Manchester United v Tottenham: Premier League – live!

12.35pm EDT 12:35

Peep!

46mins: Spurs get the second half under way. Fernandes and Matic are off, Fred and McTominay on for United, Lamela off for Moura for Spurs, though many will say he should have been long gone

12.28pm EDT 12:28

“Why does Kane get all the accolades and focus?” says Mark Cassidy. “Son is the star.” True. They’re twice as good with him in their side. But some harsher words for one of his fellow attackers. “Sticking your elbow in a player’s throat and then collapsing to the ground when they retaliate with a light slap is really smart tactic from Mourinho/Lamela,” adds Brian Kitt.

Graeme Souness is fuming about this too, if that’s any consolation, though he’s laced it with all manner of guff about “players from Latin countries” being more prone to such skulduggery, unlike the Stout Yeoman Brits who, to a man, are Not That Type Of Player.

12.23pm EDT 12:23

My inbox has been as peppered as Man United’s penalty area was in that first half, most focusing on United’s shambolic state rather than Spurs’ slick excellence. “I think the one saving grace for both OGS and Ed Woodward is that there are no fans in the stadium to see this,” writes Graeme Thorn. “The negative chants would be deafening by now.”

Surely it goes higher up than that. The fact is the club has owners that aren’t that fussed by any of this. Glazernomics is a demonstrable failure.

12.19pm EDT 12:19

Half-time: Man Utd 1-4 Spurs

I need a bit of a power lie-down after that. Tottenham are rampant here.

12.18pm EDT 12:18

45 mins +2 : United win a corner, Maguire’s header is blocked, and Spurs clear.

12.18pm EDT 12:18

45 mins + 1: Kane is given a free header to attack from the corner but he flicks it wide. He should have done better, perhaps, but he’s been excellent this half.

12.17pm EDT 12:17

45 mins: Spurs playing keepball at the minute, until they work it wide for Aurier, who skims a venomous shot from the right wide, and it took a deflection.

Three added minutes.

12.14pm EDT 12:14

43 mins: Maguire wastes another attack with a careless ball into touch on the left. Imagine the mood inside the ground if fans were there.

12.13pm EDT 12:13

42 mins: Pogba’s strength wins a free-kick after three defenders gang up on him but Shaw’s subsequent delivery is overhit.

12.11pm EDT 12:11

40 mins: United attack! Purposefully from Rashford in a central area, but he plays it wide to Wan-Bissaka whose ball in is but ua weak bobble.

12.10pm EDT 12:10

38 mins: It’s hard to see how Edinson Cavani is the precise answer to this.

12.09pm EDT 12:09

Goal! Man Utd 1-4 Spurs

37 mins: It’s a rout. Sissoko plays Aurier down the right, who slides it across the area for Son, darting in at the near post to glide the most delicate of angled finishes past De Gea into the opposite corner. Delightful attacking, woeful defending.

Son Heung-min scores Tottenham’s fourth goal Photograph: Oli Scarff/Reuters

Updated at 12.13pm EDT

12.05pm EDT 12:05

34 mins: Going back to the penalty, it looked kind of soft, and Lamela seems to have started it with a push, but Martial gave him a pretty firm and purposeful slap back.

12.03pm EDT 12:03

31 mins: “Scabby from Man United” according to Gary Neville, an insult I’ve not used in the context of my own football team but might well do now

12.02pm EDT 12:02

Goal! Man Utd 1-3 Tottenham (Kane)

30 mins: United are caught out again, inside their own area, Bailly robbed, Son playing it across the area for Kane to welly home

Harry Kane celebrates scoring Tottenham’s third goal Photograph: Oli Scarff/Reuters

Updated at 12.10pm EDT

12.01pm EDT 12:01

29 mins: If it’s any consolation, that Spurs corner came to nothing.

12.00pm EDT 12:00

Sending off: Martial

Manchester United are down to 10. There was some kind of melee after that corner was conceded, involving Martial and Lamela, who went down as they were tussling at the near post. It’s all careering out of control for the hosts here

Anthony Martial is shown a red card after lashing out at Erik Lamela Photograph: Carl Recine/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 12.12pm EDT

11.59am EDT 11:59

28 mins: More carnage as first Reguilon and then Ndombele try their luck with fierce shots into the mixer. Corner again.

