Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has a score to settle after Manchester United snub

Outcome of Premier League clash may show whether Old Trafford bosses were right to spurn Italian pragmatist

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris - 6, Had very little to do but confidently dealt with anything that came his way. Reuters

Cristian Romero - 7, Was dominant in his defending, doing well to head away Donny van de Beek’s cross. He was booked for a late and unnecessary challenge on Richarlison. Reuters

Eric Dier - 7, Cleaned up well and rarely looked stretched throughout the match. Was unlucky to see his header go behind off the crossbar. Reuters

Ben Davies - 7, Was solid defensively, doing well to step across and help Ryan Sessegnon to deal with Gordon. Reuters

Matt Doherty - 8, Played a brilliant pass to create a chance for Son, while he did well to create space for himself before being stopped by Jordan Pickford. Played a perfectly weighted ball for Harry Kane’s second of the match. Getty Images

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7, Looked confident throughout and was his usual disruptive influence. Did well to win a header under pressure in his own box to prevent any danger materialising. Getty Images

Rodrigo Bentancur - 7, Played a great pass through for Kane to run onto for the third goal, just one moment that showed how comfortable he was on the ball. Getty Images

Ryan Sessegnon - 6, Required help on multiple occasions as Gordon got the better of him, but ran behind Seamus Coleman and delivered a brilliant cross for the opener. EPA

Dejan Kulusevski - 8, Got a nice touch to assist Son and provided a lovely pass through for Sergio Reguillon for the fourth. Showed brilliant footwork and awareness to create another chance for Son. AP Photo

Son Heung-min - 7, Fired his shot through Pickford for Spurs’ second but wasted two more good opportunities to score. Was booked for pulling Gordon back. Getty Images

Harry Kane - 9, Put Michael Keane under pressure for the opener, then showed quick thinking in the build-up to the opener. Having missed the target when everyone in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium expected him to score, the striker came back and finished clinically for Spurs’ third before hitting a peach of a volley for Spurs’ fifth. Getty Images

SUB Sergio Reguilon (Sessegnon, HT) - 8, Scored within 40 seconds of his introduction and wasn’t afraid to express himself. Lost the ball cheaply at one point but recovered well to win it back. Getty Images

SUB Davinson Sanchez (Romero, 52’) - 7, Authoritatively stopped Richarlison when the forward tried to go outside him, then made a good sliding tackle to stop the Brazilian’s burst towards the box. Came close to finding the bottom corner with a header. AFP

SUB Steven Bergwijn (Son, 66’) - 6, Was unlucky to see his shot go straight at Pickford. Played a couple of sloppy passes but worked hard and looked bright. Got into a good position in the latter stages but couldn’t keep his shot down. PA

EVERTON RATINGS: Jordan Pickford - 4, Should have done much better for Spurs’ second. While the England international could do little about Spurs’ other goals, he stood up well to stop shots from Son and Doherty. AP Photo

Seamus Coleman - 3, Sessegnon got behind him for the opener while the Irishman conceded possession to start the moves that resulted in two Spurs goals. He did hold Son up well to allow Gordon to make a recovery tackle and got ahead of Kane to make a block. Reuters

Mason Holgate - 3, Was taken out of the game by Kulusevski’s touch for Son’s goal, then encapsulated Everton’s calamitous defending by smashing the ball at Michael Keane’s face before the break. Showed a worrying lack of awareness at times. Getty Images

Michael Keane - 3, Fired the ball into his own net for the opener, then completely lost Kane for the third and went off at half time after taking a ball to the face. AFP

Jonjoe Kenny - 4, Struggled to get his usual quality of deliveries into the box and showed a lack of awareness to keep Kane onside for the third goal. Getty Images

Abdoulaye Doucoure - 4, Worked hard but struggled to truly make his mark on the game. As was the case with many of his teammates, Doucoure faded in the second half. AFP

Allan - 4, Didn’t get close enough to Kane for Spurs’ second and was often played around by Spurs’ midfield. Hit a sorry shot over the crossbar in the final moments. EPA

Donny van de Beek - 5, Hustled well and was one of very few Everton players who looked even close to making anything happen in the first half. Was quiet in the second period before being taken off. Getty Images

