Man Utd vs Tottenham LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction after Bruno Fernandes stunner

Manchester United produced arguably its most complete performance under Erik ten Hag by beating Tottenham 2-0 to move within a point of the Premier League’s top four on Wednesday.

Second-half goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes ensured victory in a game that saw Hugo Lloris pull off a string of fine saves to keep the score down.

United now sits one point behind fourth-place Chelsea and four off Tottenham, who have played a game more.

While victory prompted a rapturous response from the crowd — Cristiano Ronaldo threatened to steal the headlines when he walked off to the changing room before the final whistle blew.

The Portugal star was an unused substitute as United impressed without him.

Ten Hag is increasingly making his presence felt at Old Trafford, with standout wins against Liverpool and Premier League leader Arsenal already this season.

And Spurs became the latest big name to fall in front of United’s home fans, who were repeatedly out of their seats in response to some of the slickest football they’ve seen from their team under the new Dutch manager.

If not for Lloris, United would have held a sizeable lead by halftime, with the goalkeeper coming up with a host of impressive saves.

But he was finally beaten by Fred and Fernandes after the break after United’s dominance paid off.

Lloris was almost guilty of gifting United the lead after just six minutes when fumbling Antony’s long-range effort.

But he recovered to produce saves to deny Marcus Rashford, Fernandes and Luke Shaw before the break, while Antony saw another shot clip the outside of the post.

Harry Kane’s effort from a tight angle just before halftime was as close as Tottenham came to taking the lead.

Ten Hag has seen his team fail to make the most of chances in front of goal in recent weeks — most recently the goalless draw with Newcastle on Sunday.

But United was ahead at the start of the second half — even if it relied on a touch of fortune when Fred’s 47th-minute shot from outside the area was diverted past Lloris by the outstretched leg of Ben Davies.

As impressive as United’s performance was, Tottenham provided little in return.

Antonio Conte appeared helpless to coax his team into life as his players were repeatedly forced into errors and struggled to build attacks.

On one of the rare occasions Tottenham did look threatening, United punished the visitors with a rapid break to make it 2-0 after 69 minutes.

Kane had seen a close-range shot blocked by De Gea — and from there United pounced, quickly moving the ball into the Spurs penalty area.

When Fred’s effort was blocked, Fernandes was quick to send a first-time shot curling past Lloris.

Fernandes and Rashford both saw further chances blocked by Lloris as United went in search for more.

Man Utd vs Spurs

• GOAL! 69’ - Fernandes adds a second on the counter-attack (MUN 2-0 TOT)

• GOAL! 47’ - Fred gives Man Utd the opener after deflection form Davies (MUN 1-0 TOT)

• Victory moves Tottenham up to second

• Man Utd XI: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Fred, Antony, Fernandes, Sancho, Rashford

• Tottenham XI: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Davies, Doherty, Bentancur, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Son, Kane

Manchester United FC 2 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur FC

Terrific Fred and Bruno Fernandes inspire relentless Manchester United past dismal Tottenham

22:30 , Michael Jones

Manchester United had no reasons to rue last year’s decision not to pursue Antonio Conte. On a night when the Italian’s Tottenham team could have gone second, they were instead second best. Erik ten Hag, the manager United eventually did appoint instead, constructed a performance with the adventurousness and attacking intent to fit the club’s traditions. Conte has rarely been as bold and his Tottenham could depart Old Trafford thanking the brilliant Hugo Lloris for the fact they only conceded twice.

Old Trafford rocked to the kind of football they have seen too rarely since the watching Sir Alex Ferguson retired. It echoed to the sound of an old tune with new lyrics. “Fred will tear you apart again,” came the chorus from the Stretford End, repurposing a song long used to pay tribute to Ryan Giggs, and the much-maligned midfielder was magnificent. Ten Hag’s time with his midfielders has been a case of trial and error – using Christian Eriksen as a false nine against Brighton and benching Casemiro in a Manchester derby did not work – but he was thoroughly vindicated for choosing Fred instead of a fit-again Eriksen and an available-again Scott McTominay. He was talismanic and terrific.

Ten Hag’s sixth win in eight league games was testament to a turnaround, but the nature of his victims matters more than the number. Spurs were a third notable scalp of Ten Hag’s brief time in England, joining Liverpool and Arsenal among those overcome at Old Trafford. United are up to fifth in the actual table, but the big-six mini-league is looking still more encouraging, even though they shipped six goals at the Etihad Stadium.

