Man United 0-3 Tottenham: Free-flowing Spurs crush woeful Red Devils after Bruno Fernandes sees red as Ange Postecoglou's side move up to eighth Brennan Johnson scored early in first period after fine Micky van de Ven run Goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke put pressure on Erik Ten Hag LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! , available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday By Oliver Holt Published: 18:27, 29 September 2024 | Updated: 18:52, 29 September 2024 e-mail 6 View comments A dread of ordinariness, and an even greater dread of losing to ordinariness, had clung grimly to the build-up to this game all week. For a fallen giant such as Manchester United , a club at a stage in its history when it is caught between hope and fear, there is always escape in losing to a side like Liverpool , as United did heavily on the first day of this month.
But United versus Tottenham is not a match that sells alibis. Not for anyone. Not for the beleaguered Dutchman or for the new Ineos minority ownership group, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe , that decided, incomprehensibly, to keep him in post this season.
Lose to Spurs, who were only one defeat from a kind of crisis themselves, and Ten Hag knew that the emptiness at the core of this United team that he has built would be laid bare. The 3-0 defeat that his side suffered at Old Trafford left no doubt about that emptiness. The truth is that Ten Hag is out of excuses.
His time is up. There is no hiding place.