Sat 12 March 2022, 09:00
Tottenham HotspurAnother massive clash in the Premier League awaits us on Saturday evening as we head to Manchester United (5.30pm kick-off).
Here in the Notebook, take a look at the game’s key points of note…
1 - Away advantage
As of late, when we have met Manchester United in the Premier League, it has been the away side that has come out on top. In the last seven encounters between the teams, only once has the home side taken all three points – that was United at Old Trafford in December, 2019 (2-1).
Across the seven games, the Red Devils have won three of their four games in London, including a 3-0 victory over us at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in October. We, meanwhile, have won on two of our last three visits to Old Trafford, including a 6-1 thrashing of Saturday’s opponents on our most recent trip (October, 2020). The remaining match came in N17 in June, 2020, with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw.
2 - Last time out at Old Trafford
Back in October, 2020, we enjoyed our greatest ever afternoon at Old Trafford as we thumped Manchester United 6-1. While it unfortunately was played behind closed doors, meaning our supporters could not be in the ground to see it in the flesh, both the result and the performance will still live long in the memory of our fans who watched on from home.
A side we have serially struggled against in the Premier League – we hadn’t won at Old Trafford in the first 20 seasons of the competition (1992-2012) – to turn up and turn Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side over in the north west was quite the statement… and we had to come from behind.
Having conceded within just two minutes of kick-off – Bruno Fernandes dispatching from the penalty spot – it looked like it was going to be one of those days, however we responded almost immediately with Tanguy Ndombele forcing the ball home on four minutes and, once Harry Kane had cleverly picked out Heung-Min Son to put us in front three minutes later, we never looked back.
Ahead on the scoreline, we were then given an extra boost on 28 minutes as United’s Anthony Martial was dismissed for violent conduct and, within three minutes, we took full advantage of the extra man with Harry opening his account for the afternoon before Sonny added our fourth and his second eight minutes before the break. Running riot at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, Serge Aurier then guided home the fifth five minutes after restart before Harry went and grabbed his second of the afternoon from the penalty spot 11 minutes from time, after Ben Davies had been upended in the box by Paul Pogba.
3 - Troubles in Trafford
Since the turn of the year, it has been quite a tricky time at home for Manchester United. Having played five league games at Old Trafford since the start of 2022, they have won just twice – victories over West Ham (1-0) and Brighton (2-0). Of their other three home matches, they have drawn twice – Southampton (1-1) and Watford (0-0) – while, in their first such game this year, they fell 1-0 to Wolves. In failing to hit the target against both Wolves and Watford, that made it five home league games that United have not scored in this season – only in the 2013/14 season have they failed to score in more league matches at Old Trafford (6).
4 - Improvements under Rangnick
Since Ralf Rangnick’s arrival at Manchester United at the end of November, 2021, though, it is noticeable that their results have been on an upward trajectory. Despite a lack of wins in their last two Premier League games – the aforementioned 0-0 home draw with Watford and a 4-1 defeat at local rivals City – they have won eight of their 13 league matches under Rangnick (53 per cent) so far, suffering just two defeats. That’s compared to their first 13 league games, in which they won five (38 per cent) and lost five. They have picked up 10 more points under the German than they did across the same number of games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer/Michael Carrick.
5 - Antonio’s Man United record
In general, when it comes to facing Manchester United, Antonio Conte has quite the record against them. Having faced the Red Devils seven times so far in his managerial career, our Head Coach has defeated them on five occasions, including in the 2018 FA Cup Final. However, when he has travelled to Old Trafford, it hasn’t quite been plain sailing for Antonio as, on both of his visits to United’s home to date, he has been defeated each time.
6 - Top five for Harry?
Harry Kane is on the verge of breaking into the Premier League’s top five goalscorers of all time. Having scored his 175th and 176th goals in the competition in Monday’s 5-0 win over Everton to move above Thierry Henry (175) and into sixth, Harry is now just one goal behind fifth-placed Frank Lampard (177).
And, while a brace against United on Saturday would be enough to secure him fifth place outright in the league’s all-time top goalscorers chart, it would also be enough to see him break another Premier League record. In our last top flight outing on the road – our 4-0 win over Leeds United – Harry scored his 93rd away goal in the competition. If he scores twice at Old Trafford, those strikes will see him overtake former United striker Wayne Rooney’s league record of 94 goals away from home.
And you wouldn’t put it past him to do so as, in his recent trips to the Theatre of Dreams, he has delivered. In his last three visits to United’s home, he has been involved in five goals, scoring three and assisting two, which includes his two goals and an assist on our last visit (6-1 win in October, 2020).
7 - Ronaldo’s record
When it comes to goal threats for Saturday’s opposition, it is hard to look past Cristiano Ronaldo. A player who needs little introduction, Ronaldo is Manchester United’s leading scorer in the top flight this season with nine goals to his name – and he has quite the record when it comes to facing us.
In all competitions, the Portugal international has scored 11 times against us to date – the most he has scored against any English side – and, in his 12 league appearances against us, he has been involved in 11 goals (five scored, six assisted), including a goal and assist in our 3-0 defeat to United earlier this season. He has never lost to us in the competition.
8 - A familiar face
For Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, the threat Cristiano Ronaldo poses will be something they will be very aware of having played over 150 games with the United forward between them.
Our January arrivals from Juventus were team-mates with the Portuguese star in Turin between 2018 and 2021 and won two Serie A titles and two Coppa Italias during their time together. Rodrigo played 111 games alongside Ronaldo in the famous black and white jersey while Dejan racked up 40 matches with United’s number seven.
But it should be noted that the pair have also played against Ronaldo before. ‘Deki’ went up against Ronaldo and parent club Juventus while he was on loan at Parma in 2019/20 before he then faced him on the international stage in Sweden’s 2-1 Euro 2020 group stage defeat to Portugal. Rodrigo, meanwhile, took on the forward in Juventus’ 2017/18 Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid before he then defeated Ronaldo’s Portugal with Uruguay in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup.
9 - Uruguayan reunion
And Ronaldo won’t be the only familiar face that could come up against Rodrigo Bentancur on Saturday as his international team-mate Edinson Cavani is also in line to feature. For his country, Uruguay, Rodrigo has won 30 caps alongside Cavani – one of those matches included the aforementioned 2-1 victory over Ronaldo’s Portugal at the 2018 World Cup, with Rodrigo providing the assist for Cavani’s 62nd-minute winner. Saturday, though, will be the first time the pair have faced each other competitively.
