Manchester United

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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."

Emily Salley
BBC Sport journalist

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Manchester United entered the international window with just two wins from seven matches, with those coming against newly promoted Ipswich Town and Champions League debutants Sabah.

After disappointing home defeats to Manchester City and Brighton before the three-week break, the hosts had a point to prove to their disgruntled supporters.

But the fans were left unimpressed again by a lethargic first-half performance, with their players appearing to lack energy as the visitors pressed high and dominated.

Mohammed Kudus swept a strike just wide and Conor Gallagher had a close-range attempt smothered by Senne Lammens, who came to United's rescue again after the restart when got a hand to Solanke's sliding effort.

They were handed another lifeline through Mbeumo's goal, but could not capitalise on that, nor Rodrigo Bentancur's dismissal as Lammens was left rooted to the spot as Solanke got in front of Lisandro Martinez to head in the leveller.

Boss Michael Carrick's position may not be under immediate threat, despite United's worst start after four games since the 1986-87 campaign, but the frustration vented by the home fans at full-time indicate there is growing concern over the team's mentality.

It won't help Carrick's case that this was the second successive league game they have dropped points against a team that were reduced to 10 men - following their 1-0 derby defeat by Manchester City last month.

Man Utd starting XI:

Senne Lammens: Made a major early error that could have had disastrous consequences but the Belgian recovered to make the save from Dominic Solanke. Miscontrol shortly afterwards showed more signs of nerves and pass straight out of play summed up United's first half hour. Might have done better for equaliser. 5

Leny Yoro (off 59, Dalot): Given a start after making France debut and excellent tackle to deny Jan Paul van Hecke a clear sight at goal. Decent effort. 7

Harry Maguire: Usual solid presence at the heart of the home defence but no chance to threaten at the other end and fact he did try a shot from 30 yards suggested lack. 7

Lisandro Martinez: Partnership with Maguire a plus point for United but was totally out-muscled by Solanke for Spurs' equaliser. 6

Luke Shaw: One of the home side's more consistent performers and got forward to force a corner early in the second period and made a vital intervention at the other end. Lucky to avoid red card for his reactionary shove on Rodrigo Bentancur? 6

Kobbie Mainoo: Caught in possession on too many occasions, even if the passes he was receiving inside his own half were ill-advised. Tried to get on the ball in deep lying midfield role. Excellent block to deny Savio. 7

Youri Tielemans (off 59, Baleba): Lucky to get away with being robbed by Savio deep in the United half due to debatable free-kick but calm in heading the ball back to Lammens to relieve pressure on home goal. 6

Amad Diallo (off 59, Zirkzee): Took a long time to get into the game on his first appearance of the season but eventually had home side's first shot. 6

Bruno Fernandes: Shadow of the player who deservedly won all the player of the year awards last season. Didn't shoot when had the chance suggests confidence levels have dipped. 5

Matheus Cunha: Reaction to negativity from the stands shows he cares but, like many, yet to reach last term's levels. Provided the pass for Mbuemo's goal. 6

Bryan Mbeumo: Didn't have enough support to be effective in the lead striking role but led one counter and turned smartly to score United's goal. 8

Man Utd substitutes:

Diogo Dalot (on 59, Yoro): Nearly set up Bruno Fernandes with cross from the right. 5

Carlos Baleba (on 59, Tielemans): Introduction injected life into home fans and made plenty of tackles. 5

Joshua Zirkzee (on 59, Amad): Quickly into action to force a corner and let Tottenham know he was there. 6

Ayden Heaven (on 90, Shaw). 5

Marcus Rashford (on 90, Cunha). 5

Subs not used: Karl Darlow, Mason Mount, Andrey Santos, Shea Lacey.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's draw against Tottenham: "It was a mixed game. We found it tough to start with. For a number of reasons, we were not quite there. You could see it was a challenging time.

"But the lads grew into the game, in the second half I thought we were better in everything. To get the game as we wanted it, in such a good position - we should see it through. We have to manage those situations. That's two late goals which have hurt us, and things look very different. That's the reality."

On starting slow: "I don't think it is lack of confidence, but a game can get away from you very quickly. We found a way right back into the game, and got ourselves in a great position - that is one of the most disappointing things."

On the boos at half-time and full-time: "It's not nice, it hurts a lot because I care about this club. But I understand the disappointment, the reality is what it is, we need to get back to winning games."

