By Our Chief Football Correspondent at Old Trafford
MICHAEL CARRICK is currently walking on water at the Theatre of Dreams. Under the grey skies of Manchester, the Red Devils didn’t just beat Tottenham; they dismantled them.
A professional 2-0 victory on Saturday marked United’s fourth consecutive win under the interim boss, leaving Thomas Frank’s Spurs looking like a team stuck in second gear and drifting dangerously toward a relegation scrap.
The game turned on a moment of madness in the 29th minute.
Spurs captain Cristian Romero, already under fire for off-field outbursts, saw red for a reckless, studs-up lunge on Casemiro. Referee Michael Oliver had no choice—and from that moment, it was less of a contest and more of a siege.
MBEUMO MAKES HIS MARK
United’s star summer signing Bryan Mbeumo continues to look like the bargain of the century.
The Cameroonian livewire opened the scoring in the 38th minute, finishing off a slick, rehearsed corner routine.
Bruno Fernandes played it short to Kobbie Mainoo, whose clever flick set the stage for Mbeumo to stroke a low, left-footed drive into the bottom corner.
It was Mbeumo’s third goal in four games, and he terrorized the Spurs backline all afternoon with his relentless energy and clinical movement.
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
If Mbeumo provided the spark, it was Bruno Fernandes who provided the symphony.
The United captain was everywhere—dictating the tempo, carving out chances for Matheus Cunha, and finally getting the goal his masterclass deserved.
In the 81st minute, Diogo Dalot whipped in a peach of a cross.
While substitute Benjamin Sesko couldn’t quite connect, Fernandes was lurking at the back post like a predatory fox to divert the ball past Guglielmo Vicario.
SPURS SHAMBLES
For Tottenham, it was another afternoon to forget. Despite some heroic saves from Vicario, they offered almost nothing going forward.
Xavi Simons flashed a shot wide in the second half, but with Romero suspended and the team sitting 14th in the table, the pressure on Thomas Frank is reaching a boiling point.
Carrick, meanwhile, has transformed Old Trafford back into a fortress.
On the 68th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, United played with a spirit and flair that would have made the Busby Babes proud.
MAN UTD (4-2-3-1): Lammens 7; Dalot 8, Maguire 7, Varane 7, Shaw 7; Casemiro 8, Mainoo 8; Mbeumo 9, Fernandes 9, Amad 7; Cunha 7.
SPURS (4-3-3): Vicario 8; Gray 5, Romero 2, Van de Ven 6, Udogie 5; Gallagher 6, Palhinha 5, Sarr 5; Simons 6, Solanke 5, Odobert 5.