Terrific Fred and Bruno Fernandes inspires United past dismal Tottenham

FT Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:27 , Michael Jones

Bruno Fernandes created nine chances in Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, the most by a player in a Premier League game since Bruno Fernandes created 10 against Aston Villa last September.

FT Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:22 , Michael Jones

Antonio Conte has now lost all four of his visits to Old Trafford as a manager.

FT Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:19 , Michael Jones

FT Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:15 , Michael Jones

FT Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:11 , Michael Jones

Here are the full results from tonight’s Premier League fixtures:

Bournemouth 0-1 Southampton

Brentford 0-0 Chelsea

Liverpool 1-0 West Ham

Newcastle 1-0 Everton

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

Full-time: Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:09 , Michael Jones

90+4 mins: A properly convincing performance from Manchester United sees them get the better of Tottenham to keep their unbeaten run going.

Erik ten Hag’s men looked a proper force of skill and quality with Bruno Fernandes orchestrating much of the attacking play tonight. Fred was good and opened the scoring before Fernandes added a second and had another disallowed.

That’s going to be a big result for Man Utd who are now just one point away from the top four and just eight behind league leaders Arsenal.

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:04 , Michael Jones

90 mins: Four minutes of added time to play at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo has already headed off down the tunnel and won’t be making an appearance for United tonight.

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

22:00 , Michael Jones

87 mins: Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen come on for the final few minutes with Jadon Sancho and Casemiro the two men replaced.

Man Utd have this game in hand now. They’re going to pick up all three points.

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

21:57 , Michael Jones

84 mins: Antonio Conte makes a triple change with less than 10 minutes to play. Yves Bissouma, Matt Doherty and Eric Dier go off with Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon and Lucas Moura brought on.

Can the substitutes get Spurs a consolation goal?

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

21:55 , Michael Jones

81 mins: Disallowed goal! Marcus Rashford flicks the ball over the top and plays Bruno Fernandes in behind the Spurs defence. He drives into the box, sits Hugo Lloris down then slots the ball into the net only to get flagged offside.

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

21:52 , Michael Jones

78 mins: Erik ten Hag makes a change and brings on Scott McTominay to replace Antony. That should give United more control in the middle of the pitch but they’ll lose some attacking momentum on the wing.

Spurs move the ball out to Perisic on the left wing and he floats a cross over to Harry Kane who chests the ball down inside the box to Son. Son checks to the right but Shaw is on hand to poke the ball off him and clear the danger.

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

21:48 , Michael Jones

75 mins: Save! Hugo Lloris makes his eighth save of the match after Marcus Rashford twists his way into the left side of the box and rattles an effort at goal.

Lloris drops over to his left and forces the ball wide of the far post! Another good stop from the Frenchman.

Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham

21:46 , Michael Jones

72 mins: Tottenham need to take the shackles off now and have a go at United. They’ve been passive for most of this game and with the visitors two goals in arrears they need to make something happen.

Fernandes has anothr dart from range and forces Lloris into a low stop to his right.

GOAL! Man Utd 2-0 Tottenham (Fernandes, 69’)⚽️

21:42 , Michael Jones

69 mins: Great goal from Manchester United! Harry Kane has a shot stopped by David De Gea at the other end of the pitch but he’s flagged offside.

United break on the counter-attack and the referee lets the game run on. They fly up to the Spurs penalty area and a scramble to clear the ball just knocks it to Bruno Fernandes who curls a beautiful finish into the far top corner!

Hugo Lloris has no chance to stop it.

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

21:39 , Michael Jones

65 mins: Casemiro is getting stuck into play in the middle of the park and shoves Perisic off the ball but the referee decides he’s done so too forcefully and Spurs win a free kick.

Still no signs of any changes but Antonio Conte must be thinking of switching things up right now.

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

21:37 , Michael Jones

62 mins: Manchester United are in control of this game as they have been since the start. Tottenham have been flat tonight. They’ve defended well and got an unfortunate deflection that led to the goal but offensively they’ve been lacking.

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

21:33 , Michael Jones

59 mins: Fred smokes a cross into the box from a long way out and picks out Rashford but the pace of the pass means that the forward can’t control his header and the ball loops into the air allowing Spurs to easily clear their lines.

