“We killed”: £34m Manchester United star explains how Erik ten Hag tactics tore Tottenham apart

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Raphael Varane has been speaking about tactics after Tottenham suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes saw Erik ten Hag win the three points ahead of Antonio Conte, which puts the Red Devils four points behind Spurs with a game in hand.

After full-time, Varane explained what the Dutchman did tactically to nullify Tottenham.

How Manchester United tore Tottenham apart

Well, it was a convincing victory for Manchester United.

As WhoScored shows, the Red Devils had 28 shots in comparison to just nine from Tottenham, while also winning eight corners whereas Spurs took three.

Speaking about the tactical setup, Varane – who cost Manchester United £34m – told the club’s official website: “We tried to press very high on the pitch, and it was a very good performance.

“We cut the connection with the two strikers they had and, especially, we killed the space in behind the defensive line, so it was a good performance.”

Clearly, Ten Hag focused on destroying the chemistry between Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, and it worked to perfection.

Manchester United killed Tottenham bromance

Kane and Son have combined for the most goals (43) in Premier League history, so you can understand why Ten Hag focused on disrupting the duo.

The South Korea struggled up against Varane and Lisandro Martinez, taking just 39 touches of the ball at Old Trafford – the least of any Tottenham player.

Kane only had one more touch himself – the second fewest of any Spurs player on the pitch – so Ten Hag was successful in his attempts to shackle the pair.

It was very interesting to hear Varane explain what the tactical thinking was from inside the Manchester United camp, and perhaps it will force Conte to revert back to a 3-4-3 with Richarlison or Dejan Kulusevski as part of the attack.

Whatever the Italian decides to do, it seems Ten Hag may have designed a blueprint to keep Kane and Son quiet, which other managers could attempt to copy in future.