Manchester United produced arguably their finest display of Erik ten Hag's reign as they beat Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The Red Devils were disappointing and often toothless against Newcastle United at the weekend, but Antonio Conte's Spurs were dominated from start to finish.

United tallied 19 shots in the first half alone, which was more than they managed in any previous league game under Ten Hag – although it was still goalless at the break.

That changed within 16 seconds of the restart as Fred's deflected strike found its way in, and Bruno Fernandes' gorgeous finish 21 minutes later wrapped up an impressively comfortable win.

United's first-half superiority began with Antony's speculative long-range effort almost catching Hugo Lloris out, before the Frenchman tipped over Fred's dipping 20-yard attempt.

The post then rescued Spurs in the 10th minute as Antony went close after cutting in from the right, though Lloris was soon busy again.

A fine save down to his right kept Marcus Rashford at bay when appearing destined to score – he then produced acrobatic stops to keep out Luke Shaw's volley and Fernandes' free-kick in a three-minute spell.

Soon after, in the 28th minute, Lloris looked beaten but Casemiro's sweetly struck left-footed drive flew agonisingly wide.

Old Trafford is ROCKING!

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 19, 2022

The deadlock was eventually broken at the start of the second half, as Fred's strike deflected off Eric Dier and left Lloris helpless.

Harry Kane smashed straight at David de Gea at the other end with 21 minutes to go, but United went straight down the other end and made it 2-0 – Fernandes guiding a wonderful effort into the top-right corner.

Fernandes had a late second disallowed for offside, but it mattered not.

What does it mean? – United impressive in every area

While United had already beaten Liverpool and Arsenal this season, neither performance was as good as this.

In those games, United were caused plenty of issues by their opponents, but Spurs hardly threatened at all – their expected goals (xG) reached just 0.45, and 0.2 of that was attributed to a shot from Kane when he was offside.

Conte has now lost all four of his away matches against United, the worst such record he has in the Premier League.

Fernandes shows his class

There have been plenty of fans and pundits questioning the form of Fernandes lately – this was an emphatic response.

His goal was tremendous, but beyond that he was so influential. He created nine chances over the course of the game – only once in his United career has he bettered that for a single match (10 v Aston Villa in September 2021).

Lloris a one-man resistance

Were it not for Lloris, this game would have been over as a contest long before United made it 1-0. He made eight saves in total – only four times before has he made more in a game for Spurs (nine saves in each).

Key Opta facts

- Manchester United have won four consecutive Premier League games against Spurs, their longest winning run against them in the competition since April 2009-October 2010 under Sir Alex Ferguson (4).
- Erik ten Hag has won both of his Premier League home games against teams starting the day in the top three of the table, beating Arsenal last month (3-1) and Spurs. This is as many home wins against sides in the top three as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick managed between them in the competition (2).
- Manchester United had 28 shots in this match, the most by a team in a Premier League match this season. Indeed, it was also the most that a team managed by Antonio Conte has faced in a top-flight game, in what was the 318th league match he has taken charge of between Serie A and the Premier League.
- Bruno Fernandes created nine chances, the most by a player in a Premier League match this season and most overall in the competition since he himself in September 2021 (10 v Aston Villa). Indeed, this was as many shots as Spurs managed as a team in this game (9).
- Spurs striker Harry Kane has failed to score in 13 of his 17 appearances against Manchester United in the Premier League, more than against any other opponent in the competition.

What's next?

Another tricky test awaits United as they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Tottenham host Newcastle the following day.