Tottenham have appointed Antonio Conte as their new head coach after acting quickly to replace Nuno Espirito Santo.

Former Chelsea, Juventus, Inter and Italy boss Conte agreed a contract running until summer 2023 to take charge of the London club, Spurs announced on Tuesday.

With Conte having also been linked to Manchester United, Spurs moved quickly to seal his signature after sacking Nuno.

Conte said: "I am extremely happy to return to coaching, and to do so at a Premier League club that has the ambition to be a protagonist again.

"Tottenham Hotspur has state-of-the-art facilities and one of the best stadiums in the world.

"I can't wait to start working to convey to the team and the fans the passion, mentality and determination that have always distinguished me, as a player and as a coach."

 

Tottenham made an unsuccessful attempt to recruit 52-year-old Conte prior to their appointment of Nuno in the close season.

That was part of what became a chaotic process to replace Jose Mourinho on a permanent basis, with Nuno seemingly well down the list of candidates after Ryan Mason had taken interim charge towards the end of the 2020-21 season.

Conte left Inter at the end of last season after his two years in charge climaxed with him winning the club's first Serie A crown for 11 years, ending the dominance of his former club Juventus, with whom he claimed the Scudetto on three occasions as a coach.

He won the Premier League and FA Cup during two years in charge of Chelsea from 2016 to 2018, leaving after his second season ended with a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.

Conte thanked Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy for showing persistence.

New boss Conte said on Spurs' official website: "Last summer our union did not happen because the end of my relationship with Inter was still too recent and emotionally too involved with the end of the season, so I felt that it wasn't yet the right time to return to coaching.

"But the contagious enthusiasm and determination of Daniel Levy in wanting to entrust me with this task had already hit the mark. Now that the opportunity has returned, I have chosen to take it with great conviction."

 

Nuno's reign at Spurs ended just 10 league matches and four months into a two-year contract he signed in June. He had previously spent four largely successful years in charge of Wolves.

A 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United on Saturday, when home fans expressed their frustration, proved to be his final game at the helm, with his top-flight total representing the lowest number of Premier League matches in charge for any permanent Tottenham manager in history.

The club are desperate to end a run that has not seen them win a trophy since 2008, after huge investment in an impressive new stadium.

Spurs have been runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League during that 13-year span, as well as losing three times in the EFL Cup final.

Conte's tenure will begin when Tottenham play at home to Vitesse in the Europa Conference League on Thursday before they face Everton in the Premier League at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Nuno Espirito Santo's replacement at Tottenham will be no surprise.

Antonio Conte had been rumoured as the top choice.

The ex-Inter man looks set to make it official on Tuesday, barring any late hitches.

 

TOP STORY – CONTE SET FOR SPURS MOVE

With Nuno Espirito Santo officially out, Antonio Conte is set to step in at Tottenham.

According to widespread reports, Conte has agreed a contract through June 2023 and the move will be finalised on Tuesday.

The 52-year-old left Inter by mutual consent after last season.

The Sun claims Spurs will give Conte £150million to spend on new players.

 

ROUND-UP 

- Paul Pogba prefers Paris Saint-Germain over Real Madrid or Juventus once he makes his expected departure from Manchester United, Fichajes reports.

- PSG are eyeing Karim Adeyemi as a potential replacement should Kylian Mbappe leave, Sky Sport in Germany reports. The 19-year-old Red Bull Salzburg striker also has drawn interest from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

- Real Madrid's Marco Asensio will be in demand in January, with El Nacional reporting Liverpool, Arsenal, Juventus, Milan and Dortmund all have offers ready.

- Arsenal are eyeing Torino striker Andrea Belotti, says Calciomercato.

- Villarreal's Unai Emery is the new favourite to take over as Newcastle United manager, says the Mirror.

We went into the weekend almost expecting a certain Premier League manager to be sacked come Monday – as it turned out, the coach of the team he beat got the chop instead.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked like a dead man walking ahead of Manchester United's trip to Tottenham, but the Norwegian got his tactics and personnel just right as the Red Devils won 3-0, a result that has cost Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo his job.

However, most Spurs fans will be adamant it is a just punishment despite being so early in the season, and the numbers behind Nuno's 10 Premier League matches – the fewest of any permanent Tottenham manager ever – paint a similar picture.

