Manchester United

Highlights: United v Spurs  Manchester United

PLEASING PERFORMANCE

"When it goes to 10 men, it's always a tricky kind of situation really. I thought it was quite an open game in the first half, at times. We looked dangerous, right from the start of the game, which was really pleasing again. We had a few issues and I thought Tottenham played really good football in the first half and we had to solve a few things. Then going a goal up, against 10 men in the second half, we managed it really well. We were largely in control, always wanting a second goal to come along and, when it did, it put us in a really good position. It was nice to get players on the pitch, Tyler [Fletcher] coming on for his first game. All in all, it was a really positive day."

I'M STILL CALM

"I feel good. I feel pretty calm in some ways as well. I think we're in a good spot. It's nice to see, coming into the stadium and feeling the atmosphere from the supporters and the excitement, sending a lot of people home happy. I know how important that is. At the end, it's what we're here for. It gives us a good feeling of wanting more really, in terms of the football side of it. Some good performances and some really good results, we're just moving on to the next one and not settling for what we've got. Not taking things for granted is something we speak about a lot and the boys have been really good for that, so far."

BRYAN'S WAS A BIG GOAL

"It was a big goal, against 10 men it can work in so many different ways. It's more mind games than anything, you've almost got to think about we're playing with 10 men as anything. Subconsciously, it's a bit of a deep breath so the goal was a big one, to get in front. We managed particularly well in the second half and didn't give them a lot of breaks or transitions. It's not easy to do so credit to the lads."

THE FIXTURE SCHEDULE

"It kind of works both ways sometimes. We play Tuesday and then we've got a bit of a gap coming to Everton. We've got to manage the rhythm of the games, as much as anything. Sometimes, the rhythm can help and, sometimes, it gets a bit heavy and it can hinder you. So I think we've just got to take what's in front of us. It's another big game on Tuesday night, at West Ham, then we'll regroup, rest, recover and sharpen up for the one after that."

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR FUTURE?

"Nah, it's not for now. I think to get excited and carried away, as a supporter, is where you should be. It's why you come to support us, to dream and get carried away, hopefully leaving in good spirits and looking forward to coming back. It's our job to provide that and, to be in a position to do that in the last few weeks, has been great. We've got to keep doing that."

PLEASING PERFORMANCE

“When it goes to 10 men, it's always a tricky kind of situation really. I thought it was quite an open game in the first half, at times. We looked dangerous, right from the start of the game, which was really pleasing again. We had a few issues and I thought Tottenham played really good football in the first half and we had to solve a few things. Then going a goal up, against 10 men in the second half, we managed it really well. We were largely in control, always wanting a second goal to come along and, when it did, it put us in a really good position. It was nice to get players on the pitch, Tyler [Fletcher] coming on for his first game. All in all, it was a really positive day.”

I'M STILL CALM

“I feel good. I feel pretty calm in some ways as well. I think we're in a good spot. It's nice to see, coming into the stadium and feeling the atmosphere from the supporters and the excitement, sending a lot of people home happy. I know how important that is. At the end, it's what we're here for. It gives us a good feeling of wanting more really, in terms of the football side of it. Some good performances and some really good results, we're just moving on to the next one and not settling for what we've got. Not taking things for granted is something we speak about a lot and the boys have been really good for that, so far.”

BRYAN'S WAS A BIG GOAL

“It was a big goal, against 10 men it can work in so many different ways. It's more mind games than anything, you've almost got to think about we're playing with 10 men as anything. Subconsciously, it's a bit of a deep breath so the goal was a big one, to get in front. We managed particularly well in the second half and didn't give them a lot of breaks or transitions. It's not easy to do so credit to the lads.”

THE FIXTURE SCHEDULE

“It kind of works both ways sometimes. We play Tuesday and then we've got a bit of a gap coming to Everton. We've got to manage the rhythm of the games, as much as anything. Sometimes, the rhythm can help and, sometimes, it gets a bit heavy and it can hinder you. So I think we've just got to take what's in front of us. It's another big game on Tuesday night, at West Ham, then we'll regroup, rest, recover and sharpen up for the one after that.”

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR FUTURE?

