Manchester United put on their best performance of the season so far in a convincing victory over the Londoners. United dominated the first half yet failed to land the final move, but kept their dominance going in the second. Fred’s deflected attempt and Bruno’s sharp strike seeing them through. In what seemed like a redemption game for the two, they helped United blow Tottenham out of the pitch.
Dominant from start to finish
United have had convincing victories so far this season against Liverpool and Arsenal. This, however, was their best one by far. United started on the front foot and never took their foot off the throttle. It would’ve been a predictable outcome if despite all the possession United had failed to capitalize. But the Red Devils looked like a team on a mission and kept pushing till they got the goals.
Ten Hag’s men were at their absolute best up and down the pitch. And as a result, United had control of the game throughout. With a pass accuracy of 85% and 52% of the possession, United looked like they never played second fiddle to the visitors. And they would’ve scored a handful more if it wasn’t for Lloris’ blinder. It was also evident that Ronaldo makes this team worse with his lack of movement and mobility. Rashford isn’t great up top but with him there United’s attack seems so much more fluid. Marital being back will definitely be a huge boost for Ten Hag’s men.
A defensive shutdown
A big worry with United coming into this season was their defensive frailty. United kept 8 clean sheets for the whole of last season in the league, 13th out of the 20 teams. And in stark contrast, they already have 4 clean sheets in 10 games this season. This is the most convincing improvement United have made under Ten Hag. Keeping Kane and Son quiet is quite an achievement given how prolific the pair have been. And United made it look easy to make them a non-factor at Old Trafford.
The centre-back pairing of Varane and Martinez seems to be the perfect mix of calmness and tenacity. Somehow it seems to be the perfect blend that United needs right now. Two quality ball-playing players who complement each other beautifully. Dalot and Shaw also deserve huge praise, especially against Spurs. They both seemed to put no foot wrong as they did a brilliant job both defensively and going forward. If the reds can keep up this defensive solidity throughout this season, United will be in an optimal position for a successful campaign.
need for consistency
After every positive performance, it feels like a slipup is right around the corner for Manchester United. This has been the case for a few years now. It is imperative for United to build on an emphatic victory and maintain this level of performance. This is even more critical given the fact that their next game is against Chelsea, another top 4 rival.
The next 3 games after that are against West Ham, Aston Villa, and Fulham. 3 very winnable games before the (ridiculous) winter world cup break. If United can go into that break on a high, it will set the stage for them to come back and build on it even further after Christmas. Outsmarting and outplaying an Antonio Conte side is no mean fete and United have plenty of positives to take and move forward from it.