· Last season's game - Man Utd 1 Spurs 6, 04.10.20
· This season's home game - Spurs 0 Man Utd 3, 30.10.21
· Premier League Matchday 29 - last year
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Full League Record of Man Utd v Spurs

Prem          Pl   W   D   L   For-Ag  Pts
Home          30   6   9  15   34 -47  27
Away          29   4   3  22   23 -54  15
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Total (Prem)  59  10  12  37   57 -101 42  0.712 Pts per game
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Football Lge
Home (Div 1)  51  20  19  12   89 -64  63
Away (Div 1)  51   9   9  33   55 -101 28
=========================================
Total(Div 1) 102  29  28  45  144 -165 91
=========================================
Football Lge
Home (Div 2)   4   2   1   1   10 - 3   5
Away (Div 2)   4   1   2   1    3 - 3   4
=========================================
Total(Div 2)   8   3   3   2   13 - 6   9
=========================================
Total (Prem)  59  10  12  37   57 -101 42
Total (Div 1) 102 29  28  45  144 -165 91
Total (Div 2)  8   3   3   2   13 - 6   9
=========================================
Grand Total   169 42  43  84  215 -272 142
=========================================

Last Six Premier League results:-

Man Utd    -    DDWWDL

Burnley    1-1    Man Utd
Man Utd    1-1    S'hampton
Man Utd    2-0    Brighton
Leeds      2-4    Man Utd
Man Utd    0-0    Watford
Man City   4-1    Man Utd

Spurs      -    LLWLWW
           
Spurs      2-3    S'hampton
Spurs      0-2    Wolves
Man City   2-3    Spurs
Burnley    1-0    Spurs
Leeds      0-4    Spurs
Spurs      5-0    Everton

Pos          P  W  D  L   F-A   GD  Pts
5. Man Utd  28 13  8  7  45-38   7   47
7. Spurs    26 14  3  9  40-32   8   45

A reaction has to be on the cards here

In my Everton match report (since amended to refer only to home wins), I wrote that our 5-0 win was our biggest in the Premier League since December 2019 when we beat Burnley 5-0. My initial report was mistaken, because our biggest previous league win had been the magnificent 6-1 at Old Trafford last season. How could I have forgotten that? One reason of course was the fact that due to Covid regulations, no fan was allowed inside "The Theatre of Dreams," or as my headline described it "The Theatre of Screams."

Due to the late start to the 20-21 season, Spurs had played three league games and United had played just two. It was however Spurs’ eighth game of a busy start to a season in which we had to qualify to play in the Europa League. By the time we met United, the magical Kane and Son combination had already given us a 5-2 away win against Southampton. We had knocked out Chelsea in a League Cup penalty shoot-out and demonstrated our scoring prowess against Maccabi Haifa with a 7-2 Europa League play-off win. Both Kane and Son scored twice as we demolished Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s by that massive score. It was Spurs biggest win at Old Trafford. The previous record was 5-1 by Bill Nicholson's side in September 1959. We were the first side to score four first half goals against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a Premier League game.

Only against Chelsea do we have a worse points per game record than we have against United, but we have now beaten them at Old Trafford four times. All those wins have come in the last 10 years, beginning with the Vertonghen-inspired 3-2 in September, 2012. That was followed on New Year’s Day 2014 by a 2-1 which was our first consecutive away win at the ground for 40 years, when Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham won in 1972-73 and 1973-74. Ralph Coates scored the solitary goal of the game in March 1974, and United were relegated at the end of that season. Our third away win in the Premier League was a 3-0 on the August Bank Holiday in 2018 when Lucas Moura scored two to add to Kane’s opener, and I used the headline “Moura! Moura! Moura!” which was more appropriate to Amsterdam in May 2014.

Our 3-0 home defeat against United at the end of October was Nuno's last game in charge of Spurs. United had come into that game on the back of four league games without a win and a humbling 5-0 home defeat to their arch-rivals Liverpool. After beating Spurs, United would lose at home to their City rivals, before a 4-1 defeat at Watford put paid to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's management.

Now we face a United side who last week were humbled by their City rivals 4-1. After our win against Everton, I cheekily tweeted, “If Spurs beat City 3-2 away and City beat United 4-1, by how many do we beat United next week?” We will of course find out tomorrow tea-time (5.30pm on SKY), but after last week’s lacklustre second half display against their near rivals, there has to be a reaction, doesn’t there?

Following Solskjaer’s departure, United now have an "Interim manager" Ralf Rangnick, whose ultimate United role of "consultant" is to include a recommendation for the next United manager. United fans are not used to the period of instability they have had since their last of 13 Premier League titles and the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. It obviously hurts that since then City have four titles to add to their first, won the year before United’s last league title. Unless they win the Champions League, United will be facing an unprecedented five years without trophy. Sitting in fifth place going into the weekend, United would be overtaken by Spurs (who have two games in hand) should we manage another away win.

Whilst United have endured something of a hiatus since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, they have won a few trophies in that time. (An FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League) A comparison can be drawn with the period after another United icon, Sir Matt Busby, retired. The club endured a barren spell under managers such as Wilf McGuinness, Frank O’Farrell and Tommy Docherty. They were even relegated in 1974 when Docherty was at the helm. Frank O’Farrell who was manager in the 1971-72 season, died last Sunday aged 94.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first of United’s three goals against Spurs in October. It is one of the 9 Premier League goals the 37-year-old has scored this season. He scored his 800th goal for clubs and country in the Premier League game against Arsenal in December, but since that game has scored just three more goals in 14 club games. He has managed just one goal in his last ten games. Ronaldo was absent last weekend, due to a hip flexor problem and apparently made an unauthorised trip home last weekend. He has appeared in training this week, but it is not clear whether or not he is in full training or whether he will be picked for this game.

All has not been well in the United camp for various reasons. Bruno Fernandes’ goal-scoring and involvement seemed to dry up with the arrival of Ronaldo, although Fernandes’ form seems to have picked up a bit of late. I haven’t seen the very latest United team news, but part of their problem seems to be they have the players, but they don’t always have the inclination to battle for results. There is a chance that Varane, Shaw, Cavani and Ronaldo could be available tomorrow.

Antonio Conte said at his press conference yesterday that Ryan Sessegnon has a muscular (believed hamstring) problem and will not be available until after the international break. Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp are also still not ready. With the exception of Reguilon for Sessegnon, I would anticipate the same team tomorrow as played against Everton. Last week Pep Guardiola deployed Grealish and Bernardo Silva to attack the United right flank. Perhaps Reguilon and Son will do the same. As usual, I put my heart before my head and have predicted a Spurs win. The score is irrelevant if we manage what would be an excellent result.

Did you know? - Spurs last beat both Manchester City and Manchester United away in the league in the same season during the 1959-60 season. The goals in our 5-1 win in September 1959 over United were scored by Dave Mackay, Tommy Harmer, Bobby Smith (2) and Dave Dunmore. Spurs completed the double over United in January 1960 with a 2-0 win at White Hart Lane. Bobby Smith scored both goals.

Referee Jon Moss's last Spurs game was our dramatic late win away to Leicester. This will be his 35th Spurs game. He and his wife run a record shop in Headingley called the Vinyl Whistle. Craig Pawson is following us around again. He is fourth official, as he was for our 6-1 away win last season. Let's hope that is a positive omen.

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