Gary Neville delivered a harsh critique of Manchester United’s first-half display during their loss to Tottenham.
The team, managed by Erik ten Hag, was seeking to recover from a lackluster 1-1 draw against FC Twente in the Europa League earlier in the week as they faced Spurs at Old Trafford on Sunday.
From the outset, United struggled, conceding a goal in just three minutes when Brennan Johnson scored after Micky van de Ven made a strong run from defense.
Although both Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho missed opportunities to equalize— with Garnacho striking the post from close range— United could not find the back of the net.
The situation worsened for the hosts as captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a foul on James Maddison just before halftime.
Gary Neville (pictured) remarked that Manchester United’s first-half showing against Tottenham was one of the poorest under Erik ten Hag.
Brennan Johnson opened the scoring for Spurs just minutes into the match.
United were saved from a greater deficit only by a series of important saves from Andre Onana.
This red card marked the first time Fernandes has been dismissed for Manchester United since joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.
During the commentary, Neville expressed his disappointment in both Fernandes and the overall performance of the team:
‘It’s not as bad as I initially thought but it sums up United in the first half who have been an absolute disgrace. 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.’
Neville further argued that even amateur teams would have performed better:
‘I suspect there were better Sunday league teams this morning than what we’ve seen from United this first half. Pub football.’
After the interval, any hopes of recovery for United faded quickly when, during a swift counter by Spurs, Dejan Kulusevski scored to extend their lead.
Timo Werner missed a significant opportunity to increase the scoreline to three before Onana’s double save, thwarting both him and Dominic Solanke.
Though United began to show signs of life as the match proceeded, they failed to turn their dominance into goals. In the dying minutes, Solanke added another goal from a corner, sealing United’s fate with a third goal.
Neville reiterated during commentary that he believed a pub team would have put forth a better performance.
Spurs quickly regained command after halftime, with Dejan Kulusevski doubling their advantage.
461CommentsDo you agree with Gary Neville? Comment now
Post-match, Neville acknowledged Tottenham’s excellent performance while highlighting United’s dismal first half. He stated:
‘Brilliant from Tottenham. They were outstanding, they played really good football from minute one. For United, the big story today is in that first half they have chosen to put in the very worst possible performance. It was an absolutely disgusting performance in that first half in effort, quality, everything you would want from a football team. Questions are going to be asked of that manager and the team.’
He also reflected on Christian Eriksen’s recent comments regarding the team’s motivation after the draw with Twente, noting:
‘Their application was abysmal. The most worrying thing was Eriksen’s comments that Twente wanted it more. He’s an experienced player and he’s questioning the motivation of his players. What’s come to the fore today is that what he’s saying on a day-to-day basis emanates on a weekend. The players have felt the pressure, they look drained and lacking in belief.’
Continuing, Neville remarked on the challenges faced by Ten Hag, stating:
‘Ten Hag was under great pressure at the end of last season. They supported Ten Hag and backed him with significant investment. With today’s result, an important moment in the season for United has arrived. They need to restore order quickly. The players must take control of the dressing room and decide what they want to do. There’s a lot of change behind the scenes, and the pressure will be on them to produce results quickly.’
Dominic Solanke compounded United’s woes by scoring a third goal late in the match.
Looking ahead, Ten Hag’s side finds itself situated in the bottom half of the table, trailing rivals Liverpool by eight points. They will aim to turn things around when they visit Porto for a Europa League tie on Thursday, followed by a match against Aston Villa three days later.
