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A woefully inept Manchester United were dealt their joint-worst Premier League home defeat by a rampant Tottenham Hotspur who ran out 6-1 winners at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Captain Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son starred with braces, and Tanguy Ndombele and Serge Aurier also got on the scoresheet for the visitors, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a consolation for the home side.
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Incredibly, it was Manchester United who took the lead in just the second minute of the game when their Portuguese playmaker converted from the spot after Davinson Sanchez clumsily brought down Anthony Martial in the box.
However, the away side hit back straight away. Ndombele capitalised on a defensive mix-up in the Manchester United box to smash the ball home and bring his side back on level terms after four minutes. A quick free-kick from Kane then set Son up for his first just three minutes later as Spurs turned the game on its head in a trice.
The next piece of action in the game followed soon after as Martial received his marching orders for striking Erik Lamela in the face with less than half an hour played.
Spurs capitalised on their man advantage a couple of minutes later when Son turned provider for Kane to slot home. The South Korean international then doubled his tally on the night by turning home Serge Aurier’s low cross to send his side 4-1 up at the break.
It got worse still for 10-man Manchester United in the second half. Aurier got on the scoresheet six minutes into the second half when he drilled home a fine finish into the far corner after coming in from the right.
A late penalty from Kane, awarded after Paul Pogba clumsily brought down Ben Davies in the box, made it six for the away side as Spurs matched the six Manchester City scored past Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2011.
The international break next weekend could not have come a moment too soon for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United who have a lot to think about ahead of their next encounter away to Newcastle. Spurs are next at home to West Ham and would no doubt wish to face them as soon as possible, given their current momentum.
On that note, here are the five major talking points from a night to forget for Manchester United but one that was a truly memorable outing for the North London outfit.
#1 Jose Mourinho returns to haunt Manchester United
After taking over the reins at Spurs a few months into the 2019-20 season, Jose Mourinho was handed his first defeat in his new role by his most recent former employers when Manchester United beat Spurs 2-1 at Old Trafford. The two sides then played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture as Mourinho went into this clash still searching for his first win over Manchester United as Spurs boss.
As much as United’s defeat could be attributed to their shambolic defending, it can easily be forgotten that Manchester United actually took the lead in this game with just two minutes on the clock. Due credit must be given to Mourinho and his Spurs side for not letting their heads drop after the early blow and for turning the scoreline on its head just five minutes later.
Mourinho’s men were superb in every aspect of the game: they bossed midfield and were clinical in attack. Manchester United, on the other hand, struggled to create clear-cut opportunities after taking the lead and became even more ineffective in attack after going a man down.
The away side, for their part, refused to take their foot off the gas and were on the hunt for more goals right up until the final whistle.
#2 The Kane-Son partnership is flourishing
Two-man strike partnerships seem to be a thing of the past these days, but Jose Mourinho seems to have hit upon an extremely potent duo at Spurs in the form of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.
The indefatigable South Korean has profited hugely from the Spurs and England captain’s excellent passing skills, with the two having combined to great effect on several occasions already this season.
After getting used to playing up top together towards the end of last season, Kane and Son have taken their partnership to the next level this time around.
The first clear evidence of the same came when Spurs took on Southampton. Kane set up Son to score four times in that game, with the same combination also giving Spurs the lead against Manchester United.
The South Korean then returned the favour to increase his side’s advantage before adding the fourth himself to put the game at Old Trafford virtually beyond doubt in the first half itself.
Kane and Son have now combined for 26 Premier League goals, the fifth-most of any duo in the competition's history and the most of any current pairing.
With the attacking side of things looking quite sorted, Spurs’ primary concern now will be to keep both Kane and Son fit and firing throughout the season as both of them have a rather patchy injury record.
#3 Martial's rush of blood hurts Manchester United
If their defensive woes weren’t enough, matters were made worse for Manchester United by the first-half sending off of Anthony Martial after the player's altercation with Erik Lamela in the United penalty area. The numerical disadvantage knocked the stuffing out of the home side who could not muster any significant attacks after losing their number 9.
While there is a discussion to be had over whether the Argentine also deserved to get his marching orders for his part in the incident, there is no denying that Martial’s punishment was justified. The Frenchman’s rash action heaped the pressure on his side who were already looking out of sorts and they ended up conceding the third just two minutes later.
Although Spurs were completely deserving of their win, the margin of defeat might not have been that emphatic had Manchester United retained their full complement of players.
The Martial incident just goes to show that at the elite level, keeping one's emotions in check is almost as important as one's technical abilities. Lashing out in the manner that Martial did cost Manchester United big time.
#4 Woeful Manchester United defence crying out for reinforcements
Amidst the transfer speculation surrounding Jadon Sancho and his possible move to Manchester United in the summer, the voices advocating defensive signings seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
With the central defensive partnership of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire showing signs of frailty, Eric Bailly was touted as the ideal partner for Maguire in the centre of the United defence.
However, with seven minutes played at Old Trafford against Spurs, United had already conceded twice, and the backline looked in complete disarray despite the inclusion of Bailly. Things then went from bad to worse for the men in red as Spurs seemed to pick the hosts apart at will, with the home side showing little signs of defensive organisation.
With the transfer window set to close soon, Manchester United are left with little to no time to bolster their backline as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his staff are left with a monumental task ahead of them if they are to improve their results this season.
#5 Spurs cap off a memorable week of football
One week ago, Tottenham Hotspur conceded a 97th-minute penalty against Newcastle United to end up drawing 1-1 in the first of four competitive fixtures they were to play in one week. With Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, Maccabi Haifa in Europa League qualifying and Manchester United in the Premier League to come, it was not the way Spurs would have liked to kick off such a run of fixtures.
As it turned out, there was no undue cause for concern at Spurs. Chelsea were defeated in a penalty shootout, Maccabi Haifa were hit for seven, and Manchester United were hit for six as Mourinho’s men strung together a series of superb results that will send morale sky high in the Tottenham Hotspur camp.
