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Tottenham Hotspur travelled to Manchester as they took on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United at Old Trafford in the 15th game week of the Premier League.
The build for this match was incredible as Manchester United's previous manager, Jose Mourinho was making his return to Old Trafford.
The match started with the Red Devils in the ascendency as they scored an early goal, thanks to some brilliant work from Marcus Rashford, whose shot crept in at the near post, leaving Tottenham Hotspur's goalkeeper dazzled.
The away side didn't do enough in the first half but a piece of individual brilliance from Dele Alli got them back into the game. He controlled the ball magnificently well under pressure and slotted it past David de Gea.
In the second period, United regained their lead as Rashford was brought down in the box by Moussa Sissoko. The 22-year-old then made no mistake from the spot and gave United the advantage.
Despite dominating possession during the closing stages of the game, Spurs didn't manage to create many chances and the Red Devils held on for a huge win.
Here, we are going to take a look at the three key observations from the game:
#3 Tottenham Hotspur were lacklustre on the day
This was by far the worst performance from Tottenham Hotspur under Jose Mourinho. After Mourinho took over the Lilywhites, they had a brilliant run lasting three games, in which they created a number of opportunities but against Manchester United, they were lacklustre.
They started extremely poorly. Spurs lacked the intensity and drive, two things that Manchester United had throughout the night. Jose Mourinho would have been extremely disappointed with that performance, especially the way they started the first half and the second half.
The away side didn't really trouble David de Gea on the day and considering the attacking talents they have at their disposal, that is shocking, to say the least. On a positive note though, Dele Alli seems to be back in form.
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#2 Marcus Rashford and Fred stepped up for Manchester United
This really was a team performance from Manchester United but if one was to single out two players who had great games, they would be Marcus Rashford and Fred.
Firstly, Marcus Rashford was absolutely incredible against Spurs as he gave both Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko a night to forget. His first goal had a bit of luck about it as Paulo Gazzaniga should have really done better with his save, but to Rashford's credit, his shot was very quick and hit with venom.
The 22-year-old then hit the post with an incredible effort on goal, which was saved by Gazzaniga with his fingertips. Then, Rashford won and scored the penalty, which proved to be the match-winning goal in the end. This was a complete performance from Manchester United's number 10 and on another day, he could have easily had a hat-trick.
Fred, on the other hand, dominated in the middle of the park. The Brazilian worked tirelessly throughout the game and this was one of his best performances in a Manchester United shirt.
His passing could have been much better but the interceptions and ball recoveries he made were on the day were indispensable. All in all, it was a proper midfield performance from the Brazilian.
#1 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has bought himself some time with this win
Before the game, Manchester United's Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was under huge pressure to deliver. The Red Devils have been inconsistent this season but one thing is for sure, Solskjaer hasn't been bringing the best out of his squad.
The Red Devils delivered against Spurs this week and you have to give credit where it's due, the Norwegian got his tactics and team selection right. Dropping Andreas Pereira for Jesse Lingard proved to be a fruitful decision as the Englishman was really good.
Furthermore, Manchester United surprisingly have been great against the big six this season as they haven't lost against any one of them. This stat begs the question - where are these kind of performances against the mid-table sides or the newly promoted sides?
It's a question Solskjaer needs to answer but for now, with this win, he will have a lot of time to do that. With Manchester City next, however, the Red Devils do not have any time to rest.