11.58am EDT 11:58

27 mins: Spurs go close again, and again Kane is the creator playing in Aurier who cuts in from the right before his shot is palmed away by De Gea. Another attack follows, and Lamela sees a shot deflected wide from close range.

11.56am EDT 11:56

25 mins: Fernandes floats a lovely diagonal ball to the far post for Rashford but Aurier does well to head out for a throw, but Man Utd come again until Maguire is dispossessed and a long ball is played forward for Son, who looks odds-on to make it 3-1 but makes an uncharacteristic mess of his first touch. A squandered chance

11.54am EDT 11:54

23 mins: Greenwood goes close. Surrounded by four defenders on the edge of the area he wriggles clear of all of them to find space for a shot that skims just wide of Lloris’s left-hand post.

11.52am EDT 11:52

21 mins: United pressing a bit more now, and Greenwood finds some space 20 yards out but his shot is muffled by a deflection and ends in Lloris’s arms.

11.51am EDT 11:51

20 mins: Rashford hits the post! Reaching a fine through ball, he beats Aurier and sends a skidding shot against the upright, though the flag was up for offside.

Updated at 12.04pm EDT

11.49am EDT 11:49

19 mins: The free-kick is headed clear and eventually ends in the arms of Lloris.

11.49am EDT 11:49

18 mins: Martial runs at Sanchez inside the box again, gets the better of him again initially but Spurs recover this time until a free-kick is conceded 25 yards out on the left.

Updated at 12.04pm EDT

11.48am EDT 11:48

17 mins: Lamela robs Pogba midway inside the United half, but United regroup to press Spurs back. Reguilon eventually gets down the left to send in a low cross that De Gea gathers.

11.46am EDT 11:46

15 mins: Spurs look that bit crisper and controlled in possession at the moment in what is otherwise a pretty helter-skelter game. Kane is everywhere.

“The opening minutes of this fixture will be featured in the upcoming book “How Not to Play Football,” quips Mary Waltz.

11.44am EDT 11:44

14 mins: Lamela’s kick wide n the right is charged down and United break through Martial but Ndombele regains possession from Matic on the edge of the Spurs area

11.43am EDT 11:43

13 mins: Kane forages again, teeing up Lamela before he’s forced back. Spurs win a free-kick after the ball is belted into Luke Shaw’s midriff. Here we go.…

11.42am EDT 11:42

11 mins: And breathe. Much though I find assist statistics superfluous, the sheer creative potency of Kane of late is a thing of wonder.

11.39am EDT 11:39

8 mins: This was top-notch attacking interplay from Spurs here, Kane sliding in Son, who bursts beyond the back line on the left to clip it into the opposite corner. Cagey, tactical chess, this eh.

11.37am EDT 11:37

6 mins: after good work by Shaw, Greenwood takes a low potshot from 20 yards but Lloris is down comfortably behind it

11.36am EDT 11:36

Goal! Man Utd 1-1 Spurs (Ndombele 4)

Absurd stuff! a throw into the box causes havoc among Maguire and Bailly who can’t handle Ndombele’s rumbustious presence and his deflected shot finds the corner.

Tanguy Ndombele scores for Tottenham Photograph: Oli Scarff/Reuters

Updated at 11.39am EDT

11.34am EDT 11:34

3 mins: What a daft start from Spurs – United showed good intent down the left, and Martial was deftly played in behind Spurs back line but that was basics from Sanchez, barging into Martial like that.

11.33am EDT 11:33

Goal! Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham (Fernandes 2pen)

Ninety seconds in, and Crisis Club United are ahead, as Fernandes effortlessly rolls his kick into the corner

Bruno Fernandes jumps before slotting in the penalty Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters

Updated at 11.38am EDT

11.32am EDT 11:32

Penalty to Man Utd!

An early United raid and Sanchez clumsily brings down Martial as he zips in from the left

Davinson Sanchez fouls Anthony Martial Photograph: Carl Recine/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 11.36am EDT

11.31am EDT 11:31

Peep!

United get us underway, kicking towards the east stand, after the customary knee-take.

11.23am EDT 11:23

Jose Mourinho talks, on a very important matter: He genuinely though “Gary” was short for “Gareth” and that was why he addressed the England manager Southgate thus the other day. “I apologised to him and I want to make that public.” Glad that’s cleared up.

