Tottenham Hotspur

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Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp, on Sky Sports: "There was a lot of good things in this Tottenham performance. They were much better than United in every department but that is just a theme this whole season.

"I look at the United team and look at the squad, I find it hard to get a team that is going to compete week in, week out. They are just not strong enough."

Former Liverpool midfielder and Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy: "I was surprised at United. I thought they'd be better than that. And they lost a bit of confidence as the first half went on because Tottenham were good. Spurs had more energy, more quality and more urgency.

"The biggest difference I saw in the teams was the physicality, United looked lesser in that department. They didn't have the same power and the same pace as Tottenham. In midfield, especially. [Youri] Tielemans and [Kobbie] Mainoo - the gaps between them and the wide midfielders was too big.

"Tottenham were getting in all sorts of good positions and on another day, United could have been a couple down by half-time.

"United have got to find a system and the personnel to be more difficult to play against. Otherwise it's going to be really difficult to win matches."

Former Tottenham winger Chris Waddle, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think Tottenham looked promising there, first half they were very good. Second half United upped the tempo.

"Tottenham have played very well. United have got work to do. They've lost confidence and need to build that back up.

"But at the minute I think both teams will do OK this season. They just need confidence."

Tottenham starting XI:

Antonin Kinsky: Not much to do for half an hour. Eventually made comfortable save to deny Amad Diallo. Couldn't get to Bryan Mbeumo's shot. 6

Archie Gray: Decent effort but getting sucked into making a tackle he didn't need to on Matheus Cunha underlined his inexperience. 7

Jan Paul van Hecke: Probably expected to be under more pressure than he was. Header from Tottenham corner nearly caught United out. Didn't get tight enough to Mbeumo for United's goal. 6

Marcos Senesi (off 89, Mateus Fernandes): In control for most of the opening half and would have been unlucky to end up on losing side. 7

Destiny Udogie (off 74, Van de Ven): Had the better of his personal duel with Amad but eventually replaced as faded in second half. 6

Lucas Bergvall (off 65, Bentancur): Lot of energy in midfield and worked incredibly hard but end product was lacking. 6

Sandro Tonali: Given far too much room in the centre of the pitch, which allowed him to dominate. No surprise his cross led to Tottenham's equaliser. 7

Savio: Speed a huge threat to the home defence, one touch took him past Bruno Fernandes. Goalbound shot turned away by Kobbie Mainoo. 8

Conor Gallagher (off 74, Maddison): Early booking for a foul on Harry Maguire but didn't dilute his combative nature and should have done better with a decent opening at the end of the first half. 6

Mohammed Kudus (off 65, Marmoush): Had his manager spinning round in anguish at failure to take first-half chance he drove wide. Struggling to be effective. Not a surprise when replaced. 6

Dominic Solanke: Named captain in a much-changed starting line-up. Wasted glorious chance to give visitors an early lead and fired over from a central position in second half. Eventually got his goal. 6

Tottenham substitutes:

Omar Marmoush (on 65, Kudus): Manchester City past didn't escape home fans attentions. 6

Rodrigo Bentancur (on 65, Bergvall): Idiotic reaction to Luke Shaw's shove and deserved to be sent off. 1 (for going on the pitch)

James Maddison (on 74, Gallagher): Always wants the ball. 6

Micky van de Ven (on 74, Udogie): Kept Tottenham solid despite having 10 men. 6

Matheus Fernandes (on 89, Senesi): 5

Subs not used: Martin Dubravka, Tosin Adarabioyo, Mathys Tel, Ben Davies.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Emily Salley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Like so many of their matches so far this season, Tottenham were the better team to start with and they penned Manchester United in with their high press and quick tempo.

But once again they lacked conviction in front of goal and were left to rue missed early chances, with Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus and Conor Gallagher all failing to find the back of the net in the opening 45 minutes.

For the 18th time in 2026, Spurs were unable to score in the first half of a Premier League game and they could not assert the same level of control after the break as United responded.

They were ultimately punished when Mbeumo effortlessly strode past Jan Paul van Hecke and angled a strike past Antonin Kinsky and into the bottom right corner.

Rodrigo Bentancur's two-footed challenge on Shaw - coming straight after a wild sliding tackle from van Hecke - perhaps warranted a red card on its own, but referee Stuart Atwell was left with no choice but to send him off when he planted his head towards the England left-back's face.

