Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Talking Points as abject Red Devils suffer a record-equaling home defeat| EPL 2020-21

#3 Martial's rush of blood hurts Manchester United

Anthony Martial's sending off made the job even tougher for 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.

3 - Manchester United have conceded six goals in a single Premier League game for only the third time - with each coming in October (1996 v Southampton, 2011 v Man City, today v Spurs). Scary. #MUNTOT pic.twitter.com/w8bFgFpt5c

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 4, 2020

#4 Woeful Manchester United defence crying out for reinforcements

Harry Maguire and his Manchester United defensive colleagues have a lot to ponder in the weeks to come.

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

In four games played in seven days, Spurs finish with three crucial wins and an unfortunate draw.

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.

11 goals in our last two Premier League away games 🔥#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/oiGvsT06q4

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 4, 2020