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

21:31 , Michael Jones

56 mins: A kind bounce from an aerial ball in midfield brings it to Bruno Fernandes who threads a decent pass into the penalty area. Marcus Rashford and Eric Dier chase it down with Rashford seemingly clipped by the defender.

He goes to ground but the referee thinks there’s minimal contact and he’s right. United want a penalty but nothing comes from it.

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

21:28 , Michael Jones

53 mins: Chance! Bruno Fernandes wins the ball in midfield and he turns towards goal before sliding it up to Antony. The former Ajax man carries the ball to the edge of the box then pulls his effort wide of the near post.

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

21:24 , Michael Jones

50 mins: Save! Almost a second for Man Utd as Lloris pushes a fizzing effort from Rashford wide of the target. Spurs then sweep to the other side of the pitch and Kane wins a corner when his effort is blocked behind.

Perisic’s delivery is won in the air by Varane who confidently heads it clear.

GOAL! Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham (Fred, 47’)⚽️

21:20 , Michael Jones

47 mins: There’s the opener! Manchester United come down the right side with Bruno Fernandes carrying the ball into the penalty area. He squares it over to Jadon Sancho who lays the ball back out to Fred.

Fred runs onto it and side foots a first time effort at goal. This one is on target but Ben Davies sticks out a leg in an attempt to make the block but only deflects the shot to Hugo Lloris’ right and it finishes in the back of the net!

Second half: Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

21:18 , Michael Jones

Kick off: Bruno Fernandes restarts the match at Old Trafford with Manchester United searching for a way past this steadfast Tottenham defence.

No changes from either team at the break.

HT Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

21:12 , Michael Jones

Manchester United had 19 shots in that first half with five on target. That is the most the team has created in one half of a game since Erik ten Hag took over as manager.

HT Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

21:08 , Michael Jones

Goalless at half-time at Old Trafford. Which team will go on to score first?

Half-time: Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

21:04 , Michael Jones

45+2 mins: Nothing to separate the teams as they head into the tunnel for half-time. Manchester United have been the better side creating more chances and having more possession.

It’s been an entertaining first half but the result still hangs in the balance. Neither manager will be too disappointed with those opening 45 minutes.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

21:01 , Michael Jones

45 mins: Chance! Tottenham burst forward on the counter-attack and send Harry Kane into the right side of the box. He shoots and forces a save out of David De Gea at the near post.

The ball comes back to Kane and his second effort hits Dalot in the face and he needs come treatment too. Two minutes of added time to play.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:59 , Michael Jones

42 mins: Tottenham have done well to keep Man Utd at bay but they haven’t offered anything in the final third. United have bossed this game but they’re lacking ruthlessness in front of goal.

Goalless at half-time will be a great result for the visitors.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:55 , Michael Jones

39 mins: Ouch! Eric Dier stands tall on the edge of the Tottenham penalty area and blocks a shot with his chin. He takes the ball right in the face and needs a check up from the medical staff.

The defender will be fine to play on.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:52 , Michael Jones

36 mins: Lisandro Martinez wins the ball back for United high up the pitch and gives it to Sancho who feeds Fred into the box. Fred sends a pass into the six-yard box and hesitation from Lloris to claim the ball almost gives Antony enough time to turn it home.

Spurs eventually scoop it clear.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:50 , Michael Jones

33 mins: Son Heung-min curls an effort into the box in what could be described as a half shot half cross but it goes wide of the target without causing too much trouble.

A header from midfield then breaks for Fernandes at the opposite end of the pitch but he’s shrugged off the ball by Eric Dier and the shot at goal is hooked well wide.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:44 , Michael Jones

30 mins: Close! Manchester United look very dangerous when they move the ball quickly. Antony and Dalot bring the ball down the right side before sending it across to Casemiro.

He links up with Sancho and Shaw before getting the ball back and smoking a good shot inches wide of the left-hand post.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:42 , Michael Jones

27 mins: Save! Hugo Lloris is earning his cheddar tonight. Diogo Dalot floats a cross over to the left side of the box where Luke Shaw catches the dropping ball on the volley and smokes a fine effort at goal that Lloris pushes over the crossbar.

Fernandes then picks out Fred with the corner but his attempt at a volley is knocked into the ground and gets kicked out of play.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:39 , Michael Jones

24 mins: Save! Bruno Fernandes is the man to take the set piece and he whips a fine effort over the wall and forces another stop out of Lloris.

Fernandes then plays the resultant corner short to Marcus Rashford. He shifts to the right and sees an effort deflected behind for another corner.

