Michael Carrick won his fourth game in a row as Manchester United’s interim head coach, his side overcoming Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Both teams had an impressive start to the game before Cristian Romero was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Casemiro in the 29th minute. The hosts took the lead just nine minutes later, with a well-worked corner ending with Bryan Mbeumo putting his side ahead.
Spurs did improve at the start of the second half, but United were unfortunate not to be given a penalty for a challenge on Harry Maguire when a corner was delivered into the box. They also had a goal disallowed for offside when Matheus Cunha fired past Guglielmo Vicario in the 67th minute. However, it would not matter, as Bruno Fernandes met a cross to nudge the ball into the back of Vicario’s goal and wrap up the win.
Here, The Athletic’s Carl Anka, Jay Harris and Conor O’Neill break down the key talking points from the game.
Is a bad season turning into a good one for Man Utd?
The 2-0 victory now makes it four wins in a row for United under Carrick, with the club now holding the Premier League’s longest winning streak at the time of writing.
Wins over Manchester City and Arsenal were earned from hard work, counter-attacks and some excellent long-range shooting. Last week’s victory over Fulham was a little more nervy than expected, but the team got themselves through.
It was during the pre-season tour of America that Mason Mount offered European qualification as the aim for 2025-26. He would not elaborate if he meant Champions League or Europa League football. Ruben Amorim was also non-committal when asked which anthem he intended his team to listen to during midweek games next season. It was only under Darren Fletcher that someone explicitly stated United could qualify for the Champions League. The fact that the caretaker manager did it following defeat in the FA Cup third round raised eyebrows. How could this side go from what was looking like another historically relevant low point to a top-five league position?
Yet here we are, four matches later, and things are looking good. Casemiro was afforded a standing ovation when he was substituted off in the 87th minute for Manuel Ugarte. He is one of several players who look reinvigorated by the change in coaching staff.
Carrick even found time to give Tyler Fletcher his United debut late in stoppage time. United are playing with courage again. Academy players are getting game time in a way they had not earlier in the season. And United are winning football matches again.
The Stretford End closed things off by offering “oles” with every completed pass United players made in the Spurs half. A bad season is turning into a good one. Carrick and his coaching staff have done well to turn things around.
Carl Anka
What does this result mean for Frank?
Before Tottenham’s trip to Old Trafford, Thomas Frank was clutching onto the positives of a four-match unbeaten run, even if that included an underwhelming draw against Burnley. Last weekend’s second-half comeback against Manchester City to earn a point should have been a confidence boost, but it was wrecked by Cristian Romero’s actions on and off the pitch.
Spurs have not won a game in the top flight since December, and their performance in the first half before Romero’s red card offered encouragement. However, Frank is left to pick up the pieces once again and must be wondering how this job seems to become more difficult with each passing week.
This is probably one of the rare occasions in the past couple of months when Frank’s tactical approach is not to blame, but not many people will care about that. This was their 10th defeat of the campaign, and it was further compounded by another injury to Destiny Udogie, who had only just returned from a hamstring injury. With Djed Spence still recovering from a calf injury, Spurs might be without both of their left-backs when they host Newcastle United on Tuesday. That is a squad-building issue, and the blame needs to be pointed at the recruitment department, including sporting director Johan Lange and the recently departed Fabio Paratici.
Things will probably only get worse for Spurs, as they face Arsenal after Newcastle. Frank needs to find a way to survive, but his resources are stretched thin, and the faith from fans is lacking. For the second season in a row, under a different head coach and executive board, Spurs find themselves in a crisis of their own making.
Jay Harris
Has Romero diminished his hero status at Spurs?
Spurs fans called Cristian Romero their “rebel leader” this week after his latest online outburst directed towards the club’s senior figures. Thomas Frank had to navigate a tricky press conference on Thursday, where he was asked 25 questions linked to the defender’s conduct. Frank confirmed Romero would remain as captain and insisted the issue had been “dealt with internally”.
Spurs needed a commanding performance from the Argentina international to move on from a distracting week, but what they got was the complete opposite. In the opening stages at Old Trafford, the away fans started chanting, “Romero’s right, the board is s***e.” Twenty minutes later, they were shaking their heads in frustration at his latest red card, which will rule him out of their next four games, including the north London derby on February 22.