Solanke's glancing header won't stop the growing scrutiny on Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi, who has won just four of his 15 games in charge, but it does at least show the team have a fighting spirit as they try to haul themselves up the table.

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi, spoketo Sky Sports after his side's draw against Manchester United: "I think we played very well against a great team. We had many chances to score in the first half. Three or four. The second half is normal to suffer against this quality. I am very happy because I have seen the right spirit and character.

"We suffered in the game but every situation of the game. I like the situation we were in with the red card. We need this situation. We have not accepted the defeat. We have to react in all ways we can. It is a bad way, it is not the right way. I kiss Rodrigo Bentancur in the dressing room. Football is character.

"We win the game if we play as a team. We didn't win this game playing as a team. Every game like today, we will win many games.

On Dominic Solanke: "He is a good player for Tottenham. There for not too many strikers better than Solanke. Today he was captain because he deserved it, especially in this moment because he suffer because Tottenham didn't score or win any games. He is a great guy, great player and we are behind him.

"We have to believe in ourselves and this football way. If we believe, improve and play as a team, we will score many goals and win many games. If we don't play as a team, it is impossible."

Spurs goalscorer Dominic Solanke, also spoke to BBC Match of the Day: "I wouldn't say it feels like a win. In the first half, we played so well. Dominated the majority and should have been a couple of goals ahead. In the second half, we go and man down and still managed to get something from the game. It shows the mentality and the character of the team.

"We've been a goal down and not reacted in the right way, we wanted to put that right. Goal down, man down, it would have been easy for us to not go for the win.

"I probably should've had three goals today. I wanted to make sure I kept getting as many as I can. I put one away so I'm thankful for that.

On the red card for Rodrigo Bentancur: "It all happened so quickly so I haven't seen it back yet. It shows the fight in the team. Everyone is so hungry to do the right thing and show the right passion.

"We've got so much to work on. The mentality and character was great. We're going to put things right eventually and we'll be flying sooner rather than later."

Did you know?

• Tottenham have failed to win each of their opening six games of a league season for just the fourth time in their history, after 2008-09, 1955-56 and 1912-13.

• Tottenham made six changes to their starting XI, the most of any side in a Premier League game so far this season. Overall, their total of 19 starting XI changes is also the most by any team in 2026-27.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Manchester United's performance

What did you make of Spurs' display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are six games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Arsenal v Leeds United (12:30)

• Aston Villa v Brentford - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Chelsea v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich Town v Fulham

• Sunderland v Brighton

• Manchester United v Tottenham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated.

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A win would be big for Manchester United boss Michael Carrick after their shaky start to the season, but the implications for his future would be bigger if his side lose.

Everything tells me that Carrick's side should probably take the three points because Tottenham are so flaky at the moment, but I am just not sure about United either.

Spurs are bottom of the table for a reason - they have been terrible so far - but United got away with one in their draw against Fulham before the break.

I am not sure much will have changed for either team since then, so it is hard to make a case for anyone to win this, but I am going with Bruno Fernandes to settle it with a bit of magic.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

Both Manchester United and Tottenham have had underwhelming starts to the season, leading to the pressure growing both head coaches. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes going into Saturday's fixture at Old Trafford.

Seven games into the season and the only victories Manchester United have enjoyed have come against newly promoted Ipswich Town and Champions League debutants Sabah.

Their tally of just five points from five league matches represents their joint worst start to a Premier League season, along with the 2014-15 campaign.

As a result, the pressure has been steadily building on Michael Carrick - though he has lost just five of 24 matches since taking over in January.

A sift through United's statistics produces some eye-catching numbers, with their 113 shots and 182 touches in the opposition box both top-flight highs. But they have failed to capitalise on these attacking endeavours and Carrick's tactical shift to a more possession-based game needs to reap dividends sooner rather than later to get the doubters off his back.

Historically, Tottenham at home has been a dream fixture for the Red Devils. The 25 defeats they have inflicted on Spurs at Old Trafford is the second-most away losses a Premier League side has suffered at a venue, after Everton's 26 at Arsenal.

But Tottenham had enjoyed the upper hand of late - until United ended their eight-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory in February.

