Tottenham humiliates Manchester United with the expulsion of Bruno Fernandes | first division

This is Erik ten Hag's lowest point manchester united mandate: a chaotic mess that Tottenham gleefully exploited, pinging the ball and pummeling their historic host as if they were in a men-versus-boys fight.

The coach claims to have a plan, and based on this demonstration, it appears to be based on walking opponents down a figurative red carpet, and the Spurs ran through them relentlessly. Towards the end, 2-0 down, a 10-man United team rallied, as Casemiro attacked and ^­Alejandro Garnacho intervened: this simply showed what Ten Hag's charges could have done if they weren't an embarrassment to their famous shirt.

By then, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevksi had scored and Bruno Fernandes had received a red card, meaning the captain will miss the next three league games. If the decision seemed harsh, more insults and injuries ensued when Lucas Bergvall's first touch (a corner, from the left) was headed at the near post by Pape Matar Sarr (his first touch too) and Dominic Solanke, unmarked, frame.

Ten Hag, soaked in pouring rain, had overseen a duck shot and this too, with Ange Postecoglou's men missing the injured Son Heung-min, who could have given United a six or seven rout.

Next Thursday United will visit Porto in the Europa League and then travel to Aston Villa on Sunday in this competition. After this complete farrago, the coach desperately needs to win again, preferably both games, as has been this defeat and two draws in his team's last three games.

As the jubilant traveling congregation sang When the Spurs Go Marching in, and despite denying any concerns about job security, the beleaguered Dutchman ended his afternoon playing dice with the territory marked “dismissal”.

Postecoglou, however, bathes in the warm glow of his team after defeating the record 20 champions, on their own turf. With his mantra of “it's just who we are, buddy” and his nonchalant declaration about a second season “always” delivering silverware, there's an endearing swagger about Postecoglou.

After three minutes, this prop became visible among his pupils and never disappeared. Fernandes put the ball to Garnacho halfway through. He tapped Marcus Rashford who pushed forward, over-hit the ball, Micky van de Ven stole this and then launched a rampaging surge that left United in tatters. When he reached the left baseline and crossed, Johnson took a simple touch.

Magnificent for Spurs and criminal for United. Similar naivety occurred when Manuel Ugarte wasted time, James Maddison assaulted the supposed “protecting” player and set up Solanke. A timely tackle by Lisandro Martínez saved Ten Hag's men from receiving loud boos from the fans; this came at the end of the torrid first half.

United were like Anthony Joshua in the first round against Daniel Dubois: stunned by instantly falling to the canvas and never recovering. There is always hope against Postecoglou's boom-or-bust ethos. However, when Rashford broke down the left, his ball to Joshua Zirkzee was aimless, and here we saw the lack of ruthlessness that Ten Hag laments.

Spurs continually broke through United's crepe-paper resistance. Example: From deep in her territory, Destiny Udogie did a Van de Ven impression, skating down an inside left channel. Space was once again created for Johnson, who was unlucky to beat André Onana, but not the right post.

Earlier, the goalkeeper's left shoulder thwarted a Maddison shot after he, Kulusevski and Udogie combined. Johnson later came within inches of giving Timo Werner an open goal, Nassar Mazraoui's interception saving United.

Cut to Ten Hag with a grim face looking at his shattered side. Back to action when Diogo Dalot, who somehow lost Johnson for his strike, was picked.^­bagged, allowing Maddison to unload. It went wide, as did Cristian Romero with an aesthetically pleasing scissor kick that offered further proof of just how stretched United were.

An abacus was needed to track Spurs' chances. Another clear came when Kulusevski pushed Werner to run behind. Onana saved, although the German should not have targeted him again. Then, disaster: Fernandes slightly cut Maddison, who made this proverbial. Christopher Kavanagh's red card was lifted and the Portuguese left.

Now came the break and the boos from the United fans. There was more when Spurs doubled the lead. Casemiro replaced Zirkzee in the second 45, and Rashford switched to number 9. Done, presumably, to prop up United. Suddenly, Johnson turned left and hit a deflected ball that Kulusevski deftly beat Onana.

United, hapless, could not embody even the truism that having 10 men is uncomfortable for the enemy. And he almost lost a second captain of the day when Martínez (who took the armband from Fernandes) brought down Maddison but only saw yellow.

Romero also missed a loud shout for a handball in the area and also Guglielmo Vicario's goal when Martínez failed to rebound from it.