Despite what a 1-0 victory over Wolves on opening weekend might suggest, United were below par, something boss Erik ten Hag acknowledged himself.
With his critical words still ringing in their ears, his Red Devils started strongly and ought to have taken the lead when an inventive rabona from Bruno Fernandes found an unmarked Marcus Rashford in the area, but he powered his header over the bar when he really ought to have done better.
If Rashford’s miss was bad, Fernandes’ miss 10 minutes before the break was even worse. In almost identical circumstances, United’s Portuguese dynamo was the beneficiary of an inch-perfect Luke Shaw cross, but despite being afforded the freedom off North London in the Spurs box, his header drifted high and wide.
And the visitors were almost made to rue those missed chances on the stroke of half-time when the ball fell invitingly for Pedro Porro on the edge of the area, but to the relief of the 3000-strong travelling United contingent, his effort crashed back off the crossbar.
That was a huge let-off for United, but Spurs weren’t quite as lenient after the break, as a lightning fast start from the hosts saw Dejan Kulusevski’s cross slammed home at the far post by Pape Matar Sarr, who claimed his first Tottenham goal.
No sooner had the hosts taken the lead though, they almost blew it, but fortunately for Postecoglou’s side, Antony’s effort cannoned back off the post.
As the game grew on, it became evident United were experiencing similar issues to those they faced against Wolves, with chance creation a clear area of improvement for Ten Hag’s men.
Having conceded twice against Brentford last weekend, Spurs would’ve been grateful to have doubled their advantage in the final 10 minutes, with Ben Davies finishing off a sweeping move that placed the game beyond any reasonable doubt and wrapped up their first Premier League head to head win since a 6-1 success at Old Trafford in 2020.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)