'Fragile' Tottenham desperate for a win

It has been a long three weeks for bottom-of-the-table Spurs to ponder a start to the campaign in which they have failed to win any of their opening five league matches and took 446 minutes to score a top-flight goal.

In the wake of their defeat by Aston Villa, head coach Roberto de Zerbi pulled no punches as the scale of his task to shed the club's losing culture becomes starker.

"It's difficult to explain because, in my career, 14 years as a coach, I've never seen one team like us - so fragile, so inconsistent," he said.

This fragility he talks of is nothing new and is something the previous incumbents of the Tottenham hot seat have also had to wrestle with. Spurs have failed to win any of their past 48 matches (37 in the Premier League) when they have conceded the opening goal.

Meanwhile, their tally of 18 points won in 2026 is the lowest of any ever-present side.

An increasingly exasperated De Zerbi has tinkered heavily with his team selection to try to change their fortunes - the 13 he has made to his starting line-ups across the first five matches is more than any other top-flight side, while the 26 starts he has given to players who didn't play a game for them last season is nine higher than any other team.

But all the alterations are yet to have the desired effect and Spurs are the only Premier League side yet to lead a match this season.

If they fail to win at Old Trafford it will only be the fourth time in their history that they have not won any of their opening six league games of a season, following the 1912-13 (first 12 games), 2008-09 (eight) and 1955-56 (six) campaigns.

Ailsa Cowen
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On how the international break has been with Spurs bottom the the table and having gone into it off the back of a home defeat by Aston Villa: "It's been difficult, very tough, especially the first week. It's part of our real situation and we have to react and work."

• On the fitness of Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, who picked up injuries on international duty: "They are available to play. Micky played four games, 90 minutes, and JP just three games. The difference is this - yesterday, JP's wife had twins and we have to consider the emotional aspect. But he's available."

• On James Maddison: "He's available but he lost three, four days at the end of last week and the start of this. James is a special player for us. Gallagher, as a 10, also he's playing well. We're both frustrated because he wants to be on the pitch. It's not a big injury and tomorrow he can play, but the Premier League is tough - you need to be fit and in the right condition to run and fight. He is working well and this is the way. The way is to complete three, four, five weeks in a row without feeling pain and problems - then he's a normal player."

• On summer signing Mateus Fernandes: "He's a great player, one of the best in our team, and he needs time to understand the club. I have confidence in him. He doesn't start games badly or worse than others, but he has to be stronger. He needs time and that's what we'll give him."

• On Dejan Kulusevski: "Tomorrow, he will come with us for support. He is working very well and I think he is an example for everyone - the example of how he reacted to the injury, the character he showed."

• De Zerbi was asked about the Calciopoli scandal in Serie A, which happened when he was a Napoli player, alluding to Manchester City being found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules: "What do you mean? Manchester City? At the time, I was crazy as a player. I don't remember my thoughts, just to think on the ball. When you're a player you don't think too much. When you're a coach, the focus is on your players. I have no time to think about other problems other than my team, my club."

Listen to live commentary of Man Utd v Tottenham on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds on Saturday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Just five games in, it might seem a bit early to pay much attention to the Premier League table - but it's probably more settled than you think.

If we look at the Premier League after five games last season and where teams ultimately ended up, the final table was already starting to take shape as 13 of the 20 sides finished within four places of where they sat even at this early stage (65%).

Eventual champions Arsenal were second, Sunderland were already seventh - where they finished eight months later - and two of the three sides that were relegated were already in the bottom three.

The eventual champions have been in the top two at this point in the past four campaigns, suggesting - potential punishments aside - it will be Manchester City or Arsenal that lifts the trophy.

The top end of the table overall has sometimes settled surprisingly quickly in recent years. The top eight after five games in 2024-25 finished as the top eight at the end of that season (although not in the same order), while the top six in 2019-20 and top seven in 2016-17 were also in place at this early stage.

While being top after five games has not meant much in recent seasons, being bottom certainly has.

Tottenham could well be in trouble once again as the side bottom of the Premier League after five games has been relegated in six of the past seven seasons.

Being bottom this early did not used to be such a bad omen. Between 2013-14 and 2018-19, only one of the six sides that were propping up the table after five games ended up going down - Newcastle in 2015-16 - while Crystal Palace finished as high as 11th in 2017-18.