“Nah, it's not for now. I think to get excited and carried away, as a supporter, is where you should be. It's why you come to support us, to dream and get carried away, hopefully leaving in good spirits and looking forward to coming back. It's our job to provide that and, to be in a position to do that in the last few weeks, has been great. We've got to keep doing that.”

Goals in either half from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes were enough to give the Reds the three points, who put on a confident display the day following the 68th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster.

The visitors had been reduced to 10 men with less than 30 minutes played, when Cristian Romero was dismissed for a mistimed challenge on Casemiro.

A debut for Tyler Fletcher, towards the end, capped another enjoyable afternoon at Old Trafford.

FIRST HALF - MBEUMO MAKES DIFFERENCE

In his fourth game in charge, Michael Carrick named an unchanged XI from the side that beat Fulham the previous weekend, with match-winner Benjamin Sesko remaining on the bench.

Carrick and Spurs boss Thomas Frank laid wreaths in memory of those who lost their lives in Munich, as Old Trafford commemorated the 68th anniversary of the tragedy ahead of kick-off.

United looked to start the contest by replicating the Busby Babes’ famed attacking prowess, with a wonderful move, led by Fernandes gliding through midfield and sliding in Mbeumo, whose shot edged over the angle of post and crossbar with barely 30 seconds played.

United continued in the ascendancy for the opening period, with Casemiro setting his radar from distance with a first effort blocked and deflected back into Fernandes’s path who uncharacteristically scuffed his shot, before it came to Casemiro again to set himself from range and draw a terrific diving save from Guglielmo Vicario.

Spurs responded with a clever move of their own, Xavi Simmons clipping a ball over the top for Conor Gallagher to volley goalwords on the run, with Senne Lammens producing a low stop. Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr drew blocks from Casemiro and Harry Maguire with a pair of efforts from outside the box, before Casemiro was in the thick of it again, mopping up after a dangerous Destiny Udogie cross had almost found Dominic Solanke.

Matheus Cunha and Fernandes each went close in quick succession, in moves built down the right-hand side through good play from Diogo Dalot and then Amad, as the pair flashed efforts just past either upright.

Approaching the half-hour mark, United continued to enjoy more of the ball, and the game took on a new dynamic when Romero received a straight red card for a late tackle on Casemiro. The Brazilian, who had been at the heart of much of United’s play at both ends of the pitch, soldiered on after receiving treatment for a couple of minutes. It instigated a reshuffle from Spurs, as boss Frank ushered on Radu Dragusin to fill the void left by Romero in central defence.

The Reds soon made our man advantage count with less than 10 minutes of the half remaining, executing a clever set-piece routine to perfection. Fernandes played it low to Kobbie Mainoo, just in front of the near post, whose flick caught out the Spurs defence to find Mbeumo free near the penalty spot, where he guided a cool left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner.

Casemiro could have made it two minutes later as Mbeumo crossed following another corner, with only a sensational acrobatic save from Vicario keeping him at bay. The goalkeeper was in inspired mood as he did brilliantly to take the ball off the toes of the onrushing Amad in stoppage-time, as we entered the interval with a deserved one-goal lead.

United picked up where we left off after the restart and had the net bulging again within five minutes, but Amad had finished off Shaw’s centre from an offside position.

Casemiro hit the target again from distance, albeit without much causing Vicario much trouble on this occasion, while Fernandes had a shot well blocked from similar range and Simons flashed one just past a post at the other end. Spurs had to make a change at left-back 10 minutes into the half, with Souza replacing Udogie, who was unable to continue.

Meanwhile, Reds full-backs Dalot and Shaw both went close within a matter of minutes at the other end, drawing Vicario into a couple of smart stops from range before the hour-mark.

Shaw had another opportunity to shoot after a corner was cleared into his path and his effort was blocked by Dragusin, before Cunha had the ball in the net again, but the linesman had raised his flag long before that point with Fernandes encroaching the last line of defence in the build-up.

But United oozed confidence - Old Trafford enjoyed a trivela cross from Fernandes down the right and tricky interplay between Mbeumo and Casemiro - and that remained even with a slight change in personnel in attack, as Mbeumo shifted to the left flank as Benjamin Sesko rereplaced Cunha.

