Manchester United produced one of their best performances of the season as goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes secured an emphatic 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Wednesday.
United rained in 19 shots on the Spurs goal in the first half without scoring, Antony’s curling effort against the post and Marcus Rashford’s powerful strike that was well saved being the closest they came to taking the lead.
It did not take the hosts long to break the deadlock after the interval, however, with Fred’s side-footed shot deflected past Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris less than two minutes into the second half.
United kept coming and deservedly put the game to bed in the 69th minute when Fernandes powered a strike into the net after another excellent flowing move.
The hosts had further chances to make the result more comprehensive, but two goals were enough to lift fifth-placed United to within four points of Spurs in third.
Tottenham Hotspur coach Antonio Conte said his side struggles to compete in games against top Premier League clubs after they were well beaten by the Red Devils.
Thescore at Old Trafford did not reflect the fact that they were comfortably second best in Manchester, facing 28 shots in the match.
For all their progress this season – Spurs are third in the standings despite the loss – Conte feels his team still let themselves down against tougher opponents.
“We have to be honest, United deserved to win,” Conte said. “They started the game very well. In our side, we did not start the game. It was really difficult, because we made a lot of simple mistakes.
“The table is good, but every time we play a high level game, we struggle. I want to be honest – against Chelsea we struggle, we lost against Arsenal and Manchester United we lost.
“In this type of game, I think that you need to arrive and not make big mistakes, with great concentration, great focus. You need to be ready to fight a war, or you die against your opponent. The level is very high, we are struggling.”
Conte, however, is not too worried, and feels his team need time to continue their improvement. –Reuters
