Talk about pathetic fallacy, eh? As the clouds darkened and the rain poured, Erik ten Hag stood gormless out over to the Old Trafford turf.
The Theatre of Dreams had evolved into a cesspit of misery as the stands emptied and Tottenham fans revelled in their side’s victory. Spurs were mightily impressive on Sunday afternoon, but there’s no escaping just how poor Manchester United were.
Where does Ten Hag go from here? It’s a question that’s relentlessly been asked over the past two years, and the direction this club is heading under the Dutchman remains ambiguous.
Sunday’s performance was nothing short of a disgrace, and while much of the balame has to be pinned on the manager, these United players certainly didn’t perform anywhere near to the level we think they’re capable of.
Here were the best and worst United performers in their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham based on our player ratings.
If there’s any United player who can escape Old Trafford with an ounce of credibility, it’s Onana. Some of his work with the ball wasn’t great, but the Man Utd goalkeeper ensured that the hosts didn’t succumb to a cricket score.
A rampant Tottenham created NINE big chances and, according to some models, over five expected goals. Onana couldn’t do anything to deny Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke, but he was somewhat outwitted by a clever Dejan Kulusevski finish just after half-time.
The Cameroonian shot-stopper didn’t necessarily make outstanding saves and he was aided by a couple of terrible Timo Werner finishes, but he did at least frustrate the visitors by showing some level of competence
Ten Hag can not hide behind Fernandes’ red card on the brink of half-time as mitigation for his team’s abject defeat. Man Utd were comprehensively outplayed when it was 11-v-11, too.
Fernandes rating is, of course, impacted by his red card, which some thought was harsh as he did slip, but he nonetheless caught James Maddison high with a bit of a lunge. The video assistant referee was never going to overturn Chris Kavanagh’s on-pitch decision.
When he was on the pitch, the United skipper had little to no positive influence. Passes were often overhit, ball retention seemed beyond him, and his work without the ball was pretty deplorable. Rodrigo Bentancur had his way with him at the base of midfield.
On the bright side, that might be the last time he ever has to play under Ten Hag.
Dishonourable mentions
The afternoon might have looked a little different at least if Diogo Dalot bothered to track the run of Johnson for the first goal.
No no. If Dalot bothered to get within 50 feet of Johnson.
The Portugal international set the tone for a horrendous afternoon with his dismal defending.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham are relentless in their desire to create central overloads and access their playmakers between the lines. That made Ten Hag’s United the perfect opposition given the space they surrender in the middle of the park, and Manuel Ugarte struggled on his first Premier League start.
This is a midfielder who excels in duels, but he’s not a supreme athlete who can cover large spaces and his eagerness can get him into trouble at times. Kulusevski and Maddison each had their way with the new arrival. Their positioning constantly left Ugarte in a state of reaction, with the United midfielder often too slow to keep up with their slick interplay. The Uruguayan offered nothing in possession, and he was booked in the second-half for bringing down Kulusevski.
United’s outfielders struggled all-round, and neither full-back covered themselves in glory.
In addition to Dalot, Mazraoui was also woeful, continually getting taken for a walk by Werner.
