That was all for the night. Thanks for tuning in. Goodnight and take very good care of yourselves.
Two crucial goals in each half by Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani and a final one from Marcus Rashford gave Manchester United a much-needed win with a 3-0 score line at full-time. ( READ MATCH REPORT )
FULL TIME
Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Manchester United
90+2' Spurs' build up stopped by Varane as Ole shouts to keep the defence in shape. United is almost there. This will be the first time Spurs has lost half of its 10 opening League games in 13 years
90' Spurs tries to cut in fromthe right but is stopped in its tracks with United making a run on the other end, but Emerson stops it. Three additional minutes added
85' GOOOOOOALLLLLLL!!!!!!! Rashford makes it three for United!
Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Manchester United
83' Kane tries to take a shot, but his national team's teammate Maguire is there to mitigate any danger and blocks the shot
81' Cavani looks to have suffered a cramp as Lingard gets ready to get on. It will be interesting who he will replace . Yes, it is going to be Cavani, who does not look too comfortable walking with cramps.
78' Yellow card for Spurs! Ben Davies is booked for his challenge on Mctominay.
76' Second substitution for United! Bruno Fernandes is subbed off for Nemanja Matic. The message is clear - defend the lead and see out the match
73' Yellow Card! Fred gets into the book after a rather rash challenge on Bergwijn. That's the third yellow card of the match for Manchester United
73' Dele Alli now comes on for Lo Celso as Spurs tries more options to change its zero mark on the scoresheet for now
71' Substitution for Manchester United! Cristiano Ronaldo walks off the pitch as Marcus Rashford is subbed on for the Portuguese. \
As Ronaldo walks off, here is an interesting stat: At 36 years and 267 days, Ronaldo is the oldest player to both score and assist a goal in a match since Didier Drogba (December 2014). The Chelsea forward was also 36y 267d and also achieved the feat against Spurs
69' Chance! Ronaldo releases Bruno but Hojbjerg just about makes it to block any further development
65' Substitution for Spurs! Ndombele subbed on for Skipp as Nuno looks for solutions
64' GOOOOOOOOOOAAALLLLLL!!!! Cavani scores United's second following an assist from Cristiano, with a chip over LLoris as Solskjaer's side cruises to a more comfortable lead
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Manchester United
60' Brillant run by Bissaka as his pass goes to Bruno, whose aerial ball is just too much for Cavani. United finally getting some spaces to attack in the second half
58' Chance for spurs as Hojbjerg tries to take a shot, but Maguire makes a crucial block to keep Spurs at bay
55' Spurs build another attack, but Ben Davies is ruled off side. The fans look furious as Spurs continues to be on the backseat in the third successive game now
54' Substitution for Spurs! Moura is subbed off for Bergwijn as Nuno looks to improve attacking options for a trailing Tottenham team.
52' Romero's through ball to Lo Celso who spoils the chance with a poor through ball for Son as United was left chasing
48' Offside! Ronaldo's goal ruled off side in spite of his fantastic finish. Scores remain at Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United
47' Error from United as Kane passes the ball to Son and the ball misses the target as De Gea apologises for the error
Second Half kicks off!
Half Time
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United
45' Spurs' corner with Ben Davies taking a header which flies past the target. United remains in front
44' United has all men at the back but Lo Celso still finds a gap, but the ball misses the target
42' Foul! Ronaldo gets his arm across Romero and VAR checks it to rule just a foul and nothing more
38' GOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! Cristiano Ronaldo puts United ahead with an excellent strike from the right
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United
37' Mctominay brings down Lo Celso with a string challenge. No cards involved and Spurs get a free kick
35' Brilliant piece of defending! Son makes a run with an almost one-on-one with De Gea, but Bissaka come to the rescue in the last minute.
The referee raises the flag eventually
33' Shot! Fred takes a long ranger shot which is punched out by Lloris. That ball was travelling.
That was the first shot on target in the match. Both teams have taken five shots each.
31' Varane tries to take the ball forward with a pass to Bissaka in the midfield. Meanwhile, Dier brings to Ronaldo and United take a quick free-kick
28' Off Side!!!!! Romero heads a goal with a corner kick, but the referee raise the flag as United is saved by a whisker this time
25' Chance on the other end! Bruno's cross met by Cavani as his header whizzes past the net
24' MISS! Son gets the aerial ball after the free kick block and fails to chip it on target
22' Another yellow for United! Harry Maguire gets into the book this time for his challenge on Lo Celso
21' Corner for Spurs as Son asks for a penalty, which is rules out after a check. The kick easily cleared by Bruno Fernandes
19' Yellow Card for Luke Shaw! Shaw brings down Lucas Moura as United gets the first yellow card of the match
18' Spurs has looked rock solid, but will it disintegrate like the Chelsea match or will it secure a much needed win today?
16' Foul! Kane and Varane come together as the referee gives a foul in United's favour
15' Throw for United as Bissaka take the ball forward, but United loses the ball eventually.
