Michael Carrick’s impressive start at Manchester United continued as the Red Devils claimed a confident 2-0 victory over a blunt Tottenham Hotspur side, making it four wins from four and strengthening their push for a top-four finish.
Tottenham’s afternoon unravelled early when captain Cristian Romero was sent off in the 29th minute for a reckless challenge on Casemiro.
The dismissal was Romero’s second red card of the season and his sixth across all competitions since joining Spurs in August 2021 — the most by any player in that period.
Romero had been defended by manager Thomas Frank earlier in the week after criticising the club’s lack of squad depth on social media, comments Frank described as “passionate.” Despite Spurs being ravaged by injuries, the Danish coach opted to include Romero in a reshuffled back four — a decision that quickly backfired.
Manchester United wasted little time capitalising on their numerical advantage. Nine minutes after the sending-off, the hosts opened the scoring through a well-worked set-piece involving Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to calmly slot home his eighth goal of an impressive campaign.
United controlled proceedings with authority, showing impressive coordination in attack even though clear-cut chances were limited for long spells.
Their persistence eventually paid off late on when Fernandes sealed the victory in the 81st minute, putting the result beyond doubt.
In contrast, Spurs once again struggled to respond. Under Frank, Tottenham remain winless when trailing at half-time, a trend that continued here.
Even before Romero’s dismissal, the visitors looked short of ideas and lacked cutting edge going forward.
The defeat leaves Tottenham languishing in 14th place, having suffered their 10th loss of the season and sitting just nine points above the Premier League relegation zone.
While injuries have played a major role, questions continue to mount over squad management and discipline.
For United, Carrick’s audition for the permanent managerial role continues to gather momentum, with the club firmly inside the top four and showing renewed confidence and structure.
As Spurs search for answers, United’s revival under Carrick shows no signs of slowing down.
