An emphatic 3-0 victory by Tottenham Hotspur at home to Manchester United on Sunday kept Spurs Premier League title hopes alive while taking United closer to the day when the Louis Van Gaa era is over and the Jose Mourinho one can begin.
United were poor on Sunday, with a visible difference in class between themselves and Spurs. In a game that they had to win, United managed one shot on target all game. The one person at White Hart Lane that thought United had played well was van Gaal.
“Until the first goal, we were at least the equal team and the better chance was for us with [Anthony] Martial. It was a big chance, with a big space and a big time for him, but we gave the goal away with miscommunication and then you know what happened next. Within five minutes, we were out of the game.”
I think Tottenham is a great team and I have said that also in advance of this match. But, until the first goal, I think we were a good team who were playing good in Tottenham and we also had a big chance for a goal, so you cannot say the way that we have lost… Yes 3-0 is a big negative result but the way that we have played until the first goal was good.”
What has to frustrate the United players is van Gaal’s insistence of playing them out of position. For example, after a scoreless first half van Gaal took off Marcus Rashford for Ashley Young and played four forwards. Yet not one was deployed in his favored position.
This was the first time that Spurs have beaten United at home since May 2001, just the latest in a long list of records that have fallen during the LVG era. The fear factor of playing Manchester United has gone, and unless Ed Woodward brings in Jose Mourinho this summer it could be a long time until United are competing with the best in the Premier League, never mind Europe again.