Michael Carrick talks to TNT. “It was an open game … we looked dangerous from the start … really pleasing … we had to solve a few things … the second half we managed it really well … a really positive day … [Bruno Fernandes] has offered the club so much … he’s a team player … gives so much to the group … he’s got big moments in him … he cares a lot about the club and the team, that’s clear to see … supporters should be leaving the stadium in really good spirits and looking forward to coming back … that’s our job to provide that … so to be in a position to do that today and in the last few weeks has been great and we’ve got to keep building on that.”
Thomas Frank speaks to TNT Sports. “The first 30 minutes were a good away performance at a difficult place … after the red card I am very proud of the players’ resilience … their staying-in-the-game mentality … the last 60 minutes playing with ten man, they put everything into it … I am very proud of our fans … you could hear them loud throughout the game … [the corner that led to the opening goal] was the area that got a little bit more exposed [by being down to ten men] … Cristian [Romero] clearly goes for the ball … unfortunately the way the rules are, it’s then a red … Cristian apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room … [the depleted squad] is what it is and we will deal with it … a big area we have been working very hard on is resilience … we didn’t get a result out of it today but what they showed on the pitch was incredible … that’s what we need to build on … we just focus on the next game, against Newcastle on Tuesday night.”
Cristian Romero has earned himself a four-game ban with his latest dismissal. He’ll miss Tottenham’s home games against Newcastle, Arsenal and Palace, plus an away trip to Fulham. He’ll be back in time for the visit to Liverpool, against whom he collected his previous red card in December.
Bruno Fernandes speaks to TNT Sports. “It’s incredible … we’ve had moments when we were not great but it was still like this [at Old Trafford] … but when you win games everything looks brighter … football changes from one game to another … Michael [Carrick] came in with the right ideas of giving the players the responsibility … freedom on the pitch … he is very good with the words … I was sure he could be a great manager … he is showing it … we hope we can help him more … this is a massive club and everyone knows the expectations … Michael knows what it takes and that adds something special to the team.”
Manchester United were the better team before Cristian Romero got himself stupidly sent off. They were certainly the better team after Romero was sent packing. Bryan Mbeumo finished off a wonderful corner-kick routine in the first half; player of the match Bruno Fernandes made sure of the result late in the second. The ten men of Spurs carried next to no threat. Old Trafford en fête. United win their fourth Premier League match on the spin and consolidate their position in the top four; Spurs remain in 14th and while they’re surely not seriously worrying about relegation, they’re not conclusively out of that particular conversation either. They’re certainly not where they want to be, put it that way, and the pressure on Thomas Frank isn’t easing off any time soon.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
It’s four out of four for Michael Carrick!
90 min +5: It should be 201 now, as Fernandes curls in from the left for Sesko, all alone on the penalty spot. Sesko has to score, but heads weakly straight at Vicario. Not that it matters, because …
90 min +4: On TNT Sports, Ally McCoist names Bruno Fernandes as his player of the match. Fair enough. Fernandes hit the 200 goal-involvement mark for United this afternoon.
90 min +3: The home fans break out the olés as United stroke it around the back.
90 min +2: Mainoo is the latest United player to feel the love. A warm ovation as he’s replaced by Fletcher.
90 min +1: Mazraoui dribbles in from the left and looks to have been hauled back by Gray. The referee waves play on. The bread falling jam side up for Gray right now.
90 min: There will be five additional minutes.
89 min: Fernandes rolls a pass down the left for Mazraoui, who isn’t up to speed, allowing Gray to nip in and hoick out for a corner. The referee awards a goal kick, but let’s face it, it doesn’t matter now. Fernandes doesn’t bat an eyelid, raising a stoic eyebrow, which says everything.
87 min: Now it’s United’s turn to make a triple change. Shaw, Casemiro and Mbeumo – the latter two going off to huge cheers – make way for Mazraoui, Zirkzee and Ugarte.
86 min: Mbeumo whips a shot from the right-hand edge of the D inches wide of the top-left corner. What a signing he’s been for United.
85 min: United stroke it around in the manner of men who know the job is done. To be fair, they’ve pinged it about nicely all afternoon.
83 min: Old Trafford was getting a bit anxious back there, but it’s party time now.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Fernandes 81)
Dalot crosses from the right. Sesko tries to flick a header on, but doesn’t connect. Just as well, because Fernandes would have been caught offside otherwise. As it is, the United captain swings a leg and steers a clever finish across Vicario and into the bottom right!