Find all that and more as Stats Perform looks at the quirky Opta facts behind the weekend's action.

Toothless Tottenham

Even before the weekend, Spurs had been widely criticised for their dull brand of football under Nuno, but it reached its nadir on Saturday as a United side in crisis swept them aside with relative ease.

As such, Nuno has left Tottenham with them ranking joint-last in the Premier League for shots per match (10.3) with a Norwich City team that already seemingly has its journey back to the Championship booked, highlighting just how disappointing they've been as an attacking force.

Nuno amassed just 15 points from 10 games with Spurs. Since 2008-09, only twice have Tottenham taken fewer points from the same period of matches, while their haul of nine goals is better than at the same point in four previous Premier League campaigns.

Bruno adapting for Ronaldo

When Man Utd secured the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, a lot of focus centred around how he'd link up with compatriot and Portugal team-mate Bruno Fernandes – after all, they'd not always looked particularly compatible at international level.

While it's too soon to make major conclusions, what does seem clear is that Fernandes has had to alter his play. This is best identified by the fact he's having fewer shots now (2.9 per 90 minutes now, 3.6 before) and getting a smaller portion of them on target (1.5 down to 0.4 per 90 minutes), which suggests he's unable to get into better scoring positions because Ronaldo's already there.

But the flipside is Fernandes' creativity, and we saw this at its best for Ronaldo's gorgeous volley from his countryman's chipped throughball against Spurs.

Fernandes is now creating 4.6 chances every game, up from 2.7 before Ronaldo returned to United. With someone so reliable now leading the line for United, perhaps this setup will actually suit Fernandes' skills even more.

Ramsdale's a colossus

If there was one standout performance from an individual over the past weekend, it was surely Aaron Ramsdale in the Arsenal goal.

He's enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence and hushed plenty of doubters since moving in a pre-season deal apparently worth up to £30million, though his performance in the 2-0 win at Leicester City was his best yet.

In fact, it was arguably the best of any goalkeeper this season. According to Stats Perform xGOT (expected goals on target) conceded data, Ramsdale prevented 2.45 goals as he saved all eight of Leicester's shots on target.

The last time a Premier League goalkeeper was deemed to prevent more goals in a single game was Alex McCarthy for Southampton in July last year – no Arsenal goalkeeper has ever had such a decisive impact since Opta started analysing such data.

Norwich facing challenge of historic proportions

Of course, Norwich City already looked doomed before Sunday's defeat to Leeds United, but statistically they have now reached tipping point.

They are left with just two points from 10 matches – the fewest amount of points any team has ever got in their opening 10 games and avoided relegation is three points.

That was manager Daniel Farke's 48th Premier League game in charge. His 10.4 win percentage and 0.48 points per game are comfortably the worst of any coach to preside over 48 matches in the competition.

Ramon Vega says Tottenham’s under-achieving players must take more responsibility after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked as head coach on Monday.

Nuno’s four-month tenure ended following the 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United on Saturday, with Antonio Conte a strong favourite to replace the former Wolves boss.

Tottenham did not register a shot on target in an abject display against United and Nuno departed with the London club eighth in the table, with five wins and as many defeats from his 10 Premier League games in charge.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, former Spurs defender Vega made clear his feelings that players have not been showing the right attitude, while also questioning why the club did not try harder to bring Conte in before appointing Nuno.

"The players here have to take responsibility with the way they are playing," Vega said.

"I'm a little bit unhappy with how the players are really showing their attitude and willingness to play for the club.

"It's irrelevant if it's Nuno or any other manager there. You're playing for the club, you get paid by the club and you need to show some commitment and that's not what I've seen from these players so far.

"My understanding at the moment is that Antonio Conte is the frontrunner to be appointed. But my question is why was he not given what he wanted in the summer instead of wasting time and potentially [damaging the] reputation of a very good manager, because Nuno is a very good manager but he did not have the time or the chance to really improve the team.

"So, why suddenly now does Conte have the facilities that Tottenham can give him and not in the summer?"

Nuno’s 10 Premier League games at the helm is the lowest tally of any permanent Tottenham manager, one fewer than Jacques Santini's 11 in 2004.

Vega also pointed to the transfer saga surrounding Harry Kane, who was strongly linked with a move to Manchester City, suggesting that it has played a role in Tottenham's stuttering start to the season.