Anthony Gordon - 6, Was undoubtedly Everton’s brightest player and he also worked hard defensively, racing back to dispossess Son on the edge of his own box. His set pieces weren’t the best. Reuters

Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 5, It wasn’t completely his fault as there was very little quality service, but he was largely anonymous. Made some poor touches in the first half, while he saw his shot from the edge of the box blocked before firing agonisingly wide in the second. EPA

Richarlison - 5, Rarely threatened and made a mess of his early shot. He did work hard for large periods of the game and tried to make things happen. Getty Images

SUB Jarrad Branthwaite (Keane, HT) - 4, Didn’t do enough to close down Kulusevski for Spurs’ fourth. Was pickpocketed by the Swede then found himself unable to stop him delivering a dangerous cross. Reuters

SUB Vitalii Mykolenko (Van de Beek, 59’) - 5, Struggled to contain Spurs’ attacks on his side and didn’t always look completely comfortable in possession. Reuters

SUB Dele Alli (Calvert-Lewin, 69’) - 5, Received a warm welcome from the Spurs fans. Showed for the ball and moved it well but was unable to hurt his former teammates. EPA

There was a candidate, even though there was not yet a vacancy. Manchester United had suffered the historic humiliation of a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool. While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long, drawn-out goodbye continued, some close to Antonio Conte let it be known he was interested in replacing the beleaguered Norwegian. It soon became apparent the attraction was not mutual. United were not keen on the serial Serie A winner.

Solskjaer limped on to instead shape Conte’s future by finishing off Nuno Espirito Santo, whose final Tottenham game was a 3-0 defeat to United. Conte instead succeeded him. And so Saturday's meeting is between the manager United did appoint against the one they could have done.

Ralf Rangnick was only ever an interim; Conte, with his combustibility and his 18-month contract, scarcely exudes long-termism either. That formed part of United’s reservations: they have always wanted a manager with longevity, though results have dictated otherwise.

Yet Conte arrives at Old Trafford with a far better track record of winning trophies than Rangnick. There is an immediate comparison that seems to emphasise a gulf: the Italian masterminded Tottenham’s 3-2 win at Manchester City whereas the German’s side were a rabble by the end of their 4-1 defeat at the Etihad.

Another measure suggests there is less difference: since Conte’s appointment, both clubs have 30 points, albeit with United having played two games more and with a dramatically worse goal difference. Since Rangnick took over from Michael Carrick, United are three points better off than Spurs, but after a rather easier fixture list and having played one match more.

United may survey the drama at Tottenham and feel they were vindicated. Conte threatened to quit after defeat to Burnley. He criticised Spurs’ past record in the transfer market and said their January window left them weaker. He has called Tottenham a mid-table team, questioned his players’ mentality, said the level at the club is “not so high” and generally shown a blunt lack of diplomacy.

It all seemed entirely predictable. United’s reservations may have stemmed from their status as a dysfunctional club. Their transfer-market record is abject, their players are often accused – not least by some of their former greats – of giving up and they have become a byword for underachievement. Conte would have found plenty to condemn.

Burnley 1 Tottenham 0 – player ratings

Perhaps he would have sounded out of control at Old Trafford, too; certainly, the Glazers and Ed Woodward would not have appreciated an unflattering interpretation of their record. Conte might have appeared Jose Mourinho in overdrive, lashing out at everyone. It seemed a risk United were not prepared to take.

Moreover, Conte was deemed an imperfect footballing fit. He does not come from the German school of thought, though time will tell if Rangnick’s reign forms part of a smooth transition to a manager with pressing principles.

United cherish their historic image as inveterate attackers. Conte’s reputation as a pragmatist precedes him, though it may be inaccurate. Tottenham have outscored United during his reign. A pragmatic attacker has drawn more from a flagship forward: since Rangnick took over, Cristiano Ronaldo has three league goals and one assist. Harry Kane has scored nine and created two for Tottenham.

And perhaps Conte’s tactical nous and coaching prowess might have revived United. In the battle for fourth place, United have the greatest resources and the most talent in their squad, but Tottenham have the difference-maker in the dugout.

Perhaps Arsenal will pip both. If not, however, tomorrow offers an examination of whether United made the right decision. The perennially driven Conte will probably have still more motivation than usual to win.

Lose, however, and it may suggest Spurs was his rebound job, taken in haste and then regretted.