80 min: A triple change for Spurs as Solanke, Palhinha and Gallagher are replaced by Tel, Bissouma and Kolo Muani.
79 min: Shaw swings an arm back into Souza’s face. There’s not enough force for it to be a red card, but it’s hardly the smartest thing to do.
78 min: Mbeumo finds some space on the left and forces a corner. Fernandes delivers flat to the near post, and it’s an easy clearance for Souza. “I guess the theory with appointing a hothead as captain is that it’ll calm them down,” writes Martin Gamage. “In which case my observation with Romero is that the policy’s been an abject failure. Six red cards so far for Spurs which obviously doesn’t include the other occasions when he could easily have been red-carded.”
76 min: United deal with the free kick easily enough, then Martinez launches long in the hope of releasing Diallo through on goal. Souza wins a footrace he had to win. Great anticipation of danger by the young debutant.
75 min: Van de Ven makes good down the left only to be taken down by Dalot. Before the resulting free kick can be taken, United replace Cunha with last weekend’s hero Sesko.
73 min: “As bad as Spurs are I still don’t trust this United not to give away a stupid goal,” worries John Brennan. “Just look at Fulham last week. They almost throw it away.” And right on cue, by way of illustration, the hosts fail to deal with a long throw, but neither Van de Ven nor Solanke can take advantage of a scramble in the six-yard box.
71 min: Thomas Frank is booked for protesting that decision. Then when the game restarts, Diallo jinks down the right, reaches the byline, and nearly squeezes the ball home from a tight angle. Just a corner, from which nothing comes.
70 min: Palhinha slides into a 50-50 with Mainoo. He wins the ball, but then catches his man. Some referees might wave play on; this one shows a yellow to the Spurs man, who is a bit unfortunate there.
68 min: Cunha finds Fernandes with a defence-splitter down the middle. Fernandes feeds Diallo on the right. Diallo slips back infield for Cunha, who slots calmly into the bottom right. But the flag pops up for offside on Fernandes in the first instance. The correct decision. United have now had two goals chalked off in this second half.
66 min: Cunha drives into the Sprus box from the left and cuts back. The ball clanks off Sarr and heads towards the bottom left. Vicario smothers to save his team-mate’s blushes.
65 min: A second goal for United is in the post. The ten men of Spurs can’t get into this match at all. “What a game!” chirps Rob Knap of that match from 1986. “I love Motty’s description of Gary Mabbutt as ‘all-purpose’, making him sound like one of those kitchen appliances which were being flogged on the telly at the time. Scores goals, opens tins, non-stick surface, endearing Bristolian accent, etc.”
63 min: A rabona’d cross from the right by Fernandes. Vicario claims, but United are enjoying themselves here.
62 min: Another penalty shout involving Van de Ven. A Shaw shot hits his arm but that arm’s by his side.
61 min: … there’s a shout for a penalty, Maguire and Van de Ven wrestling. An arm across the United man, but it’s no go. The ball breaks back to Dalot, who curls low and hard towards the bottom right. Vicario saves well again.
60 min: Space opens up ahead of Shaw. He reaches the left-hand edge of the Spurs D and pearls a rising shot towards the top right. Vicario is behind it all the way. He tips over for a corner. From which …
59 min: That’s got Simons going, and he dribbles in from the right, threatening enough danger to draw a foul from Martinez. The resulting free kick leads to some pinball in the United box. Solanke tries to juggle his way into a position to shoot, but can only loop harmlessly into the arms of Lammens. A good couple of minutes for Spurs.
57 min: Perhaps too much confidence? Shaw plays a clueless ball in from the United left, along the edge of his own box. Simons snaffles and launches a shot towards the top right. Inches wide. Not sure Lammens was getting to that.
56 min: Cunha, Mbeumo and Diallo paint some pretty one-touch triangles across the face of the Spurs box, left to right. Fernandes is teed up; his shot is blocked. United are playing with increasing confidence.
54 min: … but if they do, Udogie won’t be a part of it. He’s pulled something, and limps off sadly. He’s replaced by Souza, the 19-year-old making his Spurs debut in testing circumstances.
53 min: Sarr whistles a simple pass into the stand, to ironic jeers from the home fans. Spurs certainly don’t look likely to achieve the unthinkable.
51 min: Since you ask, Mark Hughes scored on 25 minutes, only for Mich d’Avray to equalise on 47. Alan Sunderland completed the turnaround for Ipswich with four minutes to go.
49 min: Fernandes crosses from the right. Shaw cushions it back into the centre. Diallo tidies up from six yards, but the goal won’t stand, because he’s clearly offside.