"The Harry Kane scenario, this is exactly the reason why we are here now today," the former Switzerland international added.

"There's no doubt the dressing room went apart and there was unhappiness and I think that when the players don't click together or are not playing as a team you will see that on the pitch.

"From my point of view the Kane saga was a disaster for the club. But there is a responsibility as a player - how he actually acted at that time he didn't act professionally. At the same time you have to play him now, there's not even a question mark."

Jamie Redknapp believes Antonio Conte would be a "brilliant" appointment for Tottenham, but hopes the Italian will not use Spurs' interest to prompt Manchester United into action.

Tottenham sacked Nuno Espirito Santo on Monday, his reign ending four months into a two-year contract he signed to take over as head coach following four successful years in charge of Wolves.

A 3-0 home defeat to United, where home fans had expressed their frustration, proved to be Nuno's final game at the helm.

Spurs have reportedly offered former Inter and Chelsea boss Conte, who they had previously pursued unsuccessfully before hiring Nuno, an 18-month contract.

Ex-Spurs midfielder Redknapp is convinced Conte is of the required quality for Spurs but hopes his possible appointment will not spur United into action.

Conte has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, where incumbent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was under huge pressure going into the Spurs victory.

"Conte would be a brilliant signing for them," Redknapp said to Sky Sports.

"I’m sure a lot of Tottenham fans would be delighted with Conte – he is a first-class manager and a serial winner, he did an incredible job with Chelsea and Inter Milan, so he knows the game inside out. 

"Spurs need to be careful Conte does not play them off with Manchester United and maybe force United's hand, so it will be an interesting few days."

He added: "I do not understand why after four months you could get him, but you could not four months ago.

"There was a problem with the transfer budget and he could not agree with what Daniel Levy wanted to do with the club.

"When you have a manager like Conte, you have to give him the licence to get the players in that he wants and to play the system he wants, you can't interfere, he does things his way.

"He has worked with Tottenham's director of football [Fabio Paratici] before at Juventus, so that is important as that has to work. They have to pull in the same direction, otherwise it can be a disaster.

"Right now, on the field Tottenham are the laughing stock of football, off field they are the envy of everyone because of the stadium and the training ground, but they are making a lot of mistakes in that boardroom."

Nuno's 10 Premier League games at the helm is the lowest tally of any permanent Tottenham manager.

Redknapp has sympathy for the Portuguese boss, adding: "Four months – what chance have you got to build a squad, or a team? 

"I get the frustration at the weekend of the Tottenham fans and their right to voice their opinions, but this has been going on for a while now.

"Mauricio Pochettino found it hard to get a tune out of this team, Jose Mourinho has and now Nuno has found it difficult.

"It is a talented squad, but there is something missing there and from Nuno's point of view, he inherited the Harry Kane situation, which is really difficult for any manager.

"You have your star player wants to leave and does not want to be at the club and you have to somehow deal with that.

"That is hard trying to bring a squad together and can cause an enormous amount of problems.

"Nothing surprises me at Tottenham, Levy does not mess around and I'm sure he knows he needs to get this next one right."

Tottenham are at home to Vitesse in the Europa Conference League on Thursday before they face Everton in the Premier League at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Tottenham have sacked Nuno Espirito Santo just four months after appointing him as head coach.

Nuno signed a two-year deal to take over as Spurs boss at the end of June following four successful years in charge of Wolves.

Tottenham fans turned on the Portuguese during a 3-0 Premier League defeat at home to Manchester United on Saturday, his decision to substitute Lucas Moura for Steven Bergwijn greeted with chants of "you don't know what you're doing".

Media speculation on Sunday suggested Nuno's future was in immediate trouble, with chairman Daniel Levy reported to have opened talks with the board regarding a possible change.

The London club subsequently decided to end Nuno's short reign on Monday.

A statement read: "The club can today announce that Nuno Espirito Santo and his coaching staff Ian Cathro, Rui Barbosa and Antonio Dias have been relieved of their duties."

Spurs managing director of football, Fabio Paratici, added: "I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed and I regret that we have had to take this decision.

"Nuno is a true gentleman and will always be welcome here. We should like to thank him and his coaching staff and wish them well for the future."

