Erik ten Hag Man United sack claim made as Bruno Fernandes issues red card verdict

Manchester United news and gossip after the 3-0 defeat against Tottenham with a Erik ten Hag sack claim and Bruno Fernandes' verdict to his red card

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is under pressure

It proved to be an afternoon to forget for Manchester United as they were thrashed 3-0 at home to Tottenham on Sunday.

United were beaten courtesy of goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke. Erik ten Hag's side were not at it from the get-go and went behind inside three minutes, as Johnson tapped home at the back post after excellent work from Micky van de Ven.

United's task to get back into the game was made a whole lot tougher when Bruno Fernandes was shown a straight red card just before half-time. And United were 2-0 down just after the interval as Kulusevski slotted home from close-range.

Although United started to grow into the game, they were hit with a suckerpunch in the 77th minute as Solanke fired the ball beyond Andre Onana. It ended 3-0, and there were boos from the United faithful after the full-time whistle. Attention now turns to Thursday evening's trip to Porto in the Europa League. Here, the Manchester Evening News brings you the latest news and gossip from Old Trafford with our own spin on them...

Ten Hag claim

Robbie Savage has claimed that Erik ten Hag's time at Manchester United is coming to an end following their humiliating defeat against Tottenham. The Dutchman is under increasing pressure after United's disappointing start to the season, which has seen them collect seven points from their first six Premier League matches.

Speaking on BBC Sport, ex-Birmingham and Leicester midfielder Savage didn't hold back in his assessment of the situation. "I think his time might be up," he said. "I think they've got to make a big decision this week."

MEN says: I tend to agree with Savage here. United toyed with the idea of sacking Ten Hag earlier this summer, and I feel that his time at Old Trafford is now coming to an end. They can't keep playing like this and expecting an improvement - something at United has to change.

I don't think Ten Hag will be able to change performances and results, and United should make a change before the trip to Porto on Thursday. In order to give United more time to get a replacement over the line, I would put Ruud van Nistelrooy, who joined United in the summer as Ten Hag's assistant, at the helm on an interim basis.

Fernandes red card verdict

Bruno Fernandes has admitted he didn't think he should have been sent off for Manchester United against Tottenham and believes a yellow card would have been the correct call.

"I don't take him as everyone wants to see it, going with the studs. I take him with my ankle. It's a clear foul, but never a red card, that's my feeling," Fernandes told Sky Sports.

"Even Maddison when he gets up…he just said like: 'It is a foul but never a red card'. In the eyes of everyone, you can see this is never a red card. Because if this is a red card, we have to look at many other incidents.

"I've had many incidents when I get kicked and I’ve never seen something so quick coming up as a red card. I just think it's never a red card. It's a foul. Even the contact is not that strong. If [the referee] wants to give me a yellow because it's a counter-attack, I agree. And then I don't understand why the VAR didn't call the referee to the screen. For me, it's just not a really good decision."

MEN says: I think Fernandes is right on this occasion, and a yellow card would have been suitable. The United captain is frustrated that he has helped contribute to their defeat, and you could feel that in the tone of his voice as he issued his annoyance at the decision. It's also surprising that VAR didn't intervene