Manchester United are knocking on the door here.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:37 , Michael Jones

21 mins: Save! Antony gives the ball to Fred who threads a great pass through the lines to play Marcus Rashford in behind the Tottenham defence. He takes a shot and goes across goal but Hugo Lloris leaps to his right and palms the effort wide of the post and out for a corner.

The corner ball is headed away as far as Fred who then gets clattered and United win a free kick about 25-yards out from goal.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:34 , Michael Jones

18 mins: Man Utd work the ball nicely around the penalty area but there’s no way into the box for Antony and the home side have to switch the ball out to the opposite wing.

Jadon Sancho has a run at Matt Doherty before pulling the ball back towards Bruno Fernandes. Spurs clear it as far as Luke Shaw but his cross back into the middle comes to Ivan Perisic who chests it down safely to Hugo Lloris.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:30 , Michael Jones

15 mins: Ouch. Harry Kane switches the ball over to Matt Doherty on the right wing and the defender whips a cross into the box that Luke Shaw blocks with his face.

The ball flies out for a throw in and Shaw goes down for a breather.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:26 , Michael Jones

12 mins: Close! Man Utd work the ball across the pitch to Antony who shifts inside from the right wing with the ball.

Tottenham drop away from him and that gives the winger enough room to curl an effort over to the far post where the ball hits the upright and bounces wide.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:24 , Michael Jones

9 mins: A quick move from Man Utd sees them transition the ball beautifully up the pitch with Bruno Fernandes jumping over a pass to leave the ball for Fred. He tries to play a pass through the lines for Marcus Rashford but Cristian Romero intercepts and clears the ball to Antony.

Antony shoots from range and Hugo Lloris spills the ball behind for a corner. The corner is whipped over to Fred who takes a shot from outside the box and forces a sharp save from Lloris who tips the ball over the crossbar.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:21 , Michael Jones

6 mins: Man Utd feed to the ball over to Antony who cuts inside and drills an effort from outside the box but sees his shot blocked.

The home side recover the ball and Fred sends it across to Diogo Dalot who rolls the ball onto his left-foot and skews it well wide of the target.

At the other end of the pitch Bentancur is fed into the right side of the box and he smokes a decent shot across the box. David De Gea is beaten but the ball flies wide of the back post.

Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:18 , Michael Jones

3 mins: Matt Doherty brings the ball down the right side and slides it wide to Rodrigo Bentancur who sends a low cross into the middle of the box.

Lisandro Martinez clears the danger but gives the ball back to Son Heung-min who drives into the box before getting tackled.

Kick off: Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham

20:16 , Michael Jones

Antonio Conte has never won at Old Trafford as a manager and has lost all three of his previous visits here. Will tonight be the night he finally earns a victory?

Spurs get the game started and the visitors work the ball around the back line before Ben Davies dinks a pass down the left side and gives it to Raphael Varane who calmly sends the ball back to David De Gea.

Man Utd vs Tottenham

20:11 , Michael Jones

Here come the players!

Bruno Fernandes and Hugo Lloris lead their respective teams out of the tunnel ahead of this highly anticipated game. Can Tottenham earn anyother victory at Old Trafford or will United close the gap on the top four?

Manchester United may wonder what might have been as Antonio Conte returns to Old Trafford

20:05 , Michael Jones

The first anniversary falls next week. Not, as Antonio Conte seemed to hope then, of his appointment of Manchester United manager, but of the well-sourced reports that he wanted to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Technically, of course, Solskjaer still had a job, though the 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool weakened his hold on it. Even Ed Woodward was starting to realise that perhaps the Norwegian was not the answer after all. A putative successor did not waste any time advertising his interest.

Conte looked the antidote and the antithesis to Solskjaer. The most obvious criticism of the legendary ex-player, albeit one United took too long to concur with, was that he was not a world-class manager. Conte was; he was an available answer to Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. United ignored the public entreaties. They had their doubts about his suitability for them.

And so November 2021 shaped the present and future of two clubs. By the time United belatedly sacked Solskjaer, Conte had taken the Tottenham post; to some, it looked a rebound relationship after United spurned his advances. Indirectly, Solskjaer had helped him, his 3-0 win over Nuno Espirito Santo’s Spurs showing that, in the last dance of the desperate, the Portuguese was a dead man walking faster towards the exit.

