As Ole Gunnar Solskjar's men prepare to face Jose Mourinho's side on Sunday afternoon, there will be one thing in the back of every Manchester United player's mind – the humiliating 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford back in October.

Although both clubs have seen a huge change in fortune since this occasion, the previous encounter will certainly be fuelling the narrative for Sunday's encounter.

Here's what to look out for ahead of United's trip to the capital:

  • How will this game compare to October's reverse fixture?

Whilst Spurs will be going into this game in a confident manner after comfortably disposing of United earlier in the season, lots has changed over the past five months.

But that is not to say that The Reds can be complacent against the home side – after all, Spurs have many a reason to be motivated on Sunday afternoon.

After recording the 6-1 victory, Tottenham have got the opportunity to record a league double over United for the very first time since the 1989-90 season under Terry Venables.

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On top of that, they would become the first side to complete a Premier League double over United since Manchester City did so in the 2018-2019 season – notably, they would be the first ever team to do so against United under Solskjaer. In fact, no side has recorded a league double over a side managed by Solskjaer since Ranheim defeated Molde twice in the 2018 Norwegian Eliteserien.

Furthermore,  United have never conceded more than seven goals against one side in a Premier League season. Spurs have already scored six. The last side to manage to score more than seven against United in a top-flight season was Spurs back in the 1962-63 season, in which they scored eight goals.

But Solskajer's side have showed on many occasions since shipping six against Sunday's opponents that they have conceded far fewer goals. 

More importantly, they have developed the ability to grind out results when they aren't at their best. Much to the red half of Manchester's pleasure, this has lead to their side sitting 11 points ahead of Mourinho's men.

With clean sheets becoming a much more common theme throughout United's recent results, it is hard to see the away side capitulating like they did do back in October.

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Yet Spurs' frontline can be formidable on their day, so Sunday's encounter could be an interesting comparison to how it all went down those five months ago.

  • The game could truly be a tale of two halves

On countless occasions this season, Ole's men have found themselves a goal behind in the first half, often leaving themselves with a mountain to climb.

However, United have managed to win 25 points this season from losing positions, but it could be extremely hard to build on this impressive statistic if a Mourinho defence performs as well as it could do.

Alternatively, Spurs have failed to win six Premier League matches this season in which they were ahead at half-time – a league high. 

Sunday's game could easily go either way, but should it look like one team has wrapped up the points early on in the contest, make sure to not write the opposition off.

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