Wed 19 October 2022, 12:00
Tottenham HotspurAfter Saturday’s fine win over Everton, our Premier League campaign moves quickly on as we travel to face Manchester United this evening (kick-off 8.15pm).
Ahead of the match, here are all of the game’s key points of note…
1 – Our best ever start
What a fine start we have had to the season! Having picked up 23 points from our first 10 games (W7 D2 L1) we are enjoying our best ever start to a Premier League campaign - beating our 22 point haul from our opening 10 outings of the 2011/12 season.
2 – In fine fettle
And our start to the season continues a fine run of form we are on under Antonio Conte. In our last 16 Premier League games, we have lost just once, winning 11 and drawing four of those matches. In that time, we have scored 35 goals and conceded just 12, keeping eight clean sheets.
Highlights of Saturday's win over Everton
3 – Better than last time
Our bright form this campaign has seen us make marked improvements on our results of last season. In fixtures this term compared to the corresponding fixture last campaign, we have a points difference of plus eight. That pick up is following home victories over Southampton and Wolves (last season we fell to defeat in the same fixtures) while we improved on our returns from our 2021/22 trips to Chelsea and West Ham, turning defeats into draws.
2021/22 2022/23
Spurs 2-3 Southampton Spurs 4-1 Southampton
Spurs 0-2 Wolves Spurs 1-0 Wolves
Chelsea 2-0 Spurs Chelsea 2-2 Spurs
West Ham 1-0 Spurs West Ham 1-1 Spurs
4 – Old Trafford improvements
We’ll be looking to build on that record of improvement when we head to Old Trafford tonight. Last season, despite dominating in the north west, we fell to a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United – that was our opponents third win on the spin against us. However, it must be noted that we have improved on our visits to the Theatre of Dreams in the last decade. Having not triumphed in any of our first 19 Premier League trips there, in September, 2012, we claimed our first three points there with a 3-2 win. We have since taken victory there a further three times, including a 6-1 win in October, 2020.
Man Utd 1-6 Spurs | October, 2020
5 – Improving United
To take another victory in the north west this evening though, we know we will need to be at our best. Despite Manchester United’s troubles in recent years, they are showing signs of improvement under Erik ten Hag this year and will prove another tough test for us this season. Having played nine games so far, United have picked up 16 points, winning five of those matches and losing three.
6 – Ronaldo’s record
And United will always pose a threat when they have Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks. After a slow start to the season, the five-time Ballon d’Or has started each of the Red Devils last two Premier League matches and in those matches came his first league goal in their 2-1 win at Everton, 11 days ago. Against us, he also has quite the record having scored eight goals against us in the top flight – more than he has against any other side – and that includes a hat-trick in this fixture last season.
7 – Kane’s motoring
Harry Kane has started this season like a train. We might be just 10 games into the campaign, but Harry already has nine goals to his name – his best ever start to a Premier League season – and he has also scored in each of our last five top flight outings – a feat he hadn’t managed in the competition until now. He is the fifth Spurs player to score in five consecutive Premier League appearances, and he could become the first to score in six in a row if he nets against United.
8 – That night in Amsterdam
Tonight’s clash will be the first time we have encountered Erik ten Hag since our famous Champions League semi-final second leg victory over Ajax in May, 2019. Having fallen 1-0 in the home leg, we then headed to Amsterdam to take on Ten Hag’s former side a week later, looking to turn around the deficit and book our place in our first-ever Champions League final.
At the Johan Cruyff Arena, however, we got off to the worst possible start, falling a further two goals behind. It left us with just 45 minutes to pull off the most remarkable of comebacks but, with some legendary magic from Lucas Moura, we did just that as the Brazilian fired home a hat-trick including the winner in the final second of the match to send us to the June final in Madrid.