Sesko’s size in the box was immediately apparent, as Dalot whipped in an enticing delivery from the right which just evaded the Slovenian, but with some inevitability, Fernandes had ghosted in behind him and converted for our second of the afternoon. The cross had bounced just up in front of him and the skipper managed to catch Vicario off guard as he guided the ball back across goal and into the bottom-right corner, despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it.

Mbeumo nearly made it three a couple of minutes later, with a first-time effort just over after being teed up nicely by Amad, before Carrick made a triple change for the closing quarters - bringing on Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee.

Mainoo was next to make way in stoppage-time, and, on a day that we remembered the Busby Babes, it felt fitting that Academy graduate Tyler Fletcher was the man to replace him, making his maiden first-team appearance in the process.

There was still time for a final United chance, as Sesko headed straight at Vicario with the last touch of the game, before referee Michael Oliver called time on a fourth consecutive triumph for the Reds.

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur - English Premier League 07 February 2026 | Manchester United  Manchester United

The Reds are looking to extend the winning run under our head coach to four matches and end an eight-game stretch without a win against this afternoon's opponents, which includes the 2-2 draw in north London earlier in the campaign.

With Matthijs de Ligt, scorer of the dramatic equaliser at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Mason Mount and Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu out through injury, the boss has named an unchanged line-up.

“Ben’s been fantastic," Carrick explained to TNT Sports. "He’s going to be a big player for us and everything I’ve seen from him is really encouraging. Today was just a decision I’ve made but Ben will come on and make a big difference for us again."

Hence, Bryan Mbeumo looks set to lead the line, with Benjamin Sesko, last weekend's matchwinner against Fulham, kept in reserve.

There is a change among the substitutes, with Tyler Fletcher selected in a senior squad for the fifth time, but this is the first occasion under Carrick.

The midfielder takes Shea Lacey's place.

Spurs welcome Micky van de Ven back into their defence, alongside skipper Cristian Romero.

The corner routine finished off by Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes's first-time effort in front of the Stretford End were the obvious, immediate highlights from the win.

But now the dust has had time to settle, and we've had chance to collect our thoughts from another enthralling encounter at the Theatre of Dreams, there are plenty of other moments from the match that we believe deserve some of the spotlight.

Here are five things members of our media team loved about the win...

SHOOT ON SIGHT

Adam Marshall: Something I have really enjoyed in the last four games is the players’ willingness to try their luck from distance.

It was evident again on Saturday, with Casemiro, Luke Shaw, Matheus Cunha and Diogo Dalot among those to chance their arm with shots from outside the box.

With the trend towards keeping possession from many teams in recent years, it's encouraging to see this mindset being employed and you never know what can happen with handballs or deflections - or, of course, the ball might fly into the top corner!

I think all fans love to see this and I have to confess I thought the Cunha one was going in!

MAINOO MASTERCLASS

Matt Holt: Kobbie Mainoo has obviously been a huge talking point all season, but his current influence in midfield cannot be understated. The talented 20-year-old looked so calm and assured as a metronome in the middle of the park, often showing intelligence and play beyond his age.

What impresses me most is his tidy nature and the way he glides around the pitch, bringing a calmness. For me, he’s been the beating heart of Michael Carrick's side in this sequence of four victories. Strong in the tackle too at times v Spurs, Mainoo hadn't featured all that much before our new head coach was appointed, but the England international is wasting no time by stamping his authority on games.

With the World Cup surely now in his sights, his capabilities will be hard to ignore should this impressive run continue between now and the end of the season.

SILENCING THE SPURS FANS

Sam Carney: I was in Bilbao last May, and having to walk back to our transport past hundreds of celebrating Spurs supporters will always hurt. On their first trip to Old Trafford since that night nine months ago, the visitors were clearly up for rubbing our noses in their Europa League triumph, singing ‘champions of Europe’ regularly throughout the first half and also into the late stages of the second, as they hung in there following Cristian Romero’s red card.

But after Bruno Fernandes netted our second, that belief clearly dissipated and the away end started to rapidly empty. It was great to revel in the Stretford End’s chants of ‘it’s only Spurs’ – linking to a previous era, when the capital club would so often come to M16 and be second best. This was the first time we’d taken all three points from this fixture since October 2022, and it felt good.

