Martinez and de Gea celebrate United's win over Tottenham.

I was the kind of noise that was proper for a top-six shootout in the Premier League under the floodlights, and it rang all across the stadium as it rolled down from the highest points at Old Trafford.

It was the kind of sound that fans haven't heard nearly enough in previous seasons, as they've been disillusioned with the team that's been put in front of them. However, this seemed to be the fans' way of giving Erik ten Hag the go-ahead for what he wants to achieve with Manchester United. Even the spectacle of Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the game early was not enough to overshadow a performance by the team that came despite the absence of their most important individual player.

After 13 games in which it has been difficult to draw any conclusions, this evening had the feel of the kind of night that can give launch to a new era. The rout that Manchester United delivered upon Tottenham was comprehensive in every respect, with the possible exception of the scoreline, which certainly favored Antonio Conte's squad.

This was by some by the best performance under Ten Hag, far surpassing the victories at Old Trafford against Liverpool and Arsenal that took a lot of grit and backs-to-the-wall defense. This was the best performance under Ten Hag by some distance.

On this occasion, there was practically any of that to be found. Even though Lisandro Martinez played exceptionally well against Harry Kane, Manchester United were just superior to Spurs in every single aspect of the game. And significantly, significantly better.

Antony by himself had three shots in the first ten minutes, but as the first half progressed, United's control got more comprehensive despite the fact that they were dominant from the opening whistle.

United had the opponents pinned in, but Tottenham managed to mount a few counterattacks every so often. They played some really good football at times, with Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw both making outstanding contributions from fullback.

However, the intensity was what stood out the most to observers. United consistently won possession of the ball in the upper third of the field. The players for Tottenham were unable to even raise their heads to take a breath.

The manner in which that performance was delivered is what won over Old Trafford. They admired some of the football, such as the dazzling skill that Antony displayed, which left Ivan Perisic and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg grasping at air; the switches of play from the full-backs; the creative passing from Fred and Bruno Fernandes; however, what they liked most was the aggression that was displayed by the team.

The admiration had been rising to the point where it felt like it overflowed, which may have been the pinnacle moment of dedication to Ten Hag's approach from those who are fans of his work. Martinez bullied Son Heung-Min to reclaim possession, Dalot skipped aside a couple of challenges to start another attack, and Old Trafford roared, the kind of guttural crowd that comes when you are loving what you are seeing. Martinez bullied Son Heung-Min to reclaim possession. Dalot skipped aside a couple of challenges to start another attack.

After the very gloomy draw with Newcastle the previous day, it was a completely different story. Even if Ten Hag had bragged about that performance, this was on a far different level.

Old Trafford came alive in the second half, as seen by the cheers that erupted from the Stretford End every time Manchester United retook possession of the ball within the Tottenham half. This was a clear indication of United's complete dominance.

They deserved the stroke of good fortune that came with Fred's opening goal, and once Fernandes had added a classy second, with United making the most of Simon Hooper's advantage in their own defensive third to build another fine attack, the game was over. They deserved the stroke of good fortune that came with Fred's opening goal. Old Trafford was buzzing with excitement as fans sang "Fred, Fred will tear you apart," yet nights like this have been hard to come by in recent history.

The story of a night that drew players and fans closer together was told by the persistent applause that Ten Hag received from the Stretford End as he moved towards the tunnel, as well as by the fist-bumps that Martinez, Raphael Varane, and David de Gea gave to the United fans in that corner.

Regarding Ten Hag, additional work needs to be done. Both the play coming out of the back and the play coming from the attack need to be improved at times. The attack still needs to create more consistent returns. And they continue to hold the fifth spot. However, in terms of what he wants and how you would anticipate his teams to appear, this particular half an hour was the "Ten Hag" moment that stood out the most during his tenure.

In contrast to how recent games at Old Trafford have too frequently felt like the conclusion of something, this one appeared to be the beginning of something new.