Manchester United crushed by Spurs, Erik Ten Hag faces sacking after Ange Postecoglou defeat #adessonews

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has labelled his former side as an “absolute disgrace” following their 3-0 thumping by Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham in their Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Brennan Johnson scored in the third minute before goals from Dejan Kulusevski (47th minute) and Dominic Solanke (77th minute) piled on the pain after Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a dangerous challenge with James Maddison – his first club red card.

Neville – who was speaking on commentary – focused his displeasure on Erik Ten Hag side’s underwhelming first half which set the tone for the match.

Watch selected NRL, AFL, SSN games plus every F1 qualifying session and race live in 4K on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial today.

“It’s not as bad as I initially thought but it sums up United in the first half who have been an absolute disgrace,” he said.

“Probably one of the worst halves I’ve seen under Ten Hag and that’s saying something.

“[Ten Hag] can’t believe what he’s watching. I can’t believe what I’m watching, it’s awful. It really is bad.

“I’m not even talking about scoring goals; I’m talking about the basics. They look shot to pieces, the lot of them.”

The former England and Manchester United right-back then paused and took some more time to gather his thoughts before unleashing a further scathing assessment of his former club.

“I suspect there were better Sunday league teams this morning than what we’ve seen from United this first half. Pub football,” Neville said.

The result puts Tottenham in eighth in the Premier League standings with ten points from six matches.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was himself under pressure just over a week ago. But Spurs have won four games in 12 days and turned in arguably their best performance of the Australian’s reign.

“Outstanding,” said Postecoglou. “I thought we showed real belief and conviction.

“We were aggressive with and without the ball. A fantastic all-round performance.”

Meanwhile, United sits at a lowly 12th on seven points from the same number of games.

The fans have unleashed their fury on social media and Sky Sports football pundit, and former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp, believes Ten Hag may be on his last legs.

“I’ve been doing this job a long time and watched a lot of performances where managers subsequently lose their jobs and that’s the sort of performance – I’m seeing performances at the moment that get the manager sacked too often,” Redknapp said.

“I do feel slightly sorry for the manager. I do feel like he’s out of his depth. He looks a little bit lost and what I mean by that is at the start of the year when your club are actively looking for another manager to come in and take your place, I think you are in a massively untenable position.

“You are naked in that dressing room as soon as you get that contract again because the players know you’re not really the man.”

Manchester United was linked with the likes of England manager Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel – who departed Bayern Munich earlier this year – to take over as manager at the end of last season.

They ultimately stuck with Ten Hag however and Redknapp believes the instability that situation created has bled onto the pitch.

“When I see the team right now, they’re playing like they’re lost. I don’t see anyone taking the game by the scruff of the neck,” he said.

“The players that he’s brought in don’t look right. They are playing with no confidence. They are a team looking like – you can talk about the press all you like – but this club, more than probably any, has a DNA of attacking.

“They attack, they get after teams. When they’re winning, they stomp on teams’ throats – make sure they go two or three nil up. That’s a lot to do with the press not being quite on it. I see too many players looking like – it’s not like they don’t care but just not putting that extra effort in.

“Their club is not built like that. They want to see the players having a go.

“I just don’t see how he can keep his job with these performances.

“I feel like he looks completely lost. I don’t know how he can turn it around. The money that he’s spent is too much to say, ‘it’s okay, give him time’. I think he’s already had enough time.

“I know they won two trophies last year – with a lot of luck – and I will give it to them against Manchester City they were fantastic in the FA Cup (final). I just don’t see how he’s the man to take it forward.

“The only problem is I don’t know who is. It’s such a difficult job right now.”

– FERNANDES SEES RED –

Tottenham were without injured captain Son Heung-min and missed the South Korean’s clinical finishing as they tried to kill the game off.

Andre Onana saved one-on-ones from James Maddison and Timo Werner, while Johnson smashed another effort off the post.

At the other end, Joshua Zirzkee had United’s best chance to equalise when he was denied by a brilliant low save from Guglielmo Vicario.

Any hope of a United fightback was killed off by a moment of madness from their skipper.

Fernandes slipped as he slid into a challenge with Maddison but raised his studs to catch the England international.

Ten Hag responded by sacrificing his only striker in Zirkzee for the much-criticised Casemiro at half-time.

The Brazilian was one of those at fault for the second Tottenham goal. Solanke outmuscled Casemiro to send Johnson tearing down the right and his deflected cross was cleverly flicked beyond Onana by Kulusevski.

Thereafter the 10 men showed plenty of fight and Casemiro came close to halving United’s deficit.

But more calamitous defending allowed Solanke to slide in Tottenham’s third from a corner.

Solanke should have rubbed salt into United wounds when Onana saved another one-on-one in stoppage time.

The travelling support taunted Ten Hag with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” during the second half.

United’s new football leadership team handed the Dutchman an extension to his contract less than three months ago.

How quickly they backtrack on that decision now appears a matter of time.