Nuno departs with Tottenham eighth in the top flight, having won five and lost five of their opening matches of the season.

The 47-year-old's 10 Premier League games at the helm is the lowest tally of any permanent Tottenham manager, one fewer than Jacques Santini's 11 in 2004.

 Tottenham's 15 points gained under Nuno is one more than they achieved from Mauricio Pochettino's first 10 top-flight games in charge and one fewer than managed with Jose Mourinho as boss.

Spurs fired Nuno's compatriot Mourinho in April only 17 months after appointing him.

Tottenham have sacked Nuno Espirito Santo just four months after appointing him as head coach.

Nuno signed a two-year deal to take over as Spurs boss at the end of June following four successful years in charge of Wolves.

Tottenham fans turned on the Portuguese during a 3-0 Premier League defeat at home to Manchester United on Saturday, his decision to substitute Lucas Moura for Steven Bergwijn greeted with chants of "you don't know what you're doing".

Media speculation on Sunday suggested Nuno's future was in immediate trouble, with chairman Daniel Levy reported to have opened talks with the board regarding a possible change.

The London club subsequently decided to end Nuno's short reign on Monday.

Nuno departs with Tottenham eighth in the top flight, having won five and lost five of their opening matches of the season.

The 47-year-old's 10 Premier League games at the helm is the fewest of any permanent Tottenham manager, one fewer than Jacques Santini's 11 in 2004.

 

Tottenham's 15 points gained under Nuno is one more than they achieved from Mauricio Pochettino's first 10 top-flight games in charge and one fewer than they picked up with Jose Mourinho as boss.

Spurs fired Nuno's compatriot Mourinho in April only 17 months after appointing him.

Nuno Espirito Santo's future as Tottenham manager is in doubt after a slow start.

The Portuguese only took over in June but his side are eighth in the Premier League with five losses already.

Spurs were humbled 3-0 at home by under-pressure Manchester United on Saturday.

Supporters made their feelings known at full-time as boos rung out around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

TOP STORY – SPURS READY TO REPLACE NUNO

Tuttomercato claims that Tottenham are working on a deal to have ex-Inter boss Antonio Conte replace Nuno Espirito Santo as manager.

Football Insider also reports that Spurs will sack Nuno this week, with Ryan Mason to be installed as their interim boss again.

The Standard claims that Porto head coach Sergio Conceicao is also under consideration for the job.

 

ROUND-UP 

- Le Parisien reports that Paris Saint-Germain could sensationally walk away from their contract with off-season signing Sergio Ramos, who is yet to debut for the club due to ongoing injury issues from his time at Real Madrid. PSG are said to believe they were misled about his injury status.

- Barcelona are interested in a loan deal for Manchester United's wantaway Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek, reports Sport.

- Real Madrid are considering moves for Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger, claims Marca.

- Theo Hernandez will ignore Manchester City 's advances and pen a new deal with Milan, reports Calciomercato.

- Tuttosport reports hot property Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic wants to join Juventus amid interest from Tottenham, among others.

Nuno Espirito Santo risks becoming the third Premier League boss to lose his job this season after senior Tottenham officials reportedly held talks over his future.

Former Wolves head coach Nuno signed a two-year deal to take over as Spurs boss at the end of June following four largely successful years in charge at Molineux.

However, Tottenham fans turned on the Portuguese during Saturday's 3-0 Premier League defeat at home to Manchester United, with his decision to substitute Lucas Moura for Steven Bergwijn greeted by chants of "You don't know what you're doing".

After Watford sacked Xisco Munoz and Newcastle United parted company with Steve Bruce, Tottenham could follow suit by making a change at the top.

Should they do so, that would make them the first members of the 'big six' to change their manager this season.

According to BBC Sport and several national newspapers, chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici have spoken about the 47-year-old's future.

Tottenham sit eighth in the English top flight, having won five and lost five of their opening 10 matches of the season, with a goal difference of minus seven.

Should Nuno depart before next weekend, his 10 Premier League games at the helm would be the fewest of any permanent Tottenham manager. Jacques Santini managed 11 games in 2004.

Tottenham began the season with three successive 1-0 wins, including an opening-weekend victory over champions Manchester City.

However, they have drastically lost their way of late, and as well as the miserable defeat to a Manchester United side who were also perceived as being in crisis, there have been four London derby losses for Spurs fans to swallow.