Manchester United forward Bryan Mbuemo, spoke to Sky Sports: "We took time to get into the game, but we played well in the second half. In the first half, that wasn't us, we had to change. We tried to get at them.

"We know Spurs have good players who can be dangerous. It's a bit disappointing, we need to work on things.

"We need to keep going forward, as we have a lot of games."

Did you know?

• Manchester United have won just six points from their opening six games of the Premier League season, their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1986-87 (four).

• United have failed to win five of their six Premier League games this season (D3 L2), already as many as in 17 league games under Michael Carrick last season (W12 D3 L2).

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.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Carlos Baleba's speed is something that should bring positive benefits to Manchester United's midfield.

Andrey Santos has it; less so Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans, who have been paired together by Michael Carrick in the past four league games because of their superior technical abilities.

United have been too easy to play through and danger has not been spotted quickly enough.

Carrick's side are one of only four in the top flight yet to keep a clean sheet. They have conceded twice in four out of their seven games this season. Until an answer is found, an upturn in form is difficult to envisage.

Clearly, Baleba must do a bit more than run fast, and his input must be felt in the dressing room as well as on the pitch.

Sources say an understandable initial shyness and nervousness seems to be being overcome. Baleba is not the most confident English speaker, but he has improved significantly since he moved to Brighton from Lille for £23.2m in 2023.

He has struck up a friendship with Amad Diallo. It is coincidence two young players from Africa should be going through their recovery work at the same time, but also helpful that a shared background creates a natural bond that has been built on over the past few weeks.

It will be fascinating to see how Baleba and Bruno Fernandes match up to each other if they start against Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday, when defeat for either side has the potential to turn early season disappointment into a near crisis.

Baleba's natural, jocular personality should help his preparation. He will hope to get the chance to show off his back-flip goal celebration – even if an ability to find the net is not why United bought him.

More importantly, though, he has a powerful determination to succeed, drilled into him by his dad. He pushed him through punishing training sessions when he was younger, which Baleba has said was integral to him becoming a professional.

Read the full article here

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.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

How to follow the Premier League weekend across the BBC

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Manchester United v Tottenham" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Brentford match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

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New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

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You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

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

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United boss Michael Carrick says it is still not certain how long Benjamin Sesko's latest injury will keep him out for.

In reeling off his assessment of the players who either missed international callbecause of injury, or picked something up when they were away, Carrick said Sesko was "a little bit further away" than most.

Sesko missed Slovenia's four Nations League games after suffering another shin issue in United's Carabao Cup defeat by Brighton on 16 September.

The 23-year-old missed all of United's pre-season campaign as he recovered from an issue that plagued him towards the end of 2025-26 and eventually forced him to take some rest after he aggravated it against Liverpool when he was shoved into the perimeter boards by Ibrahima Konate.

"It's a similar area, but it's not the exact same thing again and we're still working through it a little bit to see how long the issue will be," said Carrick.

"We're hoping it will be soon, obviously, but at this moment it's still not quite clear.

"He recovered really well from the initial one, but sometimes things get thrown up and the body does certain things. We've got to react to that and try to get him back as quickly as we can."

Sesko is yet to start in the Premier League this season, although he did score in the 2-2 draw at Everton last month and the Champions League win over Sabah.

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.

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

It was his first media appearance since United's rivals Manchester City were found guilty of Premier League financial rule breaches.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On the news Manchester City had been found guilty, Carrick said: "Very difficult to say in many ways. It's thrown up a lot of questions, some have had answers, some haven't. As it's still ongoing, and we don't how long it's going to go, there's only so much I can say. Certainly I've got my own questions about it, it's affected me personally in different ways over a period of time. But as the case is going now, I don't know where that stands and how it's going to end up, so we'll just have to wait and see."

• He added: "What I will say, the sooner it gets sorted I think for everyone's benefit is essential."

• Asked about losing titles races to Manchester City as a player, Carrick responded: "I think when you're in sport, certainly in football, I think the strive to win and the emotion, the feeling about winning is a lot of it, it is in the moment. Whether you're successful, whether you lose, whether it goes against you, the beauty of sport, the beauty of football and the beauty of trying to win trophies here is a little bit on the journey towards it. And then the finale, you know, does it go for you, does it go against you?"

• He continued: "Once that's done, there's no getting that back in any direction. That's the feeling we all crave, is coming out on top. That kind of sums it up. Whatever's done in the past tense is done in the past, but in that moment is how you feel in that moment. Certainly as a participant, as a performer, and I'm sure the supporters feel the same, that's why we love it so much because of the emotion in the moment."