Manchester United may wonder what might have been as Antonio Conte returns

Knocking down the records

20:00 , Michael Jones

Harry Kane has scored nine goals in 27 career Premier League games played on Wednesdays.

Having already scored 10+ on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, he could become just the second player to reach double figures on five different days of the week, joining Alan Shearer.

Spot kick specialist

19:55 , Michael Jones

Tottenham’s Harry Kane is the fourth player to have scored 30 Premier League penalties, with his conversion rate of 88.2% superior to the three other players to have passed the milestone (Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard).

Luke Shaw says Erik ten Hag is keeping Manchester United players ‘on their toes’

19:50 , Michael Jones

Luke Shaw says Erik ten Hag is “keeping everyone on their toes” by dropping underperforming players – something the left-back admits has not always been the case at Manchester United.

After a wretched 2021-22 campaign that started under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ended embarrassingly under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, the Old Trafford giants handed the reins to Ajax’s highly-rated coach.

There have been a number of promising moments since Ten Hag took over, with long-serving left-back Shaw saying there are “very good signs, clear signs” of what he wants as United make progress.

But there have also been some downs like the 6-3 derby defeat at Manchester City and humiliation at Brentford – a 4-0 loss that saw the England international dropped and only recently regain a starting spot

Luke Shaw says Erik ten Hag is keeping Manchester United players ‘on their toes’

Ronaldo vs Tottenham

19:44 , Michael Jones

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in each of his seven most recent appearances against Tottenham, including four games for Real Madrid.

He has eight Premier League goals versus Spurs - his joint best record against any side and is just two short of 500 league goals in his career.

To reach that landmark tonight he’ll have to make a big impact from the bench.

Can Conte win at Old Trafford?

19:38 , Michael Jones

Antonio Conte has lost all three of his away matches against Manchester United - against no side has the Italian lost more away fixtures in his managerial career.

But, the Londoners have scored 99 goals in all competitions under Conte, with Harry Kane (30) and Son Heung-min (25) contributing over half of these.

Tottenham’s solid run

19:33 , Michael Jones

This month’s 3-1 defeat at Arsenal is Tottenham’s only loss in their past 16 league games - they have won 11 and drawn four in that run.

Spurs have scored 35 goals in those matches, conceding just 12 and keeping eight clean sheets.

Rashford eyeing up one hundred

19:28 , Michael Jones

Marcus Rashford is two goals shy of 100 in all competitions for Manchester United. He starts ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, can he bring up that landmark tonight?

Antonio Conte deciding whether to stick with 3-4-3 when Tottenham visit Manchester United

19:23 , Michael Jones

Antonio Conte is toying with the idea of sticking with Tottenham’s favoured 3-4-3 formation for the midweek trip to Manchester United despite a lack of attacking options.

Spurs will be without Richarlison (calf) for the clash at Old Trafford on Wednesday and Dejan Kulusevski is not expected to be fit enough to start after struggling during the last month with a hamstring injury.

When Richarlison was forced off in Saturday’s win over Everton, Conte switched to 3-5-2 with Yves Bissouma again impressive.

Antonio Conte deciding whether to stick with 3-4-3 when Spurs visit Man United

Man Utd vs Tottenham team changes

19:18 , Michael Jones

Erik ten Hag makes one change to the Manchester United side that lined-up against Newcastle at the weekend. Marcus Rashford comes in to replace Cristiano Ronaldo up top. Christian Eriksen starts on the bench against his old side.

Antonio Conte elects to go with another midfield option to replace the injured Richarlison as Yves Bissouma comes in as Tottenham’s only change.

Man Utd vs Tottenham line-ups

19:16 , Michael Jones

Man Utd XI: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Fred, Antony, Fernandes, Sancho, Rashford

Tottenham XI: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Davies, Doherty, Bentancur, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Son, Kane

Big moments at Old Trafford

19:11 , Michael Jones

Tottenham have historically struggled away from home against Manchester United but in recent seasons they have impressed at Old Trafford.

Here’s a few of their best moments in the Theatre of Dreams:

Five-in-a-row for Spurs?

19:06 , Michael Jones

Tottenham are vying for a fifth consecutive victory in league and cup, which would equal their longest winning streak under Antonio Conte.

Spurs’ total of 23 points from 10 games is their highest at this stage of a league season since 1963 (once readjusted to three points for a win).

