Tottenham lost ground on Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the league after losing at Old Trafford.
The 2 – 0 Manchester United win was even according to most metrics, apart from one quite important one: shots.
Tottenham were outshot 28 – 9 by United, and shouldn’t be surprised to have lost the game. The result will have Spurs skeptics licking their lips, because it was possible to predict.
Sitting deep and inviting their opponent onto them is exactly how Tottenham lost the recent North London Derby. It’s also how they were dominated by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
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Tottenham are still an enigmatic team this season. One school of thought suggests that if they can remain in and around the top 4 while not playing well then the plan is working, and they may even improve as the season progresses.
The other suggests that their negative style of play is not sustainable and they will be found out over the course of the season. Perhaps this style of play is the plan; it’s enough to beat most teams but not the big teams away from home.
That would be enough to secure a top 4 position, and as Arsenal found out last year, they’re not going to go away. No matter how badly they might play and how many seemingly dodgy results they have, they’ll remain in the race. Like a dogged stalker.
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Manchester United, meanwhile, are slowly building up some credit under Erik ten Hag. It’s still unclear how good they could be and how big a factor they will be in the top 4, but there are encouraging signs.
Statement wins at home over Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs indicate they have recovered the ‘Manchester United at Old Trafford’ aura, which has been lacking in recent seasons.
With 7 points separating Spurs and City in second and Liverpool in 7th, that top segment of the table is beginning to take shape. At the moment, both teams look like they’ll be in the running for Champions League places. With fierce competition from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, it remains to be seen who will be able to sustain their form the longest.
