It was an afternoon to forget for Manchester United as they lost 3-0 to Tottenham in the Premier League.
The Red Devils were looking to return to winning ways after frustrating draws to Crystal Palace and Twente, but Erik ten Hag‘s side slumped to an extremely disappointing defeat at Old Trafford.
Spurs took the lead after just three minutes when Micky van de Ven cut through United’s whole team with a devastating run before setting up Brennan Johnson for a simple tap-in.
United had no answer for Tottenham and continued to make frustrating mistakes in every area of the pitch. Things went from bad to worse when captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for what was deemed a reckless challenge.
Tottenham doubled their lead just minutes into the second half through Dejan Kulusevksi before Dominic Solanke added a third late on.
Here are five things we learned from the dismal defeat.
Erik ten Hag is under huge pressure
It is now two wins from the first six Premier League matches. Simply unacceptable.
Erik ten Hag was handed a new contract by the hierarchy at Old Trafford after the FA Cup success last season, but there was always a feeling that his role was still very much under threat.
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It was an open secret that Ineos held talks with several managerial candidates over the summer. If Ten Hag does not turn things around quickly, one of those candidates could soon be getting a call.
It would be frustrating to see Ten Hag sacked given that there have been some signs of promise this season, but the performance against Spurs was nothing short of rotten and a big cause for concern.
Bruno Fernandes hits rock bottom
Bruno Fernandes has struggled this season. He has been at the centre of everything good about Manchester United in recent years, but his recent form has been worrying.
Some Manchester United fans called for Fernandes to be dropped against Tottenham, but Ten Hag kept faith in his captain and named him in the starting lineup.
However, not only did his abysmal form continue in the first 40 minutes, but he then received a red card for a reckless challenge on James Maddison.
Fernandes is now set to miss three matches for United. Hopefully the break will allow him to rest up and return to top form.
Diogo Dalot needs a rest
Diogo Dalot has been one of United’s best and most consistent performers this season, but it all went wrong for the Portuguese full-back against Tottenham.
He was caught completely out of position for the opener and struggled in possession with far too many sloppy passes.
Ten Hag should have rested Dalot against Twente but he persevered and, as a result, Dalot looked leggy and tired.
Luke Shaw’s return from injury cannot come soon enough so that Dalot can have a much-needed rest.
Manchester United must start games better
There should have been a fire in the belly of United’s squad as they looked to bounce back from the Twente draw, but Ten Hag’s side started awfully against Spurs.
United’s sleepy defence was immediately caught out and Tottenham opened the scoring after three minutes.
The same happened immediately after the half-time break. Ten Hag had brought on Casemiro to try and keep things tight at the back, but United started slowly again and were punished by Kulusevski.
There are some glaring problems with this United squad, and their inability to start a game on the front foot is one of them.
Manuel Ugarte cannot solve everything
For the first time this season, Ten Hag was able to field what many would deem to be United’s first-choice midfield.
Manuel Ugarte made his first Premier League start alongside Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes, and the Uruguayan ended the first half with a 100 percent passing accuracy.
The problem was that too many players around him were playing poorly and Ugarte cannot be expected to cover for everyone.