Manchester United 0-3 Tottenham: Red Devils' Player Ratings as Bruno Fernandes sees red in feeble performance | Premier League 2024-25
Manchester United were humbled 3-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday, September 29. The result leaves the Red Devils reeling in 12th place with seven points, while Spurs climb up to eighth with 10 points.
Despite playing in front of their own fans, Manchester United were pushed onto the backfoot from very early in the game. Much like the goal they conceded against FC Twente midweek, the hosts allowed Micky van de Ven a clear run at their goal as the Dutchman glided forward. He then assisted Brennan Johnson as Tottenham grabbed a 1-0 lead after three minutes.
Tottenham continued to push forward in search of a second goal but were unable to apply the desired finish in the final third. Timo Werner, who was playing off the left, had a poor game as he missed one chance after another. Meanwhile, Manchester United's troubles compounded after captain Bruno Fernandes was shown a straight red for a high tackle on James Maddison.
The away side carried a 1-0 lead into half-time.
Tottenham began the second half just like they had done the first, and this time had acres of space to exploit since Manchester United were a man down. Dejan Kulusevski scored just two minutes after the restart with a lovely finish and United sank deeper into trouble. Players from both sides also continued getting booked at regular intervals.
Casemiro's introduction at half-time gave Manchester United a semblance of stability for a brief period of time. However, Tottenham were sharp and defended in numbers to see off that phase, after which they sealed the result witn a third goal. Substitute Pape Matar Sarr set up striker Dominic Solanke for the visitors' third goal in the 77th minute.
Tottenham saw out the rest of the match and secured a morale-boosting win on Manchester United's patch. That said, let's take a look at the Red Devils' player ratings.
Manchester United Player Ratings
Andre Onana - 7.5/10
Onana was unlucky to concede three goals but the scoreline could have been way worse had it not been for his seven saves.
Noussair Mazraoui - 6/10
Mazraoui had a poor game in defense for Manchester United and was also booked for a foul in the first half.
Matthijs de Ligt - 6.5/10
De Ligt won three duels, making three blocks, one clearance and one interception.
Lisandro Martinez - 7/10
In a weird turn of events, Martinez attempted a major chunk of Manchster United's total shots. He had four total attempts, but just one of those was on target.
Diogo Dalot - 6/10
Dalot put in a subpar performance and was nowhere to be seen for large portion of the match.
Kobbie Mainoo - 6.5/10
Mainoo made an encouraging start to the game but was subbed off after facing discomfort in the first half itself.
Manuel Ugarte - 6.5/10
Ugarte was subpar in a game where his team arguably needed a strong and dominant presence in midfield.
Alejandro Garnacho - 6.5/10
Garnacho attempted three shots but none of those were on target. He also won three duels and played one key pass.
Bruno Fernandes - 5.5/10
Despite being the captain of the team, Fernandes lost his cool and committed a studs-up tackle on Maddison that saw him sent off after 42 minutes.
Marcus Rashford - 6.5/10
Rashford played one key pass and won five duels but was unable to contribute much in the shooting department.
Joshua Zirkzee - 6.5/10
Zirkzee had a subpar first-half performance and was replaced by Casemiro for the second period.
Substitutes
Mason Mount - 6.5/10
Mount replaced the injured Mainoo for the second half and was also booked after a poor tackle. He then picked up an injury himself late in the game.
Casemiro - 7.5/10
Despite facing much criticism in the last few weeks, Casemiro's introduction helped Manchester United quite a lot. He played two key passes and won five of his six duels.
Christian Eriksen - 6.5/10
Eriksen replaced Ugarte in the second period but was unable to make the desired impact on the proceedings.
Rasmus Hojlund - 6.5/10
Hojlund replaced Rashford but was nowhere to be seen as Tottenham secured a straight-forward win.
Amad Diallo - N/A
He came on very late in the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.