Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham: Report, result and goals as Red Devils cruise to four wins in a row

Manchester United continued their strong recent run under interim boss Michael Carrick with a 2-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford.

United started with plenty of energy and created an opening inside the first minute. Bruno Fernandes carried the ball through midfield and slipped Bryan Mbeumo into space on the left side of the penalty area, but the forward failed to keep his effort down and fired wide.

Tottenham settled after the early pressure and began to see more possession, with Conor Gallagher testing goalkeeper Senne Lammens at the near post and Joao Palhinha and Pape Sarr both shooting from distance without troubling the target.

The game changed just before the half-hour mark. In the 29th minute, Tottenham captain Cristian Romero was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Casemiro, catching the midfielder high on the leg.

The dismissal forced Spurs into an immediate reshuffle, with Radu Dragușin introduced in defence and Wilson Odobert withdrawn. From that point, United began to control more territory and that territory quickly translated into chances.

Casemiro nearly opened the scoring when his close-range header from a corner was tipped over by Guglielmo Vicario, and Fernandes had already seen a couple of attempts blocked or dragged wide.

The breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute from a rehearsed set piece. Fernandes played a short corner to Kobbie Mainoo near the byline, and the midfielder clipped the ball back into the area. Mbeumo met it first time from around 15 yards and guided a left-footed finish into the bottom corner, giving United a deserved 1-0 lead.

Tottenham struggled to hold possession with ten men and were largely pinned in their own half before the interval. Aside from an isolated cross claimed comfortably by Lammens, they created little.

Second-half cruise control

After the restart, the pattern continued. United dominated the ball while Spurs dropped into a compact defensive block and attempted to counter through Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke.

Simons came closest to equalising when he drove a powerful shot just wide of the right post, but clear chances remained limited for the visitors.

United, meanwhile, repeatedly threatened a second goal. Luke Shaw forced Vicario into a save from distance, and Diogo Dalot followed with a long-range effort the goalkeeper pushed away.

Fernandes struck the side of a defender from the edge of the box, while an Amad Diallo finish was ruled out for offside. Casemiro also scuffed a presentable shooting opportunity after a clever move inside the penalty area.

Tottenham’s problems increased when Destiny Udogie was forced off injured, adding to an already stretched squad.

Manager Thomas Frank responded with multiple attacking substitutions, including Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel, in an attempt to recover the match late on.

United eventually secured the points in the 81st minute. Dalot delivered a cross from the right side of the penalty area, and Fernandes arrived centrally to guide a controlled right-footed finish into the bottom corner from close range.

Mbeumo nearly added another when he shot over from close range after a lay-off by Amad, but the outcome was already settled.