- Published
For the second time in successive home Premier League games, Manchester United failed to beat opponents reduced to 10 men.
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United → publish → men
For the third time in as many seasons, a United manager finds himself under severe pressure before the clocks have gone back.
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clocks → find → pressure
Four weeks ago, Manchester City needed an incorrect video assistant referee (VAR) decision to take advantage of an ineffective United performance after Phil Foden had been shown a red card in the 23rd minute for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.
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Foden → need → Fernandes
On Saturday, the damage was self-inflicted
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damage → inflict → Saturday
as a Spurs side, who had given every indication of being unable to score before Rodrigo Bentancur's headfirst charge at Luke Shaw just five minutes after Bryan Mbeumo's opener, came up with an injury-time equaliser.
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who → give → equaliser
Centre-back Lisandro Martinez was outmuscled embarrassingly easily by Dominic Solanke, with goalkeeper Senne Lammens failing to read the striker's deft touch that crept in at the far corner.
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that → outmuscle → corner
The anguish on United faces told its own story.
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anguish → tell → story
," observed former United skipper Gary Neville on Sky Sports.
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Neville → observe → Sports
Manchester United have 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, when they amassed four under Sir Alex Ferguson.
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they → amass → Ferguson
They 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).
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They → fail → Carrick
United have collected two points from their last two games, both of which were against teams who began the match at the bottom of the Premier League.
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who → collect → League
Carrick's side are now winless in four league games and face an always tricky trip across the Pennines to face old rivals Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday, 18 October.
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side → face → Sunday
United officials have repeatedly offered their backing to Carrick in recent weeks.
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officials → offer → weeks
However, no fan needs reminding that two seasons ago a run of two wins in nine games in all competitions put Erik ten Hag under severe pressure before the axe fell after a defeat at West Ham on 27 October.
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axe → need → October
Last season, a combination of a shocking EFL Cup exit at the hands of League Two Grimsby and an insipid 3-1 loss at Brentford on 27 September did so much to undermine confidence in Ruben Amorim before he was sacked on 5 January.
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he → do → January
The start to this campaign is starting to look increasingly familiar.
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start → start → campaign
'I don't feel let down'
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I → feel → ?
"I'm not happy with he amount of points we've got so far, for sure, you know," said Carrick.
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Carrick → get → points
"I'm not hiding, there's no hiding from that.
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I → hide → that
I think it could have been different for a couple of little things here or there, but the reality is the reality, we've got to accept it, you know.
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you → think → it
We need to put things in a direction, in a positive direction quite quickly, that's pretty plain.
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that → need → direction
The 'little things' Carrick talks about are the defending for Solanke's goal, the lack of pressure put on Everton's Ainsley Maitland-Niles when he smashed another injury-time equaliser at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on 6 September, and the preventable Martinez own goal that nearly gave Fulham victory at Craven Cottage just before the international break.
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that → talk → break
"We've got to be a little bit more streetwise in moments, a little bit more stubborn and a little bit stronger in seeing out certain things," he added.
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he → get → things
"It doesn't change my belief or the confidence in the players, you know.
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you → change → players
We're a really good team and capable of being a really good team, but we've obviously got to start getting more points on the board, that's for sure.
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that → get → board
"
The problem is with each disappointment, the belief of United being 'a really good team' starts to ebb away.
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United → start → disappointment
Yet again, a post-match focus centred on how much Carrick's team ran, even though running for the sake of it has proved to be of little benefit.
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running → centre → benefit
"The stats don't lie when every time the other team runs more than you," said Sky Sports pundit and former Spurs captain Jamie Redknapp.
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Redknapp → lie → you
"Tottenham ran 5km more than Man United.
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Tottenham → run → United
OK, they had 10 men but that is every game.
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that → have → men
If you outrun your opposing number, you will win games.
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you → outrun → games
I'm not saying they are not trying.
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they → say → ?
It is that physical battle they are losing though."
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they → lose → ?
It feels as though some fans are losing faith already, judging by the way they reacted at moments during the game, aside from the boos that accompanied the end of each half.
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that → feel → half
Forward Matheus Cunha - one of a number of Carrick's squad who have failed to reproduce the form he showed in the second half of last season - gestured to the crowd during the opening period.
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he → fail → period
It wasn't clear whether he was responding to a negative comment or urging more noise, but the Brazilian clearly wasn't happy.
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Brazilian → respond → noise
He knows what it is like to watch United struggle at Old Trafford.
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United → know → Trafford
"Obviously, it hurts," he said.
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he → hurt → ?
"It hurts a lot.
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It → hurt → lot
It's not nice to go through.
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It → go → ?
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