• Asked if United should be handed titles retrospectively if City are stripped of some of their trophies, he said: "I think at the moment, as it's still not finalised, I think I'll hold that one until later on. I think regardless of anything, a medal anyway, in any sport in history, I think later on you get the medal, and it's proven at different times."

• Away from the Manchester City questions, the United boss provided a team news update, with Patrick Dorgu set to be out for "a number of weeks", while they will have to wait on Noussair Mazraoui, but Benjamin Sesko is unavailable to face Spurs.

• Carlos Beleba, Amad Diallo, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo have all been taking part on some training.

• Coming up against bottom-of-the-table Tottenham, Carrick insisted "just because of the points, I understand the question, but we're not going into it expecting anything less than their best version of what we know they're capable of".

Hit play above to hear more from Carrick or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to live commentary of Man Utd v Tottenham on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds from 17:30 BST on Saturday

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

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United's famous ticker banner will return to the Stretford End at Old Trafford on Saturday - displaying 50 as the years since Manchester City last won a trophy.

The ticker was initially displayed in 2000, at which point it was 24 years since City's last silverware - the 1976 League Cup.

It was increased by one each year until 2011 when City finally ended their trophy drought by beating Stoke City in the FA Cup final.

Stretford End Flags sold the original banner, which contains an odometer, to a collector in Kuwait for £7,000 in 2013 and is trying to get it back.

However, in the meantime, The Red Army fans' group has made its own in response to City being found guilty of multiple Premier League financial rule breaches.

Although City are appealing against the decision, TRA feels their neighbours' success under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour should be scrubbed from the record books.

Saturday's banner will show the number 50 ticking over to 51 given the 2026-27 campaign has already started.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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It's five months since I asked Michael Carrick about his recollections of that day at Sunderland in 2012, when Manchester United thought they had won the Premier League, only for Manchester City's Sergio Aguero to score one of the most iconic goals in Premier League history.

I wonder what Carrick feels about that day now given the timing of it falls right in the middle of the "sham" deals the Premier League found Manchester City guilty of. Would Aguero - and Edin Dzeko, who scored the equaliser against QPR - even have been at City had those sponsorships not been inflated?

City are appealing, and Carrick doesn't set out to cause controversy, so it will be fascinating to see how that subject is handled when he speaks to the media later.

There are plenty of United issues for Carrick to deal with, not least their numerous injury issues, specifically around striker Benjamin Sesko, wide-man Amad Diallo, England duo Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, plus Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui, who returned early from their call-ups by Denmark and Morocco respectively.

On the plus side, Leny Yoro did make his France debut, but it is a minor glimmer of good news after a disappointing start to the season.

Come back to this page later on Friday for all the key lines from Carrick's news conference.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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There has been a fresh round of reports on JJ Gabriel and a contract Manchester United are said to have offered.

Both sides accept there has been no new deal, with the last one a significant time ago - months or over a year ago depending on who you are talking to.

The fundamental situation is unchanged.

The 16-year-old is currently working with a trusted personal trainer in Spain, with his short-term future still to be determined.

Gabriel now has his European Union passport, which should help smooth the path towards joining a European Union-based club, which seems certain to be the final outcome of the current situation.

United will get minimal compensation for Gabriel's value, which is why they are refusing to give up on the idea of talking the youngster's camp round.

Manchester United have made attacking midfielder JJ Gabriel, 16, an official scholarship contract offer but could get only £350,000 for him if he decides not to stay at the club and moves abroad. (Guardian), external

Meanwhile, United are unlikely to now bring 29-year-old Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay back to Old Trafford as they are targeting younger signings. (Football Insider), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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

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The rivalry between Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side and Arsenal during the first eight years under Arsene Wenger is the best the Premier League has seen, according to author Dominic Hougham.

Wenger arrived at Arsenal in 1996 and between then and 2004, United won five league titles and the Gunners picked up three.

"I love this rivalry," Hougham told BBC Radio Manchester. "This one had a fair bit of needle.

"There are so many iconic moments that this rivalry spat out over eight seasons and I do truly believe there has never been anything to rival this.

"You had two of the greatest managers the Premier League has ever seen, in their primes. You had two teams right at their peak, and for eight seasons they literally dominated the league."

Hougham has written The Greatest Rivalry: Arsenal, Manchester United And The Battle That Defined An Era.

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds here