Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham: Red Devils continue winning streak after Cristian Romero red card
The marvellous train ride continues for Manchester United. Michael Carrick’s side defeated Tottenham at Old Trafford to make it four wins in the 44-year-old’s fourth game in charge, goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes sealing the victory after a limp performance from 10-man Spurs.
Tottenham are marooned in 14th place with two wins in 15 league games, and a combination of angst and fury has created quite the negative atmosphere around the club and manager Thomas Frank.
Last weekend, captain Cristian Romero made an outburst on social media about how the team had little support from the hierarchy, referencing the game against Manchester City and saying they had only 11 players available. Frank said the player had been “dealt with” internally, but it didn’t help that the defender was sent off at the half hour for stamping his studs on Casemiro’s ankle.
It didn’t take too long for United to get ahead. Fernandes’ curling effort was deflected out for a corner, and from the resulting kick Mbeumo broke the deadlock. It was a sweet, choreographed set-piece worthy of the team second-best in the Premier League for set-plays.
Fernandes played the corner into Kobbie Mainoo, who had been lurking at the near post and suddenly rushed out along the byline to the edge of the six-yard box. The midfielder then played backwards towards the edge of the box around the D to Mbeumo, who was in acres of space. The Cameroon international swept it neatly past Guglielmo Vicario into the bottom right corner.
From then on it was expectedly all United. Spurs had a brief flicker of life as the first half petered out, but in the second United picked things up again. Amad Diallo was offside when he stroked the ball home from six yards four just minutes in. Then it was Fernandes who was offside before Matheus Cunha scored.
Then on minute 81 United finally had their second. Diogo Dalot pinged a cross from the right, Benjamin Sesko was unable to reach it, but Fernandes was on hand to dispatch it into the bottom right corner and end the game as a tie.
Defeat leaves Tottenham still stuck in 14th place and only nine points away from the relegation zone, even if they are in no danger given the poor state of Burnley and West Ham, the latter the only side that could realistically still survive. But it will be difficult for Spurs supporters to bear another season not dissimilar to the tragic one last term under Ange Postecoglou.
It was always going to be difficult for Frank’s team to halt United’s juggernaut but before Romero’s red card there was at least a good chance. United started on the front foot, enjoying possession, Mbeumo flashing a shot over the bar only seconds in, and Casemiro trying from distance. Tottenham had the inferior possession but they had some decent threats. Conor Gallagher’s effort was saved by Senne Lammens and Lisandro Martinez reacted quickly to block Dominic Solanke’s shot. It didn’t matter in the end.
