I saw Ruud van Nistelrooy do what Man United boss Erik ten Hag couldn't during Tottenham loss

Erik ten Hag interacts with his backroom staff during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Old Trafford.
-Credit: (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)


It was another disappointing afternoon for Manchester United at Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag’s side returned to Premier League action.

United hosted Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, four days after being held to a 1-1 draw against FC Twente in the Europa League. But things didn’t start well for the team, with Brennan Johnson benefitting from Micky van de Ven’s run through the heart of the United defence after just three minutes.

Ten Hag’s side were probably lucky not to be more down before half time, with Tottenham causing them problems. But it did get worse for United before the whistle.

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Captain Bruno Fernandes was shown a red card for the first time in his United career after a challenge on James Maddison. The midfielder caught Maddison high on the leg after slipping, but the challenge was deemed serious foul play, and he was shown a straight red card.

Spurs took advantage of the numerical advantage early in the second half, when Dejan Kulusevski doubled their lead after just three minutes. While United showed some small signs of trying to get back in the game, any faint hope was extinguished with 13 minutes left to play when Dominic Solanke turned in a corner.

The result leaves United in 12th place in the Premier League table, having won two, drawn one, and lost three of their opening six games of the season. It leaves questions being asked of Ten Hag.

It was another afternoon to forget for the team. But here are some moments from the match that you may have missed.

Ten Hag makes feelings clear

At one point in the first half, with United losing 1-0, the team were struggling to deal with Tottenham’s high press, the ball being stolen by Spurs’ attacking players. On one of the occasions, the ball fell to James Maddison; luckily for United, his shot was straight at Andre Onana.

The Sky Cameras cut to Ten Hag on the touchline, who appeared to slightly shake his head. It was something noticed by commentator Gary Neville, who didn’t hold back on his feelings on the performance.

“He shakes his head, he can’t believe what he’s watching, I can’t believe what I’m watching. It’s awful,” he said on Sky commentary.

Van Nistelrooy advice

Just a few minutes later, as Tottenham prepared to take a wide free kick, the camera turned to Ten Hag again. This time he was sat on the bench, next to coach Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The two were in deep conversation over the game. While Ten Hag cut a frustrated figure with his input, including gesturing towards the pitch, van Nistelrooy appeared to be staying cool and calm during the conversation, not taking his eye off what was happening on the pitch.

The former striker was linked with some Premier League managerial positions over the summer, but he returned to Old Trafford to be part of Ten Hag’s backroom staff. The 48-year-old was PSV Eindhoven boss for a year, leading the Dutch side to victory in the Dutch Cup.

Fernandes’ Maddison conversation

Things got worse for United before half time when Bruno Fernandes was shown a straight red card. It was his first during his time at the club, with replays showing his boot catching Maddison high after he appeared to slip.

VAR didn’t find a clear and obvious error with the decision, with the challenge seen as serious foul play. As Fernandes started to leave the pitch, the cameras showed Maddison with his arm around the United man with the two in conversation.

While it was not clear what was said, it seemed good natured, with both having their say on the incident. Maddison appeared to be sympathetic towards Fernandes.

Rubbing salt into the wounds

The way the game went gave the travelling Spurs fans a chance to direct chants in Ten Hag’s direction. In the 50th minute, with their team 2-0 up, they started chanting “You’re getting sacked in the morning” towards the United boss.

In the closing stages of the game with Spurs 3-0 up, the away fans started chanting, “Can we play you every week?” While in stoppage time, the “Ole’s” came out with every Tottenham pass cheered.

The nature of the chants from the corner of Old Trafford summed up just how the game went in opposite directions for both teams. It’s a game that the United fans in attendance will want to forget quickly.