Antonio Conte excited to test Spurs side against football ‘monster’ Man Utd

19:01 , Michael Jones

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte believes Manchester United remain a “monster” in world football, but is excited to see his team test themselves at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The Italian has repeatedly talked up the spending power of Erik ten Hag’s side during the opening months of the season, especially in reference to Spurs’ own ability in the transfer market.

Despite Tottenham enjoying their best start to a campaign in 59 years, Conte has been keen to play down talk of a title bid but knows victory away to one of the top six in midweek would mark a step forward for his players.

Antonio Conte excited to test Spurs side against football ‘monster’ Man Utd

Conte on Ten Hag

18:56 , Michael Jones

Antonio Conte also spoke about Erik ten Hag in Monday’s press conferences and praised the Dutchman’s performance as head coach of Ajax saying:

“He did very well with Ajax and for sure he has taken a great job for United because United is one of the best teams in the world.”

Conte added: “He is trying to bring his ideas into the pitch, and I think also the club back him in the transfer market. Like other managers and coaches, he needs time to work and to try to improve his team.”

Ten Hag on Conte

18:51 , Michael Jones

Erik ten Hag was asked about his thoughts on his opposing manager Antonio Conte in the build-up to tonight’s fixture between Manchester United and Tottenham

“He’s a fabulous manager.” said the United boss, “He’s winning titles, trophies in the Premier League, in Italy, and you can really see his signature in the match from his team and that’s a big compliment I think.”

Man Utd Supporters’ Trust withdraws threat of legal action after ticket issues

18:46 , Michael Jones

Manchester United Supporters’ Trust has withdrawn its threat of legal action over the reduced ticket allocation for Saturday’s Premier League match at Chelsea.

Last week MUST said fans were being “treated like second-class citizens” after the rescheduling of the game saw United’s allocation reduced from 2,994 to 2,370 supporters because of policing concerns.

The group called on Hammersmith and Fulham Council to issue a new safety certificate for the match, and threatened a judicial review claim over the matter, but it has now stepped back after receiving legal responses from both the council and the Metropolitan Police.

Man Utd Supporters’ Trust withdraws threat of legal action after ticket issues

An October jinx?

18:39 , Michael Jones

Manchester United have won an unrivalled 72 Premier League games on a Wednesday. However, United are winless in each of their last six league fixtures played in October with four draws and two defeats.

‘We want to dictate games'

18:34 , Michael Jones

Man Utd boss, Erik ten Hag, says that the team is slowly forming the building blocks of his possession-focused style of play which stems from being solid in defence.

When asked if the team had improved in this area - United have kept clean sheets in their last two games - Ten Hag responded:

“We defend with eleven. It’s a team performance, from the front to the back. Really good defending and then you’ll see then that you can achieve clean sheets. It’s a base for every successful team.

“Yeah, we do really well. I know when the routines come even more in, they will become even more controlled, it will be even more dictating and that is what we aim for.

“We have now to get that routine in, 100 per cent, because in the defence you have to be 100 per cent disciplined. It’s never about ‘but’ or ‘if’: no, you have to do it. To do it as individuals, to do it as a team.”

Ten Hag arrives

18:28 , Michael Jones

Erik ten Hag has arrived at Old Trafford ahead of tonights clash with Tottenham. Can the Manchester United boss mastermind a victory against his top four rivals?

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag to wait before deciding future of out-of-contract players

18:23 , Michael Jones

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United will wait before making any decisions with players who are nearing the end of their contracts at the club, despite uncertainty over the future of senior figures like David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo.

As many as nine members of United’s first team squad could leave for free when their existing deals expire at the end of the season, although the club retains options to extend their terms by another year.

United typically trigger such extensions but, even then, are left with a choice to either make a new offer to the players in question, sell at a cut-price with only 12 months remaining on their deal, or allow them to go for nothing in a year’s time.

Marcus Rashford has entered the final year of his terms - as have Luke Shaw, Fred, Diogo Dalot, Tom Heaton, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones - while Ronaldo and De Gea are United’s two highest-earning players.

Manchester United to wait before deciding future of out-of-contract players

How to watch Man Utd vs Tottenham

18:17 , Michael Jones

How can I watch tonight’s clash at Old Trafford?

Like all Premier League games this week, it will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video. If you’re not an Amazon Prime Video subscriber start a free 30-day trial here.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Manchester United vs Tottenham

18:12 , Michael Jones

Manchester United are vying to win four consecutive Premier League games against Tottenham, a feat they last achieved in 2010.

