Manchester United’s five things noticed vs Tottenham as Rúben Amorim learns two key facts

Five things noticed as Manchester United see themselves out of the Carabao Cup following a 4-3 loss against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening.

Rúben Amorim chose to start Altay Bayındır as Manchester United travelled to face Tottenham Hotspur in North London in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Thursday evening.

The tie started with the home side dominating in possession, and despite a few half-chances for Amorim’s men, it was Dominic Solanke who opened the scoring for Spurs after Bayındır pushed a long-range strike from Pedro Porro straight into the striker’s path.

United were starting to build their dominance in front of goal at around the 30-minute mark. Still, nothing came before the half-time mark, with Jonny Evans having to replace Victor Lindelöf in defence for the final few moments before the first 45 minutes ended.

In the second half, it took Tottenham just 35 seconds to double their lead as Dejan Kulusevski pounced on a poor clearance from Lisandro Martínez, and eight minutes later, Solanke his second of the night, beating United into the ground.

Joshua Zirkzee grabbed one back for United with 30 minutes to play as Bruno Fernandes capitalised on a poor moment from goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Amad Diallo copied him not long after, closing the keeper down and securing United a second with 20 minutes to play.

United continued to press for an equaliser, and they came close on a couple of occasions, but a fourth Spurs goal directly from a corner from Son Heung-min killed the side’s momentum. Despite a headed finish from Evans in the final moments, a 4-3 win for the home side was sealed.

Below are five things noticed from the fixture that has seen United out of the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage.

#1 – There’s a clear difference between Bayındır and Onana

Bayındır started in goal ahead of André Onana for only the first time this season, and the difference in quality was immediately clear, with the Turkish international looking nervous on the ball.

For Solanke’s goal, he pushed Porro’s shot straight into the striker’s path, with Gary Neville describing his decision as “a gift” for the striker.

As the game went on, United’s No. 1 grew in confidence, playing some nice passes and making good saves, but the tie highlighted just how vital Onana is to the side’s early build-up phases, especially once it became clear he was not as strong holding his own against Spurs in set-piece situations

#2 – Eriksen fails to make his mark under Amorim

Amorim has barely considered Eriksen since the 39-year-old took over the side, having not played since the draw against Ipswich Town last month, and his performance against Spurs failed to make his mark.

During the opening minutes, Eriksen was United’s best player, starting in the pivot alongside Manuel Ugarte. He was looking to dictate play, receive the ball deep and turn to feed Fernandes, Højlund, and Antony.

However, this quickly faded, with the Danish midfielder squandering multiple chances and becoming lost out of possession. He was withdrawn after 55 minutes with United 3-0 down.

#3 – Højlund is in danger of being dropped

Rasmus Højlund is the club’s top scorer since Amorim came in, but following his performances against Manchester City and Tottenham, he’s in danger of being dropped.

Playing as a lone striker, he was often tasked with trying to make the ball stick to him and bring others into play when needed, but he lacked the confidence and guile to do so, and when he was gifted chances, he was often in the wrong place or made the wrong move.

Read More: Player Ratings – Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 Manchester United (Carabao Cup)

Although Højlund has performed well in Europe, his domestic displays have left a lot to be desired in recent weeks – and Zirkzee’s goal will not help the Danish international’s chances.

#4 – Amorim is learning about his best players

More than anything, the Spurs game showed Amorim that there is a split between those with quality and those without it.

United played a weaker side as Amorim is very much focused on the Premier League, and performances from those such as Eriksen, Lindelöf, and Antony a clear level below those who came on.

Once Amad, Kobbie Mainoo, and Zirkzee came on, later aided by Garnacho, the jump in quality in the side was like night and day. Amorim will continue to rotate his team due to the volume of games he has, but his first XI is becoming much clearer.

#5 – Tottenham was Amorim’s toughest test yet

Although United have already played Man City and Arsenal, Tottenham represented Amorim’s toughest challenge yet, considering that City played poorly during the tie and Arsenal were only superior to United in set pieces.

Spurs threw all they had at United, as they do every game, and it took Amorim’s side a fair amount of time to adjust to the intensity, but for the most part, they looked well coached and organised, but missing the final product.

While this was the case, individual errors cost the side on the night, which no doubt were caused by the gung-ho nature of Spurs’ attack. However, the side must also be credited for how they fought back. The signs are there.

---

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.