Paul Merson critical of Tottenham after defeat to Manchester United

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Paul Merson has suggested there was some complacency from Tottenham in their defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Spurs suffered a 2-1 away loss at Old Trafford in the Premier League, as a Marcus Rashford double settled the teams.

The North London club went into the contest on the back of manager Jose Mourinho winning his first three games in charge across all competitions, but he’s now tasted his first defeat against a former club.

Rashford netted the opener from outside the box, but goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga should have done better with the low effort.

Dele Alli’s stunning individual goal then drew the visitors level before half-time, but it was man of the match Rashford who converted a penalty early in the second-half.

Sky Sports pundit Merson believes that Spurs may have gone into midweek expecting to win and suggests it may have been a factor in losing.

“I thought Tottenham were pretty poor if I’m being honest. I thought Tottenham just turned up and thought we’ll roll Man United over the way we’re playing,” Merson told Sky Sports.

TBR’s View:

Mourinho’s hard work at Spurs really begins now after his first defeat in charge, but the winning run wasn’t going to last forever and his team deserved to lose at Old Trafford.

They certainly have defensive problems they need to rectify, as they have conceded twice in each of the last four matches in all competitions.

Spurs have dropped down to eighth in the league table and have a nine-point cushion to the top four spots.

It seems a little far-fetched to blame the defeat on complacency as players will have been wary of a trip to Old Trafford, but it will interesting to see how they respond now.