Meanwhile, Stephen Carr (presumably not the former Spurs full-back) emails to say: “I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that this afternoon’s game is going to be the complete and utter opposite of Leeds – City.”

11.16am EDT 11:16

A bit of pre-match chatter, from Solskjær and Rashford: “We have to break them down cleverly enough,” says Solskjær, “and they’ve got Son back who’s one of the best players in the league at running in behind.” As for Cavani: “I can’t say anything before a deal is done, my mind is on the game

Rashford says United need to take more risks, and it’s important to go into the international break in good spirits with a win behind them.

In the Sky studio, G-Nev and Patrice Evra maintain the critical tune by querying the planning process – or lack of – in moving for Cavani, and the omission of Van de Beek for Pogba.

11.10am EDT 11:10

Back on a nostalgia tip, here’s some wise counsel from one of our regulars:

Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999)

If you fancy a bit more nostalgia @tomdaviesE17, the World Cup Panini Football Collection 1970-2018 is a wallow in glorious kits and dodgy haircuts (and so much more) – https://t.co/nFoWrW4sJG

October 4, 2020

Now you’re talking. In fact, I’m still three short to complete España 82 if someone could help a brother out.

11.01am EDT 11:01

A perhaps tone-setting first email. “Still no league start for van de Beek…” harrumphs Robert Lin. “Is Ole actively trying to get sacked?”

This level of pre-match discontent can only mean one thing: a reverse-jinx and the Reds win at a canter.

10.59am EDT 10:59

In these dystopian, digital football-watching times, you’re going to want a dose of English football’s past at its most eccentric. In which case, tuck right into this gallery:

Graffiti, fishing and Mr Whippy – unseen photographs from football’s yesteryear

10.57am EDT 10:57

Arsenal have beaten Sheffield United 2-1, braving a late Blades’ fightback after a fine David McGoldrick goal, while Fulham are still pointless after losing 0-1 at Wolves.

And an eye-catching scoreline involving Fulham’s west London rivals Brentford too, the Bees tossing away a 2-0 lead at home to Preston to go down 2-4.

Arsenal’s women have won too, 3-1 against Bristol City.

10.43am EDT 10:43

The teams!

Son is back for Spurs, Bailly in for Lindelöf for the hosts

Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Pogba, Matic, Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford, Martial. Subs: Lindelöf, Mata, Lingard, Fred, Henderson, Can de Beek, McTominay

Tottenham: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Dier, Reguilon, Sissoko, Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Lamela, Kane, Son. Subs: Doherty, Alderweireld, Winks, Hart, Alli, Lucas Moura, Davies.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)

10.33am EDT 10:33

Pre-match reading: Our resident tactics guru Jonathan Wilson runs a critical eye over Man Utd’s current state here:

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s summer lit up by Fernandes becomes autumnal gloom | Jonathan Wilson

While Eric Dier talks h*ndball and more, here:

Tottenham’s Eric Dier admits to being terrified of new handball rule

10.20am EDT 10:20

Preamble

Afternoon everyone. What to make of this one then? Two heavyweight-ish sides about which it’s hard to divine whether they’re very good this season. Manchester United’s unconvincing early performances and seemingly confused transfer window have done little to muffle the mumblings of those who wonder whether the club have got any sort of plan. The move to sign Edinson Cavani, formidable forward though he is and has been, has more than a whiff of the Zlatan or Larsson cameos at Old Trafford. And the Bruno Fernandes/Mason Greenwood love-in period of high summer suddenly seems very distant.

José Mourinho meanwhile returns to Old Trafford boasting Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon as recent arrivals. Bale is unlikely to figure today but Reguilon should, and has already shown his promise. Tottenham have had a curious season so far, schooled by Everton first off before outplaying Southampton and Newcastle only to be denied victory against the latter by that handball kerfuffle about which all opinions have now been officially exhausted and are thus prohibited. And they’ve reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup without winning a game over 90 minutes, as well as the Europa League group stage. Busy, busy, busy.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side won this fixture last season, 2-1, condemning Mourinho to his first loss as Spurs manager before United somehow scrambled a draw from a sub-par performance at an empty Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June.

It’ll be an intriguing one. Don’t go anywhere. Kick off 4.30pm BST.

Updated at 10.27am EDT