13' McTominay's pass is crossed into the box through Shaw, but Cavani and Ronaldo marked well to avert further danger
11' Son tries to make a run after getting free, but Maguire stops him in his tracks
10' Another cross from Bissaka, but it drops just too high for Ronaldo. Scores remain in the deadlock for now
9' Bissaka cuts in from the right and his pass lands for Cavani who takes a shot, but Dier stops it
7' The corner kick cleared but it falls to Lo Celso whose shot is stopped surprisingly by Kane as United take the goal kick
6' Lo Celso makes a run with Emerson taking the ball which is passed to Son who takes a shot, which goes out of play for a corner
5' United playing with five at the back is eventually changing to four with Bissaka making forward runs
3' United trying to play in triangles as Son and Kane intercept to try and create something, but is stopped in their tracks
1' Tottenham marking United well right from the beginning as Nuno's boys start on the defence
10 pm: Kick off!
9:59 pm: The players are out there with Manchester United starting from left to right with the host Tottenham starting from the other end.
Both sides pay tribute to the service-men and service-women in the second World War.
This looks like a must-win game for Solskjaer.
9:55 pm: Just five more minutes to the match!
Manchester United and Spurs, in their last 24 matches, have seen five draws with United winning 12 matches and the London-based club securing seven wins
9:45 pm: 15 Minutes to Kick Off!
Both the teams have made two changes from their previous fixtures, with both suffering a loss in their respective previous matches.
A fun fact: The corner flags today are imprinted with the names of former Spurs players who made the ultimate sacrifice in the First and Second World Wars.
9:30 pm: 30 Minutes to Kick off!
The last time Manchester United played Spurs at its home, United came out as winners with a 3-1 scoreline. Just before that match, its clash with Spurs was a hammering 6-1 loss. This time too, it comes after a 5-0 loss to rival Liverpool.
9:11 pm: The player have arrived im the stadium and are warming up for what looks set to be an amazing contest. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be under immense pressure to win the game and above all, save his job.
9:01 pm: Starting Line-ups:
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI: Hugo Lloris, Royal, Romero, Eric Dier, Reguilon, Ben Davies, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Lucas Moura, Lo Celso, Son Hueng-Min, Harry Kane
Manchester United Starting XI: David De Gea, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo
Match Preview
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer limps on at Manchester United, seemingly now operating on a game-by-game basis while the club’s hierarchy weighs up whether he is still the right manager for England’s biggest team.
Could a loss to Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday be the decisive blow? Does a hectic schedule of three games in a week — United plays Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday and Manchester City in the league four days later — mean he’ll survive at least until the international break that follows?
No one can be certain. One thing is for sure, though: Solskjaer is fighting to keep his job heading to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend and something needs to drastically change if he is to engineer another turnaround in his turbulent three years at United.
READ | Solskjaer survives storm of criticism after Liverpool crushing
Nostalgia has been one of the characteristics of his time as United manager — it's understandable, given he was a key part of that trophy-laden era under Alex Ferguson as a player.
And the sight of the 79-year-old Scot at the club’s training complex this week seemed fitting amid uncertainty about Solskjaer’s position following the crushing 5-0 loss to Liverpool last weekend.
However, it is with a nod to his most recent past at United that Solskjaer might yet get through this crisis.
Much of the analysis surrounding United’s pitiful display against Liverpool focused on the team’s inability to press effectively as a team high up the field.
With no unity or cohesion in United’s pressing game, Liverpool, as other opponents have demonstrated this season, had an easy time breaking through the midfield and unpicking a defense that was woefully unprotected.
“I was embarrassed. I am embarrassed,” United forward Marcus Rashford wrote on Twitter late Wednesday, breaking his silence on social media since the Liverpool game. “Our fans are everything and you didn’t deserve that. We’re working hard to try and fix this. We have to redeem ourselves.”
To do that, to essentially save his job, maybe Solskjaer has to go back to what has served him well for a large part of his tenure and revert to setting up his team to sit deeper and play on the counterattack.
After all, adopting that approach is how United has managed to stay undefeated against City in the league in their last four meetings, winning three of them, and how United kept five clean sheets in six games combined against City, Chelsea and Liverpool last season.
It might appear to be a step back for Solskjaer, an acceptance that he hasn’t advanced United’s play despite some major attacking additions to the squad in the last two years in the form of Bruno Fernandes and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.
But the current situation might demand it, especially over the next week with Tottenham so effective on the break through Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, Atalanta prone to going all out in attack and leaving gaps in its defense, and City having had problems dealing with United’s counterattacks.
“Of course we have the tactics and how the manager wants us to play, but I think at times we’re way too easy to play against,” United defender Luke Shaw said in a candid assessment.
“I think, for example, you look at the first goal,” he added, referring to the Liverpool game, “it can’t be possible that they can have three running through in the first five minutes. We need to be more compact."
Personnel might have to change, too, which puts the spotlight on whether Rashford and Mason Greenwood do enough defensive work to keep their place on the wings and whether Fred and Scott McTominay can be trusted as the defensive anchormen.
And then there’s Ronaldo, who continues to score goals at a relentless rate but who — at 36 — does little else. As the lone striker, he doesn’t have the work rate to defend from the front like Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino or Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus or Phil Foden.
ALSO READ | Ronaldo backs Man Utd to adapt and overcome slow start
Ronaldo might still be mobile enough, however, to lead United’s counterattacks if the team breaks from deep.
The Portugal forward is the major difference from the United teams from the last two seasons, along with the emergence of Greenwood as a permanent starter on the right wing. They might have become issues when it comes to the structure of the team, though, even if they are United’s top two scorers.
It makes Solskjaer's team selection against Tottenham fascinating, arguably his most important as United manager. Get it wrong and it could spell the end for the club great who is running out of time.
( via AP )
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