Manchester United 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur on 19 October 2022

Manchester United produced their finest performance under manager Erik ten Hag as Tottenham were swept aside in the Premier League at Old Trafford.

The scoreline does not do justice to United's vast superiority as only the brilliance of Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris denied them the truly emphatic victory they deserved.

Lloris made five outstanding saves in the first half alone as United rained in 19 shots on the Spurs goal, which somehow remained intact.

Fred finally broke the deadlock two minutes after the break, his shot carrying a degree of good fortune as Lloris was finally beaten by Ben Davies' deflection, but it was no more than United deserved for a display high on quality and intensity.

United moved out of sight after 69 minutes when Bruno Fernandes curled a precise right-foot finish beyond the stretching Lloris in front of an ecstatic Stretford End.

Victory keeps Manchester United fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, while Spurs miss the chance to move above Manchester City and stay third.

This was an opportunity for Tottenham to show just what a force they could become under manager Antonio Conte. Instead, they produced the sort of stodgy and negative performance that mirrored their demise in the north London derby defeat at Arsenal.

Harry Kane had two shots blocked by David de Gea but there was a lack of inspiration and too much conservatism that meant Spurs got exactly what they deserved - nothing.

Conte has built Tottenham as a counter-attacking side, but here they were so deep they presented United, as they did Arsenal, with the initiative and reduced the likes of Kane and Son Heung-min to bystanders for large parts of the game.

Even some Spurs fans have questioned the somewhat restrictive, cagey, style Conte has implemented this season, and this was further evidence that a side boasting such attacking quality must surely offer more threat than this.

De Gea made one of his crucial saves from Kane seconds before Fernandes sealed United's win. It was undoubtedly an important contribution, but Spurs showed such a lack of ambition that the reality states they only had the brilliant Lloris to thank for not slumping to a much heavier defeat.

Spurs can surely do better than this.