Spurs have lost 38 Premier League matches versus United, more than against any other opponent.

Conte on returning to Old Trafford

18:06 , Michael Jones

Spurs boss, Antonio Conte, has been speaking about his side returning to Old Trafford tonight and getting a positive result. Tottenham have performed well here in the last two seasons, first defeating United 6-1 under Jose Mourinho before being beaten 3-2 here in March largely thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.

“Last season, Ronaldo was decisive,” Conte said. “He scored three goals and after the game, I said we lost against Cristiano, not United, because I think we played much better than them, and to lose the game.

“To have a good performance at Old Trafford is important for your confidence, your trust, and on Wednesday we need another good performance against a strong team, in a difficult environment like Old Trafford.

“We want to play a good game, we want to play with personality, we want to show first of all to ourselves that we are improving, that our level is growing and then, I repeat, we want to give satisfaction to our fans.”

Premier League standings

18:00 , Michael Jones

Tottenham Hotspur sit third in the Premier League table with seven wins, two draws and one loss from their first 10 games of the season. They have the same amount of points as the 2021/22 champions Manchester City (23) but trail the league leaders, Arsenal, by four.

Arsenal and City were due to play each other this week but that match has been rearranged due to Arsenal needing to play a Europa League game against PSV Eindhoven on Thursday. That being so, if Spurs defeat Manchester United this evening they will move above City and come within one point of the Gunners having played one game more.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are fifth. They are seven points behind Spurs and 11 off the top of the table having recorded five wins, one draw and three losses from their nine matches so far. There is an outside chance that picking up three points tonight could propel them into the top four but they would need to beat Tottenham by a hefty margin and hope Chelsea lose to Brentford.

Even so, a victory over Antonio Conte’s side would be a huge step for the Red Devils and would be a sign that under Erik ten Hag they are ready to challenge for the Champions League spots this season.

Anthony Martial out of Tottenham game but Christian Eriksen could return

17:45 , Michael Jones

Anthony Martial will not be available for Manchester United‘s Premier League meeting with Tottenham Hotspur but Christian Eriksen could return to face his former club.

Martial has missed nine of United’s 13 games this season through injury and is yet to recover from a back problem suffered during the recent win at Everton.

Erik ten Hag had hoped to welcome the 27-year-old back for Sunday’s goalless draw with Newcastle but he is still recovering, having already struggled with hamstring and Achilles issues since the start of the campaign.

Erik ten Hag offers injury update on Anthony Martial and Christian Eriksen

Manchester United vs Tottenham early team news and predicted line-ups

17:05 , Michael Jones

Anthony Martial has been ruled out for Man Utd but Christian Eriksen could return to face his former club after missing the past two games. Cristiano Ronaldo may return to the bench after failing to score in his last two starts, while Harry Maguire, Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka remain out.

Richarlison is out after suffering a calf injury in the 2-0 win over Everton, but the Brazilian should still make the World Cup as the injury was not as serious as first feared. However, with Dejan Kulusevski a doubt, Conte could be faced with a decision over whether to start an extra midfielder in Yves Bissoua following his impact against Everton, or hand a rare start to Lucas Moura. Emerson Royal, Clement Leglet and Ryan Sessegnon could return.

Predicted line-ups

Manchester United: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford

Tottenham: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bissouma, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Son, Kane

Manchester United vs Tottenham

15:32 , Michael Jones

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s late Premier League kick off where Manchester United take on Tottenham at Old Trafford with the action getting underway at 8.15pm.

Erik ten Hag’s men come into the match on the back of a goalless draw with Newcastle and could do with a win to propel them closer to the top four whilst taking vital points away from one of their rivals. United are unbeaten in four matches since losing the Manchester derby 6-3 at the start of October but their performances have been far from convincing with scrappy wins against Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League and a tricky 2-1 victory over Everton preceding the Newcastle draw.

Meanwhile, Spurs are currently third in the table but can move ahead of Manchester City – who don’t have a midweek game – and close the gap on league leaders Arsenal if they win at Old Trafford. Antonio Conte’s men are also unbeaten in four games and defeated Everton 2-0 last time out thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Tonight’s fixture will be a test to see how these two sides compare against one another. Both are competitors to finish in the top four and both are going through rebuilding phases under new(ish) managers. On paper Spurs seem to be further along in their development but will that translate into another historic victory at the Theatre of Dreams?