47 min: A reminder that United haven’t lost a league match at Old Trafford having led at half-time since 1984, when Ipswich Town did a second-half number on them in May 1984.
Manchester United get the ball rolling for the second half. No changes. Just before the restart, TNT had a word with Michael Carrick, who credited coach Jonny Evans with the idea for the corner routine. United’s old boys are doing some solid work right now.
Half-time postbag. “Hopefully for Spurs this may be the humble pie Romero needs in order to get his head down until this summer when he can be sold to Real Madrid, where his jumbo size ego will fit right in. No fluke that Spurs were better after he went off sick against City last week” – John in Norway
“As much as Mbeumo’s goal was lovely, it really took the interest out of the match, for this neutral at least. There seems to be a snowball’s proverbial that Tottenham make a game of it now. If Carrick can’t win against a ten-man Spurs, he shouldn’t get the job” – Kári Tulinius
“I feel for Martin Gamage (35 min). I am always surprised that clubs appoint hotheads as captain. How fortunate for United that in Bruno, like Roy Keane before him, they have a calm, cool responsible role model” – Adam Roberts
“Wonder how that lad who can’t get his hair cut until United win five in a row feels watching this” – Kieran McKintosh
Half-time entertainment. That was a hell of a set-piece goal by United. But it’s not the best they’ve ever managed in this fixture. Here’s Steve Pye on “a live match on BBC1 in December 1986, including a lovely free-kick routine, a comical own goal, a broken nose, a Tottenham comeback, and a brace from Peter Davenport.” Enjoy, enjoy.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
The good times continue to roll for Manchester United under Michael Carrick. Cristian Romero continues to let Tottenham Hotspur down.
45 min +4: The ten men of Spurs have summoned some late first-half energy, pressing forward for the first time in a while. But United are holding their shape.
45 min +2: Gallagher dinks a pass down the inside-left channel for Simons, who flicks infield but can’t quite find Solanke. A better ball and Solanke would have surely scored an unlikely equaliser.
45 min +1: The first of five additional moments. Diallo very nearly gets on the end of a long pass down the middle. He can’t get the touch to round Vicario, who slides in to clear.
45 min: Diallo catches Simon’s standing leg with a late challenge. Just a yellow. It wasn’t the greatest of challenges, though. Some referees might have taken the opportunity to level things up there. Diallo wears the relieved look of a man who momentarily feared the worst.
44 min: Mbeumo curls the corner towards the far stick. Casemiro barrels in, hoping to smash one of his trademark headers home. But it’s flicked out of his road at the last second, and Shaw is penalised for fouling Vicario anyway.
43 min: Diallo works his way down the right and wins another corner. Danger here for Spurs.
42 min: Nothing comes of the next corner. Meanwhile some TNT footage shows Michael Carrick’s response to the goal. He spins around gently to celebrate with his bench, and some supporters, a couple of clenched fists and the widest of smiles. Manchester United are in a good place right now.
41 min: … the ball’s worked back to Mbeumo, who whips a cross to the far stick. Casemiro rises highest and bullets a header towards the top left. Vicario tips over acrobatically. Spurs are in all sorts of bother here. United are rampant.
40 min: Fernandes is sent into space down the right by Diallo. He crosses low. Mbeumo prepares to blast home, but Palhinha slides in to deflect out for a corner. From which …
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Mbeumo 38)
This is a lovely goal. Fernandes rolls the corner from the left along the byline to Mainoo, who cuts back to Mbeumo. He’s in acres, 12 yards out, and sweeps a forensic shot into the bottom right. Vicario has no chance! A training-ground masterpiece.
37 min: United smell blood with Spurs reeling. Fernandes latches onto the ball on the edge of the D and aims a curler towards the top left. It takes a nick and flies out for a corner. From which …
36 min: Fernandes wedges a gossamer-light ball into the Spurs box from the left. Casemiro is on the back foot and therefore unable to meet it, six yards out. The delivery deserved better. “Romero sent off with 60 minutes to go,” sighs Sean Orlowicz. “How long is this week’s brave Instagram post going to be?”
35 min: Everyone’s good to go again. “As a Spurs fan I am livid with Romero,” fumes Martin Gamage. “You’re the captain, man. You cannot follow through with a tackle like that. Romero remains a liability. More than likely lost the game for his team.”
33 min: Casemiro is OK to continue, incidentally. But the game’s stopped again as Gallagher and Shaw both take whacks in the grill/grille. On come the physios with their magic sponges.