Tottenham Crush 10-Man Manchester United: Pressure Mounts on Erik Ten Hag
There are now doubts regarding Erik Ten Hag’s future as Manchester United’s manager after Tottenham Hotspur defeated the struggling Red Devils 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Tottenham’s resounding 3-0 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday put further strain on Erik ten Hag’s managerial status at Manchester United. After three minutes, Brennan Johnson’s tap-in from Micky Van de Ven’s explosive run gave Spurs the lead.
Before United were reduced to ten men after captain Fernandes received a straight red card on minute forty-two, Tottenham ought to have extended their lead. Two minutes into the second half, Dejan Kulusevski finally doubled the visitors’ lead, and Dominic Solanke completed the scoring. After passing an internal evaluation at the conclusion of the previous season, Ten Hag came under fire at the start of this one.
A startling After finishing seventh in the Premier League the previous season, the former Ajax coach’s employment was largely saved by the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
After three losses in United’s first six league games of the new season, the Red Devils are now in 11th place, and their struggling manager is undoubtedly running out of time.
Next weekend, United has two difficult league matches—against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the league—before a two-week international break that many teams utilize to make managerial changes.
Just over a week ago, Ange Postecoglou, the manager of Tottenham, was also under pressure.
However, Spurs have triumphed in four straight games and put on what may have been their finest display of the Australian’s tenure.
The tone was set by Van de Ven’s incredible run from deep inside his own half to the United by-line, where his cross made it easy for Johnson to score for the fourth straight game.
Tottenham attempted to end the game but were unable to capitalize on the South Korean’s exquisite finishing since they were missing their injured captain, Son Heung-min.
James Maddison and Timo Werner both had one-on-one shots that Andre Onana stopped, while Johnson also struck another one that went off the crossbar.
On the other side, Guglielmo Vicario made a fantastic low save to deny Joshua Zirzkee, United’s best opportunity to equalize. A moment of insanity from United’s captain ended any chance of a comeback.
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When Fernandes slid into a challenge with Maddison, he stumbled, but he caught the England international by raising his studs. In response, Ten Hag traded in his lone striker, Zirkzee, for the heavily criticized Casemiro at halftime.
The second Tottenham goal was partly the fault of the Brazilian. Johnson was sent hurtling down the right after Solanke outmuscled Casemiro, and Kulusevski deftly flicked his deflected cross past Onana.
Following that, the 10 men put up a strong fight, and Casemiro nearly cut United’s deficit in half.
However, further awful defense let Solanke score Tottenham‘s third goal from a corner. When Onana made another one-on-one save, Solanke ought to have added insult to injury for United.
During the second half, Ten Hag was harassed by the traveling support with cries of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.
Less than three months ago, United’s new football executive team gave the Dutchman a contract extension. It seems only a matter of time till they reverse their decision.