MANCHESTER UNITED were booed off the Old Trafford pitch after an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Tottenham.
Erik ten Hag’s men were humbled by Spurs on Sunday as goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke handed the visitors a comfortable victory.
To make matters worse, captain Bruno Fernandes will now miss games against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham after being shown a straight red card for a challenge on James Maddison.
And midfielder Kobbie Mainoo also suffered a blow as he went off injured in the first half.
Yet it is the stats from their start to the season as a whole which really show just how dire things are for Ten Hag and Man Utd.
Three losses, one draw and just two wins equals the torrid start David Moyes experienced at the beginning of the 2013/14 campaign.
READ MORE ON MAN UTD
The tally of seven points mirrors their struggles 11 years ago – while they picked up the same amount after six games in the 2020/21 season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
And it means they have matched their worst ever Premier League start – a record that stretches back to their 1989/90 campaign under Sir Alex Ferguson.
They sit 13th in the table, one place lower than they were under Moyes at the same point.
Another damning stat is Man Utd have now lost more Premier League matches by three or more goals since Ferguson left – 23 in 424 matches – than they did in 1,035 league games under the iconic Red Devils boss.
Most read in Football
MARK HALSEY: Questions must be asked after Bruno Fernandes was sent off for Man Utd against Tottenham
IN real time Bruno Fernandes’ first-half challenge on James Maddison looked a poor one.
And based on an immediate viewing, it seemed ref Chris Kavanagh’s decision to show a red card was the correct one.
But replays clearly showed he slipped and his foot did not make contact as high on Maddison’s leg as it first seemed.
In these circumstances a ref has to consider whether a challenge was reckless, which would be worthy of a caution, or if it has endangered a player’s safety with excessive force and brutality — a red-card offence.
Looking back at the footage, you would have to say it was reckless rather than a case of serious foul play.
There should be no criticism of Kavanagh as he only gets one view of it.
But the question to ask is why VAR Peter Bankes did not get involved, as he sees what we see.
If VAR had recommended a review I’m sure Kavanagh would have changed his mind.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Liverpool and Tottenham have both scored more goals at Old Trafford in the Premier League this season than Man Utd – three compared to just one.
Kulusevski created nine chances in the match, the most by an opposition player in a Premier League game at Old Trafford since records began 21 years ago.
And Man Utd did not manage a single touch in Tottenham’s box in the first 60 minutes of the game.
Ten Hag is now the favourite to become the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season.
Next up for Man Utd is a trip to Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, before they go away to Aston Villa in their final match before the October international break.
Man Utd ratings vs Tottenham
MANCHESTER UNITED suffered a 3-0 thrashing against Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first half for fouling James Maddison, forcing Erik Ten Hag’s side to play with 10 men against Ange Postecoglou’s team.
After back-to-back draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente fans hoped United would redeem themselves against Spurs.
However, the match at Old Trafford quickly turned sour. Brennan Johnson scored early and things worsened when Fernandes was sent off allowing Spurs to extend their lead to 3-0.
And here is how SunSports Charlie Wyett rated the Manchester United stars.
Andre Onana – 5
Stood his ground to deliver a good save from Timo Werner who was clean through – no chance for either goal.
Noussair Mazraoui – 5
First in the refs’ book for chopping down Destiny Udogie. Could also have blocked Micky van de Ven for the goal. Just watched Solanke make it 3-0.
Matthijs de Ligt – 4
Shocking first half. Failed to cut out the cross from Micky van de Ven which led to the first goal.
Lisandro Martinez – 5
Switched off for the Spurs goal and was drawn to the ball and Johnson was left unmarked.
Diogo Dalot – 5
Gave the ball away in dangerous areas and struggled against Johnson.
Manuel Ugarte – 5
Suffered a stinker and was lucky to last until the 73rd minute.
Kobbie Mainoo – 5
Not one of his better performances and was taken off just before half-time following Fernandes’ sending-off.
Marcus Rashford – 5
Over-ran the ball for Tottenham’s first. Way off the pace.
Bruno Fernandes – 4
Arguably the worst captain in United’s history. Deserved red card for his challenge on James Maddison.
Alejandro Garnacho – 6
Had United’s only chance in the first half but hit the outside of the post. Improved in the second half.
Joshua Zirkzee – 5
Looked completely lost up front – threatening to be another poor Erik ten Hag signing. Replaced at half-time.
Subs:
Mount (for Mainoo 45) 5, Casemiro (for Zirkzee 46) 7, Hojlund (for Rashford 73) 5, Eriksen (for Ugarte 73) 5.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
