Fred celebrates for Man Utd
Fred scored the opening goal just after the break for Manchester United

It was Manchester United's best performance of the season so far, as they beat Spurs in the English premier league.

Only the brilliance of Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris denied United the victory they deserved.

In the first half, Lloris made five outstanding saves as United bombarded the Spurs goal with 19 shots.

Fred finally broke the deadlock two minutes after the break, his shot carrying a degree of good fortune as Lloris was finally beaten by Ben Davies' deflection, but it was no more than United deserved.

Bruno Fernandes curled a precise right-foot finish past the stretching Lloris in front of an ecstatic Stretford End as United moved out of sight.

The victory keeps Manchester United fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders, while Spurs missed the chance to move above Manchester City and stay third.

Ten Hag's imprint starts to show

At the end of a victory that bore all the hallmarks of what he wants from his new charges, Manchester United boss Ten Hag looked happy.

The only concern for Spurs was that they might have been made to pay for not scoring in the first 45 minutes, as United were quicker and stronger than them. Antony looked at the post with a 25-yard effort.

The passing was swift and accurate, with Fred playing a key role along with Casemiro in the middle.

When he joined United, the way in which he steered his finish past Lloris for United's crucial second was a sign of his regained confidence.

If Ten Hag has a complaint, and there will not be many, it will be that a two-goal victory margin in no way shows how good United were.

It would have been great to get a top-four place in the premier league after defeats at home by Brighton and at Brentford. It is within United's compass if this target is maintained.

Negative Spurs fall short again

This was a chance for Spurs to show how good they could be. They produced a stodgy and negative performance that mirrored their downfall in the derby defeat.

There was a lack of inspiration and too much conservatism that made Spurs get what they deserved.

Spurs were so deep that they presented United with the initiative and reduced the likes of Kane and Son Heung-min to bystanders.

Some Spurs fans questioned the somewhat restrictive, cagey, style Conte has implemented this season, and this was further proof that a side boasting such attacking quality must offer more threat than this.

One of De Gea's saves was from Kane. It was an important contribution, but Spurs showed a lack of ambition that was only partly due to the brilliance of Lloris.

Spurs can do more than this.

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