When Manchester United's players traipsed back into the away dressing room at White Hart Lane on Saturday, September 29, 2001, they were expecting the hairdryer to be out.
United had conceded three unanswered first-half goals to Tottenham and a pattern had been continued. This was the fifth away game of that season, the sixth if you include the Charity Shield at the Millennium Stadium, and Sir Alex Ferguson's side had won none of them.
They had shipped two to Liverpool in the Charity Shield, two at Blackburn, one at Aston Villa, four at Newcastle and two more at Deportivo La Coruna. The first-half onslaught at White Hart Lane made it 14 goals conceded on their travels in five-and-a-half games of football and United had the worst away defence in the Premier League.
