BEVERLY HILLS, October 04, (THEWILL) – There was an obliteration of Ole Gunner Solskjaer’s Manchester United club on their home ground by the team managed by one of their former coaches, Tottenham Hotspur. It was one of the most dreadful performances of the Red Devils in a while. And there was a red cap to cap what was a very forgettable experience for Man U.
To really put the loss in perspective, Man U actually began the game on the high. They looked set to dominate after taking the lead just shy of two minutes into the fixture. Their penalty expert Bruno Fernandes shot the team into the lead from the spot and the team celebrated with gusto believing it was a sign of things to come in their favour. It was not to be.
Dreadful defending proved to be their undoing. Within the next five minutes, Tanguy Ndombele tucked in the ball to draw level on scores before Heung-min Son put Jose Mourinho’s side 2-1 ahead.
The sending off of Anthony Martial for a slap on Erik Lamela just before the half hour mark did not do their chances of catching up with Spurs any good. It was not long after that Harry Kane added to the tally. Son followed that with another goal for his brace.
The teams went into the break with Spurs holding a three-goal advantage and Man U a man less.
At the restart, nothing had changed. By the 51st minute, Serge Aurier, Spur’s Ivorian left back, made it five. It was six when Kane converted a 79th minute penalty conceded when Paul Pogba brought down Spur’s new man Reguilon.
They handed Solskjaer’s United his heaviest defeat yet in his managerial career. However, THEWILL notes that United have conceded six goals in two previous occasions – a 6-3 loss to Southampton in October 1996 and a similar 6-1 drubbing inflicted on them by their city rivals Manchester City in 2011.
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Spurs unbeaten run now extends to seven games. Their manager, a former United gaffer, Mourinho will be pleased with how his side handled the hectic fixtures of recent weeks. Solskjaer, on the other hand, will hope for vast improvements in his side who have now lost both homes games this season. Man U meets Newcastle away after the international break and Spurs are away at West Ham.
In the other notable games of the day, Arsenal at home to Sheffield United ended 2-1 in favour of the Gunners. After a tight first half, a frantic spell early in the second put the hosts securely in the driver’s seat when young English player, Bukayo Saka and Ivorian Nicolas Pepe netted in quick succession. Although David McGoldrick, Sheffield United’s Irishman, pulled one back for the visitors, it was not enough to give them any points.
THEWILL notes that it did make for a tense finish to the game. The three points mean Arsenal go fourth heading into the international break and Sheffield United fall to be second from bottom of the table.
Leicester’s home game against West Ham ended with an unpredictable score line. The Hammers showed remarkable composure and organisation to thoroughly deserve the victory they secured by hammering their opponents three nil. Goals by Antonipo, Fornals and Bowen were enough to give David Moyes’ men all three points. Brendan Rogers will rue the fact that Leicester’s high possession percentage, 69.4%, was contrasted with their inability to register a single shot on target. The win, a second on the run for West Ham, means they are now up to seventh on the table while Leicester, whom pundits may have fancied to take this game based on their form with impressive wins like the 5-2 away to Man City the last time, remain second. Liverpool can leapfrog them if they beat Aston Villa in the last game of the day.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