Romero was tussling with a couple of Manchester United players just outside his own penalty area when he tried to chop backwards on the ball instead of clearing it. It proved to be a fatal mistake as he turned and wildly swung at the loose ball before crunching into Casemiro.
Referee Michael Oliver immediately sent Romero off. It looked harsh at first glance, but replays showed he caught the Brazilian on his ankle.
Romero’s red card ruined Frank’s game plan. Spurs played well in the opening half hour, especially when they worked the ball out wide to Destiny Udogie, but winger Wilson Odobert was sacrificed for Radu Dragusin. Within a few minutes of Romero trudging off the pitch, Bryan Mbeumo gave the hosts the lead.
Since Romero made his Spurs debut in August 2021, he has been sent off more times in all competitions — six — than any other Premier League player.
Romero has saved Spurs on multiple occasions this season, but it is time to accept he is the villain as often as he is their hero.
Jay Harris
Did United react well to the red card?
Romero’s dismissal did not guarantee a positive result for United. It was in late November that Everton managed to score and win at Old Trafford despite playing with 10 men for more than 80 minutes.
Amorim earned criticism following that defeat, with many asking why he continued to adhere to a conservative 3-4-3 that saw his centre-backs get the ball in the final third more than his best attackers.
Fast forward to the present day, and United, now under Michael Carrick, wasted no time in piling on the pressure. Romero was sent off in the 29th minute and Mbeumo had put his side 1-0 up in the 38th.
The goal came from a familiar source; Bruno Fernandes would deliver a corner from the left that would find Kobbie Mainoo at the near post. Mainoo would flick the ball back towards the edge of the penalty area, where an unmarked Mbeumo would hit a curling shot into the bottom corner.
Scoring from a corner or a free kick has become the go-to method for breaking down teams that look to defend deep in 2025-26. It is now 15 set-piece goals for United this season, a record only bettered by Arsenal.
The opening goal kept a weakened opponent in a vulnerable position — and put the hosts into a strong one.
Carl Anka
Was there any reason to worry about United’s set pieces?
When United’s former set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes departed alongside Ruben Amorim last month, some supporters feared the team might lose the edge they had developed from dead-ball situations. Those concerns have proven emphatically unfounded.
Last week, Casemiro opened the scoring against Fulham with a header from a free kick, and today, Mbeumo added United’s 15th set-piece goal of the season, converting from a corner. That is the second-highest total in the Premier League, bettered only by Arsenal (17), and this was arguably the pick of the lot.
With Bruno Fernandes standing over the corner, Kobbie Mainoo darted from the centre of the goal towards the near post. Fernandes picked him out with a low, driven delivery, which Mainoo deftly flicked from near the goal line into the path of Mbeumo, who was unmarked on the edge of the penalty area. Mbeumo’s sweeping finish was a deserved reward for a well-rehearsed, aesthetically pleasing routine.
It was clearly developed on the training-ground, and at half-time, Michael Carrick credited his backroom staff for devising the routine, singling out Jonny Evans. There has been plenty of upheaval at United this season, but their ingenuity from set pieces has been a comforting constant.
Conor O’Neill
How well did United’s front four work together?
Even before Romero’s dismissal, United’s front four combined well and threatened. They almost struck inside the first minute, after Mbeumo flashed an effort wide from inside the box after Bruno Fernandes played him in.
United lined up with Mbeumo as the centre-forward, Fernandes operating as the No 10, and Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha deployed as the right and left attacking midfielders respectively.
Those positions were only rough guidelines, with Carrick affording them the freedom to rotate across the pitch, which is reflected in the player’s touchmaps below. Diallo stuck most rigidly to this position, but he, too, popped up on the other flank on occasion. Just before the red card, Bruno instructed him to swap positions, as they looked to target the space behind the full-backs.
Those rotations helped pull apart Tottenham’s defence, but it was the quality of the front four’s combination play that gave United real potency. Their interplay was synchronised, built on quick, one-touch passing and an instinctive sense of where the other three would be.
Amorim’s system had been notorious for its rigidity. Carrick has loosened the reins in attack, and that freedom has already begun to pay dividends.
Conor O’Neill
What did Carrick say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What did Frank say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for United?
Tuesday, February 10: West Ham (Away), Premier League, 8.15pm UK, 3.15pm ET
What next for Spurs?