Michael Carrick’s Manchester United revival has a fourth consecutive league win, while Thomas Frank’s Tottenham sink further, with still no victory in the competition in 2026.
Bruno Fernandes’s 81st-minute strike was a feathered touch off a shin – from Diogo Dalot’s cross – that beat Guglielmo Vicario to the left of the Spurs goalkeeper, and confirmed a miserable day for Frank.
“He is our captain and one of our important players,” the Dane had declared after retaining Cristian Romero as captain despite the defender’s “disgraceful” outburst regarding there being only 11 outfield players for last Sunday’s draw with Manchester City.
What followed was Romero’s second red card in 10 games (and sixth overall in club colours) on 29 minutes that had Frank cursing and appearing rather silly, though still the Dane will not ask someone else to lead the team despite the four-match ban the defender now serves.
The excellent Bryan Mbeumo’s 10th goal in 20 appearances followed eight minutes later, and so you wonder about Frank’s future.
For Carrick the midas touch becomes ever more golden: United last reeled off four league wins in a row under Erik ten Hag in February 2024.
Feint, punch and counterpunch was the pattern, for a phase, as the protagonists flitted about exchanging passes and constructing the odd move.
For United Fernandes, fed by Amad Diallo, prompted Mbeumo down the left, but he blasted over. For Spurs Xavi Simons, dropping off the left, was chief conductor, starting one attack inside his half then popping up in United’s, dropping the ball to Conor Gallagher who should have beaten Senne Lammens at close range.
Dominic Solanke, too, failed to profit from a fizzed Destiny Udogie ball from the left, Spurs’ No 9 falling over.
His team’s 4-2-3-1 was near-mirrored by United’s 4-1-1-3-1, Kobbie Mainoo operating ahead of Casemiro in the engine room, as Carrick, fielding an unchanged XI, sought a fourth consecutive win.
Frank, selecting three different players from the City draw, was searching for a first league victory since 28 December: a harrowing statistic. Micky van de Ven’s return from injury was the big plus but Romero retaining his place backfired with his X-rated challenge on Casemiro. Outside Spurs’ area the ball ran to the Manchester United midfielder prompting the Argentinian to stamp on his left ankle.
Casemiro howled in pain and the nearby Michael Oliver raised his red card instantly. Romero trundled off to jeers, Wilson Odobert the sacrifice to allow substitute Radu Dragusin to take the disgraced 27-year-old’s centre-back berth.
So United had a man advantage for 72 minutes (plus added time) and less than 10 were needed for Mbeumo’s clever finish.
From the left Fernandes rolled a corner to Vicario’s near post where Mainoo, peeling off from the centre of goal, met the ball and no-look passed towards the apex of the area where the unmarked Cameroonian slide-ruled home into the right corner.
Jubilation for United and, moments later, Mbeumo turned near-provider – a cross from the right was powered at goal by a Casemiro header but Vicario tipped over.
United were slick, Spurs amateurish. Those in red built a six-pass move through a static opponent, it broke up, yet still Luke Shaw could be found in the area. His ball to Diallo was turned in but he was offside.
Spurs’ woes worsened when Udogie was forced off on 54 minutes, the 19-year-old Souza replacing the left-back. They needed a minor miracle or an error, as when Shaw’s infield-punt went straight to Simons, though the forward’s shooting radar was off.
Shaw next lifted an effort at goal that Vicario beat out, and the keeper did the same when Dalot took aim, in a period of prolonged United dominance.
By now Benjamin Sesko was on for Cunha, while and Frank made a triple change that changed nothing, as Kolo Randal Muani, Yves Bissouma and Mathys Tel tookover from Solanke, Gallagher and João Palhinha.
Sesko, at the very end, missed a sitter of a header but it did not matter, especially after Fernandes’s second.
The United captain said: “Some people will say I didn’t mean it but I did because I knew the ball would go straight into the floor so I had to just go straight across Vicario.”