Nuno's team have been beaten by Crystal Palace, West Ham, Chelsea and their bitter north London rivals Arsenal.

Uncertainty over star man Harry Kane's future appeared to be a distraction during the early weeks of Nuno's tenure, until the England captain announced he would be staying at Tottenham.

Already, Paulo Fonseca has been linked with Tottenham again. The former Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk boss was a contender for the job during the close season before Nuno was eventually appointed, the club taking a circuitous route to settling on the appointment after considering a host of options.

Fonseca has also recently been linked with the Newcastle United job following their takeover by a wealthy Saudi Arabian investment fund.

Tottenham's next match is a Europa Conference League home fixture against Vitesse on Thursday.

Former England international Kieron Dyer must undergo a liver transplant after being diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

The Ipswich Town Under-23s boss revealed he has been managing problems with his liver over the past couple of years.

Ex-Newcastle United and West Ham winger Dyer underwent hospital tests earlier this week having suffered a collapsed lung while competing in the reality television show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins last month.

And the 42-year-old, who also played for Ipswich, QPR and Middlesbrough, expressed his gratitude for the support he has received.

In a statement on the League One side's official website, he said: "Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with a condition of the liver a couple of years ago that would lead to me one day needing a transplant.

"Over the next week, test results will confirm when I need to go through this procedure.

"I see myself as a very positive person that will overcome this minor setback.

"I'm very grateful to the club, the supporters and the general public for their messages of support over the past week.

"I would like to ask everyone now to respect my privacy, and my family's privacy."

Dyer earned 33 caps for England between 1999 and 2007, representing the Three Lions at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.

Wilfried Zaha has once again called for action to be taken after he was racially abused online following Crystal Palace's surprise 2-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday.

Zaha scored the opening goal in Palace's stunning victory over the Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium.

The Palace forward might have had a second goal if he was not dragged down by Aymeric Laporte in the first half, a professional foul that resulted in the City defender being sent off.

Zaha posted screenshots of abuse he was subjected to on his Instagram account following the win over Pep Guardiola's side.

The Ivory Coast international challenged social media companies to take strong action against people who abuse others online earlier this year and the 28-year-old reiterated that the issue must be taken more seriously.

"This message isn't for me to get a million messages saying we stand with you and it's disgusting or about me getting sympathy," Zaha posted on an Instagram story.

"I'm not here for all the nonsense that is being done instead of fixing the actual problem!

"I don't mind abuse because nowadays it comes with doing the job I do even though it's not an excuse, but my colour will always be the real problem, but it's fine because I'll always be BLACK AND PROUD!

"Speak to me when you actual take this issue serious."

What does the future hold for Paul Pogba?

Pogba, who re-joined Manchester United from Juventus in 2016, is set to become a free agent at season's end.

Juve are believed to be trying to lure Pogba back to Italy.

 

TOP STORY – JUVE LEAD RACE FOR POGBA

Juventus are in pole position to re-sign Paul Pogba from Manchester United, according to Sportitalia journalist Rudy Galetti.

Pogba is out of contract at the end of the season and is reportedly not prepared to sign a new contract with United.

The World Cup-winning France international left United for Juventus in 2012 before returning to Old Trafford in 2016.

Le10 Sport, meanwhile, claims Paris Saint-Germain are circling amid interest from Real Madrid also.

 

ROUND-UP

- Diario AS reports Xavi wants to sign Bayern Munich star Kingsley Coman if he is appointed head coach of LaLiga giants Barcelona . Barca great and Al-Sadd boss Xavi is favourite to replace Ronald Koeman.

Theo Hernandez is set to snub a move to Premier League champions Manchester City or Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG in favour of re-signing with Milan, per Calciomercato.

- The Mirror says Newcastle United are struggling to prise Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag from Amsterdam. Also linked to Manchester United amid pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer , Ten Hag is reluctant to move to Newcastle due to their position in the table.

Inter have planned talks with Marcelo Brozovic regarding a new contract amid interest from PSG , Manchester United , Barca and Atletico Madrid , according to Corriere dello Sport.

Cristiano Ronaldo hailed an "unbelievable" Manchester United performance as they delivered for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a thumping 3-0 win at Tottenham.

