Manchester United 0-3 Tottenham: Five things noticed as Erik ten Hag’s time is up

Five things noticed as Manchester United fall to a shocking 3-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag chose to start Alejandro Garnacho on the right wing ahead of Amad Diallo as Manchester United faced Tottenham in their sixth game of the Premier League season.

The tie started fast, and within minutes, Micky van der Ven bullet-trained through United’s defensive line to set up Brennan Johnson to open the scoring for Spurs against Erik ten Hag’s men.

Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)

As the first half unfolded, Spurs continued to dominate, and Onana denied Maddison from making it two. Half-chances were unfolding down Marcus Rashford’s left-hand side but to no avail.

The tie took a turn for the (even) worse when Bruno Fernandes was sent off with a straight red card after a reckless challenge on Maddison. Right at the beginning of the second half, they doubled their lead.

With 13 minutes left to play, Dominic Solanke slid in to score a third on the night from a corner, and as the full-time whistle blew, a half-empty Old Trafford booed.

#1 – Organisation is waiting

“What is their trigger for a press? I can’t see a pattern of when they go…”

These were the words of Gary Neville 25 minutes into the fixture, with United completely dominated by Tottenham on their own ground.

With Fernandes’ red card further creating problems, United had no choice but to try and save their own graces and tighten up, but prior to this, the organisation that the squad had shown in the opening games of the season was being torn apart.

#2 – Fernandes epitomising United

After over four and a half years at Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes was finally shown a red card, and from that moment, the game felt lost.

Fernandes has been poor so far this campaign, and so have the club. Today, even before his red card, he looked off the pace as United failed to dominate at Old Trafford, and once he was off, they completely collapsed.

#3 – Time is up for Ten Hag

Even if he is not released from his duties in the coming weeks, Ten Hag’s time at United feels as if it is up.

At half-time, boos rang around Old Trafford as his squad failed to show any signs of life, but in the second half, the players must be credited with their fight to try and find some sort of goal.

However, as Neville summed up, it was United’s worst first-half performance under the Dutch manager, and it also seems a result that Ten Hag cannot recover from.

#4 – Alejandro Garnacho always cares

One man who cannot be faulted for his efforts is Alejandro Garnacho. While United’s back line felt like it was starting to give up, Garnacho kept going.

He was demanding the ball on the left wing at all given moments, and even when all hope was lost, he kept making his runs.

Some other players should take note.

#5 – Europe the only hope

Already, it feels like United finishing inside the Champions League spots in the league table is impossible, making the Europa League their only route.

After a 1-1 draw with FC Twente, United will travel to FC Porto in Portugal for their second of eight league-stage fixtures. The club must win this match, regardless of whether Ten Hag is in charge.

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