SIGNS OF CONFIDENCE

Matt Brown: Moments of intricate of play and skill seem to be cropping up more and more in our play, reflecting the confidence we must be gaining from our four wins in a row.

Matheus Cunha back-heeled to Bruno Fernandes after just five minutes, while Kobbie Mainoo also side-stepped a Tottenham midfielder in the first half. That’s not to mention Mainoo’s intelligent flick to assist Bryan Mbeumo’s opener.

There was also a trivela cross from Bruno Fernandes in the second half, and a joyful bit of interplay between Mbeumo and Casemiro that led to a shot. These may only be small moments, but they demonstrate the positive mood among the Reds camp.

CASE'S LAST DANCE CONTINUES

Mark Froggatt: When Casemiro’s ankle folded under the pressure of Cristian Romero’s wayward boot, I started to panic. It looked like a serious injury, and, in the moment, repercussions were flying through my mind. We’re losing our midfield general in a crucial game. We’re losing him for the season. This will be his last United appearance. He’ll even miss the World Cup finals after working so hard to become Brazil captain again. Such bad luck.

Then, after a couple of anxious minutes, our in-form 33-year-old slowly rose to his feet, dusted himself down and got back to business in the heat of battle, without fuss, going on to play a key role in a fourth consecutive Premier League win for Michael Carrick’s Reds. It summed up his quiet drive and determination to keep moving forward.

This was Case’s 100th Premier League appearance and his 149th for United. When it ended in the 87th minute, replaced by Manuel Ugarte, Old Trafford rose to applaud a man who is relishing his last dance as a Red. His mid-season departure announcement has created an opportunity for appreciation on both sides. He loves our fans and we love him. There’s a collective drive to achieve something special in the time we have left.

The victory over Thomas Frank's side came as Michael Carrick's fourth consecutive win since being appointed the Reds' head coach in January, following wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham.

The result, and dominant performance, solidified our fourth-place position in the Premier League table, and closed the gap on Aston Villa ahead of us in third, after they drew with Bournemouth.

A clean sheet, another three points and two goals at the Theatre of Dreams – there were plenty of crucial performances on the day, but here's who you, the fans, voted as your Man of the Match...

With a resounding 67 per cent of the vote, you selected Bruno Fernandes as our Man of the Match against Spurs.

It was another incredible display from the captain, instigating the slick corner routine that was tucked home by Bryan Mbeumo, via Kobbie Mainoo, to give us the lead in the first half.

The Portugal international then put the game beyond doubt in the final 10 minutes of regular time with his back-post finish, gambling on Diogo Dalot's cross reaching him and expertly squeezing it beyond Guglielmo Vicario's outstretched arm.

Bruno, as he so often is, was one of the Reds' key creative outlets against Spurs, creating the most chances of any player on the pitch (6) which contributed to the 23 shots we levelled at the visitors' goal, with them managing just seven in return.

A further 11 per cent of the vote was reserved for Mainoo, who formed a crucial part of our opener in seeking out Mbeumo on the edge of the box with a perfectly weighted pass.

The 20-year-old is known for his steely calm on the ball, but he offered a great deal out of possession against the Lilywhites yesterday, too, winning eight duels in total, more than any other player.

There were also plenty of votes for Mbeumo (eight per cent) for his goal, and Casemiro (six per cent), who after clinching this award last week put in another all-action midfield display, the sort of which we've become accustomed to from the Brazilian.

But Fernandes's hand in the first goal and his finish for the second was always likely to put our no.8 ahead of the pack this time around, taking his Premier League goal tally to six for the season, added to his current division-topping 12 assists.

Congratulations, Bruno! Thank you to everyone who voted.

Kick-off at Old Trafford is at 12:30 GMT on Saturday, and the Reds are out to end an eight-match winless run against one of Carrick's former clubs.

Our head coach believes Mason Mount, who sat out last weekend's win over Fulham, is closer to a return than Matthijs de Ligt, who has been absent with a back problem.

Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu remains sidelined with the injury he sustained in the 3-2 triumph at Arsenal.

"Probably, Mason [will be available] sooner," Carrick told journalists in a press conference at Carrington on Thursday. "He's not too far away really. We're hopeful it won't be too long.