While Spurs now clearly have their own problems, United eased the pressure on their Norwegian manager with a resounding result in London.

A tremendous volley from Ronaldo put United in front after 39 minutes, and the 36-year-old played in Edinson Cavani to dink home the visitors' second just after the hour, with substitute Marcus Rashford adding a late third.

It gave United their biggest away league win against Tottenham since February 2007, when they won 4-0 at White Hart Lane. Coincidentally, Ronaldo gave United the lead in that game too, during his first spell at the club.

Last weekend's 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool left United at a low ebb, but this was a marked improvement, with Solskjaer picking three centre-backs and seeing the tactical shift bring about a sturdier display.

Ronaldo told Sky Sports: "We knew before the game that we had a tough week. We had results we didn't really expect. The team was a little bit under pressure, a little bit sad, but we knew that today we would give a good answer. We played good, we started the game really well.

"My job is to help the team with my experience, with goals, with assists, and I did that today. In terms of the team, it was an unbelievable performance in my opinion."

United had taken just one point from their previous four games in the Premier League, and a title challenge has begun to look unlikely even at this early stage of the campaign. Talk of Solskjaer being at risk of losing his job has ramped up, to the point that the Tottenham game looked like a must-win fixture.

"It was tough; we didn't expect the last results in the Premier League. But I hope this time we changed the page," Ronaldo said.

"It is not only the coach, that many people point out – it is the players as well. I believe that some things happen for a reason, and we have to be happy for this amazing afternoon.

"We won 3-0 in an away stadium against a difficult team, and we are so pleased for that and happy. Not only for the coach, for the club, for the players, it's normal. The club is so big and the criticism is always there."

Ronaldo had just three touches in the Tottenham penalty area, Opta match data showed, but he made the best of the half-chance that came his way from a raking ball by Bruno Fernandes.

When it comes to reaction to a team's results, Ronaldo feels he has seen it all. Since the early days of his first stint at United, and through his time at Real Madrid and Juventus subsequently, his performances and those of his teams have always come in for the closest scrutiny.

That will not change because of this outcome, given United have a crunch midweek assignment against Atalanta in the Champions League, followed by next weekend's derby against Manchester City.

"For me, it is not bothering me because I've played 18 years of football," he said. "I know [the perception is that] one day is perfect and another day we are c**p. I know that, and we have to deal with that.

"But it's always better when the people praise you and are happy with you, and you win. Sometimes you have to pass through bad moments, and we have to change, and we changed today."

Edinson Cavani set the tone for Manchester United's response to humiliation at the hands of Liverpool by producing the best training performance Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has seen in his three years as manager.

United were crushed 5-0 at home by Liverpool last Sunday, a defeat that for a time looked to have cost Solskjaer his job.

The Norwegian was given more time by the club's hierarchy and United responded well on Saturday, beating Tottenham 3-0 on the road in what was the Red Devils' biggest away win over Spurs since February 2007 (4-0).

Solskjaer switched to a back three and partnered Cavani up front with Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom found the net. Their combination for the Uruguayan's strike was the first time two players aged 34 or older linked up for a Premier League goal for United since Paul Scholes set up Ryan Giggs in August 2010.

The average age of United's starting XI (28 years, 325 days) was the oldest Solskjaer has named for the club in the Premier League, but it did the trick, and he was glowing in his appraisal of the two experienced strikers afterwards.

Asked if it was a conscious decision to turn to experience, Solskjaer told Sky Sports: "I've been here more or less three years as manager and Tuesday's training performance by Edinson Cavani was probably the best anyone's put in here, so the old men led from the front.

"They play well together, they have loads of respect for each other. Of course, we have loads of talented players, and to learn from those two, they've got to learn as quickly as they can because these two, the work rate they put in, the quality they put in is second to none."

The victory will have eased the pressure on Solskjaer somewhat, though he did not see it as an example of the players specifically playing for him.

"They'll play for the club no matter what, this is not about me," he continued. "As I said before the game, it's about us improving as a group and if anyone doesn't give everything for Man United, they won't play, it's as easy as that."

United have not been strangers to playing three at the back under Solskjaer. While results in the past have been mixed when deploying such a set-up, he felt it was important to use it on this occasion to ensure greater defensive stability.

