played well from a defensive and offensive standpoint. Ivan Persic had little joy up against the young full-back, while he also regularly advanced down the right flank.
3. Raphael Varane- 8
Looked composed on the ball and was physically imposing at the back for the Red Devils. The centre-back produced some important defensive headers inside the box.
4. Lisandro Martinez- 8
Handled Kane brilliantly and even managed to win a few headers against the England captain. He helped with United’s high-energy approach.