The Reds were on top of things from the opening seconds of the match, and nearly went up 1-0 in the first minute of action. A quick attack forced the Spurs line into a collective backpedal as Bruno Fernandes charged forward with options on either side of him. He opted for a pass to Bryan Mbeumo down the left, but the Cameroonian’s shot was both powerful and off target.
An early flurry of forward passes from United was followed by some possession from the visitors, but there was only one effort on target.
Connor Gallagher saw a shot saved by Senne Lammens during a spell where Spurs had four different looks at goal.
United’s control of the game resumed soon after, and led to a major turn 1/3 of the way through the action. Casemiro and Cristian Romero both went in for a loose ball in the 29th minute just outside of Spurs’ 18-yard box, with the Brazilian just getting there first before a hard challenge from the Argentine. Michael Oliver immediately blew his whistle and reached for a red card for Romero, putting the visitors down a man with 60+ minutes of action left.
10 minutes later, United were on the scoresheet, capitalizing on a corner kick routine drawn up from the training ground. Bruno played the ball short to Kobbie Mainoo on the byline, who quickly played the ball back to the top of the box for a wide-open Mbeumo, winding up with his left foot to place a shot through the crowd and into the bottom corner for 1-0.
Despite the man advantage and the lead, United still found plenty of resistance from Tottenham. They were determined to get forward when possible and pack the box to prevent any further concessions.
United had plenty of possession, but lacked quality chances until later in the game. The heavy rain may have had some effect, but credit is due to Guglielmo Vicario as well for his six saves.
The Reds also got the ball in the back of the net on two occasions only to see the offside flag go up on very narrow violations from Amad and Bruno Fernandes. The second was particularly frustrating as Bruno was returning to collect the ball after an interception of a poor pass from Vicario, and he was only just beyond the defender when the ball was played to him to facilitate play.
Striker Benjamin Sesko, the hero last weekend against Fulham arrived in the 75th minute to act as a more defined focal point of the United attack, and it wasn’t long until he made an impact. A cross onto his head drew two defenders to his presence, and though he didn’t steer it on target, his glance played in Bruno to score the clinching goal.
The victory marked the first time in two years that United registered four wins in a row, a streak in the second season under Erik ten Hag which featured the famous ad board celebration with Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
It’s a time that feels long ago already, and maybe the imagined distance bears some caution for the present optimism, but there’s no doubt that the good vibes are back. Even as United struggled to break down a 10-man side, the confidence and adventurous football was flowing throughout the team. Maybe some shots when there should have been an extra touch, maybe some wayward passes that could have been played shorter, but overall it was another win for a team that is feeling itself again.
United are back on the road in London next week at West Ham United in the final game before the next international break.