Asked why he went for a back three, Solskjaer said: "Solidity. We got experience together, with Cristiano and Edi; we got more control and we probably got a man-of-the-match performance from Scott McTominay.

"For me, he was unplayable. I thought they all played really well, and of course we had the experience of Raphael Varane to put in the middle of the defence. It helped."

A dire defeat against Liverpool proved to be fatal for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United in 2018, but an even more humiliating loss to the Reds didn't – somehow – spell the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he continues to cling on.

That's not to say it was a comfortable week for Solskjaer after that 5-0 annihilation at Old Trafford – if you believe the speculation, he probably wouldn't have been in charge for Saturday's trip to Tottenham were it not for Alex Ferguson coming into bat for his former player in the boardroom.

Solskjaer was afforded time, how much we can't be sure, but it was enough to at least prevent United suffering three successive league defeats for the first time since December 1961, with the Red Devils so effective and clinical in a 3-0 victory that subsequently heaped the pressure on opposite number Nuno Espirito Santo.

Perhaps we should've seen it coming? "Lads, it's Tottenham."

There were a couple of major surprises when Solskjaer's team was announced: firstly, that he was making just two alterations to the side that was humiliated last weekend, and secondly, they were switching to a back three.

While United have played such a system numerous times under Solskjaer before, it's difficult to say that setup has been consistently effective for them, with results ranging from 2-0 wins over Manchester City and Chelsea, to 3-1 and 3-2 defeats to the Blues and RB Leipzig.

But it allowed United to address a couple of key issues from the Liverpool defeat – their defensive frailty and a lack of pressing from the frontline.

After all, precious few of United's pressures against Liverpool came in the opposing half. Edinson Cavani's presence alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at least alleviated that to a certain degree, and it might have paid off early on when the Uruguayan managed to get a tackle in on the dawdling Japhet Tanganga, only for Spurs to be let off the hook by a kind ricochet.

Nevertheless, United's start provided indications of how the opening 45 minutes was going to play out for them, with wing-backs Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka pushing high to good effect and the midfield trio taking it in turns to support Cavani and Ronaldo.

There was a sense that Solskjaer's decision to go with a back three was down to a lack of trust in his team off the ball, which would have been fair on the evidence of last week, but generally the switch worked well for United as Spurs struggled to impose themselves in the first half.

While they managed seven shots and had a goal disallowed for offside, none of those efforts were on target, with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane – absent last week – working well in tandem.

That extra protection at the back allowed for the United midfield to be more aggressive as well, both on and off the ball. Between them, Scott McTominay and Fred combined for seven tackle attempts in the first half, while both routinely helped on the attack – the Scotland international making the run and pass for Ronaldo's own disallowed strike, as an example.

Of course, having a finisher of the standard of Ronaldo in attack is always a bonus and his wonderful volley proved that point perfectly, as he lashed into the far corner from a tight angle as he latched on to Bruno Fernandes' lobbed pass in the 39th minute.

That goal meant Nuno's men had to become a greater threat after the break, and to their credit, Spurs' possession had increased to 59.6 per cent for the second half up to the 70th minute, but United's back three continued to provide a solid foundation – in the same time period, the hosts had just one shot.

The standing of the match was undoubtedly playing even further into United's hands – if there's any feature of their play that has been consistently good under Solskjaer, it's their counter-attacking, and they finished Spurs off just past the hour in a not too dissimilar manner.

Fernandes was the one to rob Oliver Skipp just inside the United half before darting forward and feeding Ronaldo. His clever flick opened up space and the Portugal talisman sliced open the Spurs defence for Cavani expertly make it 2-0.

The average age of United's starting XI (28 years, 325 days) was the oldest Solskjaer has named in the Premier League, and here were his two most experienced players doing the business when he needed them most.

Solskjaer got the players, system and substitutes – spoiler alert – right, with Marcus Rashford wrapping things up on the break towards the end shortly after his introduction.

Of course, it's worth saying that Spurs were always likely to be a potentially kind opponent for a United side desperate for a response. Prior to the weekend, Nuno's side had the second fewest shots (94) and joint-third poorest xG record (9.2) in the Premier League this season.

In the end, everything played into United's hands and Solskjaer got the response he needed – but with a trip to Atalanta and a Manchester derby coming up, the pressure is by no means off.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.