Jose Mourinho suffered defeat on his first return to Old Trafford since being sacked by Manchester United 12 months ago.

The recently-appointed Tottenham boss, who received a warm reception by everyone associated with United on Wednesday evening, was unable to prevent his side slumping to a 2-1 defeat.

The result is a huge boost for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who alleviates the pressure on his shoulders (slightly) amid intense speculation that he could lose his job soon.

United were excellent value for their three points. The Old Trafford faithful have had little to cheer about in recent weeks but this was a superb team performance.

One man, in particular, was sensational. Marcus Rashford scored both of the Red Devils’ goals and was unlucky not to finish the match with a hat-trick.

The in-form forward broke the deadlock in the seventh minute with a strike which caught out Paulo Gazzaniga at his near post and then went close to doubling his tally with a free-kick.

Gazzaniga made amends for his earlier error with a series of saves, although there was nothing he could to stop a stunning 30-yard effort from Rashford, which cannoned back off the crossbar.

Mason Greenwood, a surprise starter, also went close to scoring United’s second of the night but was denied by Tottenham’s Argentine goalkeeper from close range.

Jesse Lingard then missed an opportunity to score his first Premier League goal of 2019 before Tottenham, who were on the ropes for almost the entire first half, equalised thanks to a moment of individual brilliance from Alli.

The midfielder brilliantly plucked the ball out of the sky with a magnificent first touch, beating Ashley Young and Fred in the process, before finishing cooly past David de Gea.

It was a moment of inspiration from a player who looks revitalised under Mourinho.

However, United - or, rather, Rashford - came flying out of the traps after the break and were awarded a penalty shortly after the restart.

A brilliant run from Rashford led to the penalty, and United’s No. 10 dusted himself down before slotting past Gazzaniga from 12 yards.

Daniel James, who'd inadvertently clattered Mourinho early in the first half, forced two saves from Gazzaniga as United tried to kill the game off.

In truth, the Red Devils were comfortable for most of the second half and Spurs, as was the case during the opening 45 minutes, were largely disappointing.

They rarely threatened De Gea as the clock ticked down to full-time and Mourinho will be hugely disappointed that his players were unable to seriously test a Man Utd side who had only won four league games this season prior to this fixture.

But it's a massive win for Solskjaer, who will head into Saturday's Manchester derby against City feeling a lot more confident.

Is this a turning point in the season for United - or another false dawn?

Time will tell...