Michael Carrick's Manchester United march on. The Red Devils have made it four wins in four games under their interim boss, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford to stay firmly in the race for a top-four finish.
It was quite the performance again from United, with Carrick adding Spurs to the list of sides he has beaten during his second stint in charge.
B Mbeumo
It is quite the quartet too, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham the other three sides to lose to Carrick’s Red Devils.
Goals from Bryan Mbeumo in the first half and Bruno Fernandes in the second were enough to seal the win for United.
A well-worked corner routine finished off by their Cameroonian attacker put them ahead just on the stroke of half-time, nine minutes after Cristian Romero was sent off.
Mbeumo
Fernandes struck home a half-volley with less than 10 minutes to go, which was enough for United to pick up all three points. They have closed the gap on rivals Manchester City to just three points, though they face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
It was another excellent performance from Carrick’s side, who continue to impress. They certainly outplayed Spurs at Old Trafford.
The numbers behind United’s win over Spurs
Carrick has got his side playing highly entertaining football. The Overlap analyst H described it as “infectious” to watch, explaining that the Red Devils “attack fast, with pace and unpredictability.”
It has been brilliant to watch so far.
They dominated the proceedings against Thomas Frank’s side, with 65% of the ball. In the second half, Spurs barely touched the ball, with United having 72% possession, always looking to push forward and attack the Stretford End.
There was no shortage of shots on the Lilywhites' goal, either. The 13-time Premier League champions had 23 shots, with a healthy number, 10, finding the target. With that in mind, perhaps Carrick will be disappointed his side only managed to bag two goals.
Man Utd-4
The quality of chance creation in the final third was certainly there, too. Carrick’s side created three big chances against Spurs and notched up an expected goals tally of 1.79xG, further highlighting the impressive work going forward.
In amongst all that attacking quality, there was one man leading the charge for United.
Man Utd star is the "best player in the league" again
It is to nobody’s surprise that Fernandes was United’s key attacker against Spurs.
Now playing in his best role as a number 10, the £56m signing continues to shine under Carrick and reached the huge milestone of 200 goals and assists in his Old Trafford career.
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Awarded a 9/10 rating for his performance from Goal journalist Richard Martin, it was a sensational showing from United’s captain. He was praised for once again being 'at the heart of all the team's attacks' against the Lilywhites.
His goal was the cherry on top of another trademark performance from United’s Portuguese Magnifico. Meeting Diogo Dalot’s cross, it was a sublime half-volley from Fernandes, controlling the effort intentionally off his shin, watching it nestle in the back of the net.
His afternoon’s work certainly warranted that 9/10, backed up by the stats at full-time.
Fernandes, who had 83 touches, supplied six key passes, more than any other player, completed three progressive carries and made three ball recoveries.
Fernandes key stats vs. Spurs
Stat
Touches
Passes completed
Key passes
Progressive carries
Ball recoveries
Big chances created
Goals
The United number eight now has six goals and 12 assists in the Premier League this season. He is simply unstoppable, and could even be seen as the “best player in the league.”
At least, that is what Duncan Alexander described him as on The Totally Football Show.
Bruno MB Fernandes
It is hard to argue with that take. Fernandes is putting in a performance at that level every single weekend, with extraordinary consistency.
He is the key man for Carrick, the heartbeat of the team, and could be on for a record-breaking season at his current rate.
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