Manchester United secured an impressive 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night – and Erik ten Hag has shared what surprised him from the victory at Old Trafford about Antonio Conte’s Tottenham, on Amazon Prime Video.
With the scoreline reading 0-0 at half-time but Hugo Lloris being the much-busier goalkeeper, United took the lead immediately after the restart. Fred’s tame shot from the edge of the area was deflected into the net by Ben Davies.
Despite the goal, it was United that continued to dominate the game – Spurs offering little in terms of attacking threat. It was 2-0 when Harry Kane saw a rare chance saved by David De Gea, and United countered. Bruno Fernandes scored.
Given United’s start to the season, Wednesday night looked much more like a side expected of ten Hag and United. They were solid, but threatening in attack. Even Cristiano Ronaldo’s tantrum was not enough to spoil the party.
Speaking to the Prime Video panel after the match, ten Hag said that he “did not expect” to get so many chances against Tottenham – given how “solid” they have been under Conte. He says United “dictated” Conte’s men.
“To be fair, I didn’t expect it. Spurs have played really good this season, really solid, every performance has been very good. A magnificent performance and I hope we have made a new base. Dictated them. We were dynamic up front.”
Ten Hag shares what surprised him about Tottenham
Tottenham’s defensive record coming into the match has been impressive. Just 10 goals conceded in 10 Premier League games before Wednesday night, keeping four clean sheets. But United were far too much for Spurs.
During Conte’s era, Spurs have looked vulnerable against top-six sides. A loss to Arsenal, and a lucky draw at Chelsea so far. But it was not Spurs’ doing that made them look less solid. It was United’s performance that won the game.
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