"Matta [De Ligt], he's working his way back, taking good steps and improving.

"It's a little bit too soon at the moment but, hopefully, it won't be too long [before De Ligt is back].

"The boys have worked well this week, they've got their feet on the ground and are not getting carried away with what's going on. It's a big challenge ahead."

SPURS' TEAM NEWS

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has confirmed that influential defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven should both be available.

Djed Spence is also recovering well, said the Dane: "Djed is getting closer, it will be touch and go and there's a good chance he'll be ready."

Dominic Solanke was pictured training despite hurting his ankle after scoring twice in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City last time out.

However, the north Londoners do have an extensive casualty list, which includes the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Richarlison.

Hi Michael, three games so far, three wins, [Premier League] Manager of the Month nomination. Has what’s happened in these first few games, in any way, changed what happens at the end of the season? Anything in your talks with the club at all? And has it whetted your appetite to try if there was ever any chance for this job now full time?

“Nothing has changed, to be honest, it’s not going to change what I do or how I feel about it. I’m fully aware of the role I’m doing here and the responsibility I’ve got. You want to be successful. I want the club to be successful beyond the end of this season, if that’s me, that’s somebody else [in charge]. At this stage, I can’t control that. We’ll see what happens. It’s certainly about trying to improve the team and keep making Manchester United stronger and improving all the time. But nothing’s changed. The results over a short period of time don’t change that, if they have changed that, there’s something wrong. It can’t be so kneejerk whether it’s really good or whether there’s a few issues we need to solve. It’s steady progress really. You know that football can twist and turn just as quick. So, you’ve got to keep level really and keep focusing on what we need to do.”

If this continues, would you be happy for your name to be part of that conversation?

“I’m loving what I’m doing, I’m here. I feel at home here, but I fully understand the situation, so I’m not getting too carried away.”

He’s been outstanding under you, was gathering real momentum in the weeks before you came. How much of a blow is it personally and to the team to lose him?

“It’s a blow, it’s always a blow when you lose players and they can’t be involved, and we can’t choose them. Especially when you’ve had an impact like Patrick did over the last few weeks. Just finding that next level. Unfortunately, football throws things up, there’s up and downs. For this short period of time, he’s disappointed, he wants to be fit. But he’s going to have a career for the next 10 or 15 years and hopefully this is just a little moment for him. Coming off the back of the huge positive he’s just had, I think when he comes back, he’ll be even stronger again.”

Can I just ask about Steve Holland and where the idea for that appointment came from? And how important he’s been for what you want to do on the training pitch, and also the run of results you’ve had…

“I think when talks were progressing, when I looked like I might be coming in here, I was spending some time thinking about what the staff might look like. Actually having conversations with my brother [Graeme], as I do all the time, about what it might look like. He ended up mentioning Steve, knew him from The FA and I’d come across Steve a number of times. Fully aware of his experience and quality as a coach, and experience as well. It ticked a lot of boxes and that kind of just went from there. I spoke to Steve and we clicked straight away. As with the rest of the staff to be honest, with Jonny, Jonathan and Trav and Craig. There’s been a good balance and connection between us. It feels like we’ve been together much longer than just these three weeks.”

Both of you have worked as coaches under Jose [Mourinho]. It feels like a very collaborative effort, all of you on the touchline, matchdays, training. In terms of Jose’s influence on you and Steve, is that something you’ve found a common ground on?

“It’s more just the experience in general, at the [top] level… he’s had vast experience in so many different scenarios. Being at Chelsea for so long, growing up around here and being a massive United fan helps to start with. But being at Chelsea, being successful, winning trophies, knowing what it takes. Different styles, different managers, different types of players. He’s had a real good knowledge and back story really, if you like, of experience to pick at. We speak a lot about different things, all of us, all the staff. There’s the connection, I learned a lot from Jose in the five months when I was coaching. When you see how he works, how he thinks, how he sees players and things, and they end up coming off like he predicted in certain times. He had a real good eye for that. So, there’s certainly that connection. I wouldn’t say it’s totally me and Steve with Jose, but there’s definitely those common kinds of factors that help us work together for sure.”