Manchester United won 3-0 in North London, throwing manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a lifeline before the derby against Manchester City next week.

Tottenham Hotspur - Manchester United 0-3
Manchester United won their away game vs Tottenham Hotspur 3-0, easing the pressure on their manager’s shoulders. (Image: Twitter/fotomac)

Ronaldo was back on the scoresheet for the Red Devils after four games without a goal. The Portuguese scored United’s first after 39 minutes, then assisted Cavani’s goal just on the hour mark. Marcus Rashford turned off the scoreboard at 3-0, after netting in the 86th minute.

Manchester United are now fifth in the Premier League, on 17 points, eight behind leaders Chelsea. Tottenham sit eighth, on 15 points.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer survived a difficult week following the 5-0 trashing by Liverpool at Old Trafford. The Norwegian was finally given another vote of confidence.

“The most important thing for the fans and me and the players is that we connect together,” Solskjaer said after the 3-0 win over Tottenham.

“It has been a difficult week for the players, the club, the fans, for me. I’ve stayed away from most of the noise. But you know what is happening out there and you know you have to put a performance up,” the manager added.

“Every time you lose a game it’s the worst feeling in the world as a coach or manager. We needed the whole week to work on this performance,” Solskjaer stressed.

City are favorites for their trip across town

United’s win against Tottenham interrupted a four-game winless streak which saw the team lose to Aston Villa (0-1), Leicester (2-4), and Liverpool (0-5) and draw with Everton (1-1).

United now get ready to travel to Italy for their Champions League match against Atalanta on Tuesday, then will host City in the big Manchester Derby on Saturday. Despite losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace at home over the weekend, City are the bookies’ favorites for a win at Old Trafford. The champions are at -133 to get the three points, with United currently at +350. A draw is at +275.

After a consistent performance versus Tottenham, Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed once more that he is Man. United’s main offensive weapon. He scored seven goals and assisted another since his return to Manchester at the beginning of the campaign.