Looking at the relegation battle more broadly, at least one of the teams in the bottom three at this stage has been relegated in the past eight seasons - so one of Tottenham, Fulham and Coventry City are very likely to be heading to the Championship in May.

The pool of contestants for this season's relegation battle may already be decided too because the three sides that ultimately went down in the past three seasons were all in the bottom six after five games, which would add Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to the mix.

The last sides to be outside the bottom six at this point but relegated were Leeds United and Southampton in 2022-23, who were both in the top half (seventh and ninth). With their teams currently in eighth and 11th place, Hull City and Ipswich Town fans will hope that is still the case at the end of this campaign.

While the season may well have barely begun, the Premier League table is already starting to take shape.

Read the piece in full here

Tottenham supporter Kish Patel has outlined which Spurs players he would like to see start this weekend's massive game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Boss Roberto de Zerbi is under pressure to pick up points, with the north London side sitting bottom of the Premier League during the international break.

Patel said: "The first thing I want to see is Omar Marmoush play in the number nine. I think Marmoush started the season pretty sharply when he first came in and he played a lot of number nine minutes initially and then against certain teams we moved him either to the left or off [Dominic] Solanke, and I understood the thinking there.

"He's a player who needs to play with space ahead of him. Against teams that are really going to pack their penalty area, I don't think Marmoush is that effective.

"However, Manchester United are going to come out. They're playing at home and they are going to leave spaces in behind. Also, I don't think they have the most athletic backline, so I do think Marmoush can get chances in this game.

"The second thing is that Matheus Fernandes has to play deeper. I think Spurs have been decent but they will be even better when their ball progression is maximised and enhanced from those central areas like De Zerbi wants. Fernandes is the only one who can carry out perfectly what De Zerbi wants to do in his approach play.

"The third thing I want to see is Destiny Udogie. He's transformative when he plays in this Spurs team.

"Udogie is someone that is a powerful runner, so hopefully he's all fit and ready to go because I think that's a no-brainer."

Listen to the full chat above or on BBC Sounds here

Brazil and Athletico Paranaense defender Arthur Dias, 19, is being tracked by Barcelona having previously attracted an £18m bid from Tottenham. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are keen on Tottenham youngster Luca Williams-Barnett, who made his Spurs debut at the age of 16. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Chris Cowlin from Spurs Chat Podcast says Tottenham cannot afford to go through another managerial change and must give Roberto de Zerbi the "time and patience that he needs" despite their poor start to the season.

De Zerbi is the eighth permanent manager or head coach to take charge of the club since their move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, while Ryan Mason and Cristian Stellini have also overseen interim spells.

"We didn't think after five games heading into this long international break that we'd be sat bottom of the Premier League table with only two points," Cowlin told BBC Radio London.

"Things can only get better. We have lacked goals, lacked cutting edge in front of goal. The final ball just hasn't been good enough and we haven't been clinical enough.

"Mentality has been such a big issue at this football club for many years and multiple different managers. De Zerbi is going through a tough period right now but back in 2019 Mauricio Pochettino said we need to go through a rebuild and it will be a painful rebuild.

"I think it is quite painful at the moment, especially the last couple of years. De Zerbi came in, rescued us, had a good transfer window, but then it it hasn't been good enough. The players have to take responsibility. I don't think we can go through another managerial change.

"If you are going to change the mentality at the football club you need to stick to something and give De Zerbi the time and patience that he needs.

"But, we do need to pick up points very quickly."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds

Tottenham will prioritise signing a striker in the January transfer window but are unlikely to spend big money. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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A number of Premier League clubs want Manchester City to be hit with both "retrospective punishments" and sanctions for the future for their mass financial rule-breaking, sources have told BBC Sport.

An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

City have appealed against the verdict, while the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is poised to look at the findings to see if there may be any suggestions of potential misconduct.

However, there is said to be a consensus among a group of top-flight club executives that if City's appeal is unsuccessful, the sanctions should make reparations for the period when they broke the rules, while also limiting their powers in future.

There is also a feeling from at least four Premier League boardrooms that a "one-hit" points deduction resulting in relegation to the Championship would be an insufficient punishment given the severity of City's wrongdoing.

Read more on what rival clubs want