If nothing else, there was no mutiny. José Mourinho still heard his name being sung and, at the final whistle, Old Trafford was not too unkind on the manager or his players. Yet these are deeply troubling times for Manchester United, with the chants of “you’re not special any more” loud and clear from the corner housing the victorious Tottenham Hotspur supporters.
The problem for Mourinho is that it is threatening to become the soundtrack to United season. This is the first time they have lost two of their opening three fixtures since the 1992-93 season. Back then, however, United had Sir Alex Ferguson and a spirit of togetherness to recover and win the Premier League. Who, realistically, could imagine the same of this United side? It is certainly not an exaggeration to describe it as a crisis after a wretched second-half display featuring a headed goal from Harry Kane, two crisp finishes from Lucas Moura and a mass walkout of the home supporters once Spurs had scored for the third time, with five minutes of normal time still to play. Mauricio Pochettino’s side took a while getting to grips with Mourinho’s new 3-3-3-1 formation but in the second half the visitors could have added even more. Spurs have won their opening three games and, on this evidence, can look forward to the rest of the season. For Mourinho, it feels very different.
Written by Daniel Taylor at Old Trafford
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/aug/27/manchester-united-tottenham-hotspur-premier-league-match-report under the title “Lucas Moura double for Spurs helps deepen gloom at Manchester United”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
