In front of an Old Manchester gallery growing in optimism and confidence, Spurs went the same way as the other two teams in front of them.
Manager Ten Hag's catastrophic start at United, which began with the embarrassment of a home defeat to Brighton followed by the debacle of a 4-0 loss at Brentford, is now a bad memory.
This was the best performance of the tenure so far.
A highly impressive performance must not be overshadowed by the sight of a disgruntled substitute stalking down the tunnel before the end of a 2-0 win.
Without the great Portuguese, United flourished, showing drive, verve and intensity that was all too much for a Spurs side showing a negative mindset that is too often politely dressed up as a counter-attacking style.
In both of those victories, United had to dig deep in order to get the job done. The performance was far more dominant than the score indicates.
United's fans were in for a treat, with some exciting football that made them happy.
United had 28 shots on target, the most by any team this season, 19 coming in a high-quality first 45 minutes that required Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to make five top-class saves.
Fred's shot and Bruno's curling finish gave United at least a measure of what they deserved and showed that they are on the right path.
A place in the top four is what United want to achieve at the start of the season in order to get over last year's debacle.
This must be a realistic goal for the team after their terrible start.
There was no doubt who was the happier manager, and who looked like the team with the handbrake released, as visiting boss Antonio Conte cut a frustrated, angry figure.
The team was on the attack from the start, with Casemiro and Fred patrolling the middle.
Only Lloris stood between United and the goals they deserved as they poured forward, the Frenchman forced to excel twice more from MarcusRashford after the break
What a pity for Spurs.
There is a counter-attacking set up and there is defending it. You can see the loss at the football stadium. You can see the loss here. The tactics don't work.
Even though Spurs are third, they should be offering more of a threat than this because of the attacking talent of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
One of the world's great coaches is Conte. Everyone can feel that Spurs are capable of more. The performance got what it deserved.
This was a win and display that will grow reserves of self-belief, achieved without the help ofRonaldo, who was absent before the end of the game.
Whatever the reason, Manchester United is not run for the benefit of CR7 and he should stay until the final whistle to celebrate with his teammates.
It was a bad look and added to the impression that he is an outsider to what Ten Hag wants to build.
The spotlight should be on Ten Hag and the people who did a great job of beating Spurs.
Tonight was the time to savour the sort of victory and performance that was exactly what he had in mind when he decided to join this fallen giant.
He was correct.
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