The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo left before the 2-0 victory over Spurs overshadowed Manchester United’s greatest performance of the year to date. On Wednesday night, a jubilant Manchester United team defeated Tottenham thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Fred. But the narrative didn’t end there.
Unfortunately, the unused substitute Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit down the tunnel with four minutes remaining in his team’s 2-0 victory will dominate the headlines. This is unfortunate because this was United’s most complete performance of the season. Spurs were destroyed by their opponents despite entering the game with a chance to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to just one point.
The contribution of a captain. Bruno persevered even though his first-half efforts weren’t always successful in keeping Tottenham from enjoying any downtime. Then, with the outcome of the game still up for grabs, he seized his opportunity to secure victory with finesse when it meant the most. Hugo Lloris and everyone else knew where the ball was going as soon as it left Bruno’s boot. Bruno bent a bouncing ball into the top corner to give his team a sizable victory.
Erik ten Hag’s team put their recent Manchester Derby defeat behind them and re-established themselves as a serious contender for a top-four finish in the Premier League. Fred and Fernandes controlled the game in the middle of the field, so it was only right that they both scored.
Erik Ten Hag’s United was incredibly impressive and fully deserving of the three points, which moved them to within four points of Spurs with a game left to play. Tottenham’s performance may have been terrible, with Antonio Conte’s team struggling against one of the big boys once again, but United was awfully good.
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