For the second week in a row, Manchester United needed a late equaliser to snatch a 2-2 draw on the road – though this time around it was even more chaotic than seven days earlier.
Matthijs De Ligt scored a header deep into injury time when Richalison thought he’d won the game for Spurs with a goal in added time of his own. Though it was definitely a point gained, United will surely reflect on the circus of events which led to a game which was controlled to one which was almost thrown away.
Ruben Amorim made changes to the team which drew at Nottingham Forest last week, most notably reshuffling the attack to how it looked at Anfield, with Matheus Cunha through the middle and Benjamin Sesko on the bench.
A sports psychologist could have a field day with an analysis of the modern Spurs v Manchester United matches; a maelstrom of ambition, mistakes and transition, perpetual as it has been since 2013, consistent in a sense of it’s own.
While the Premier League describes itself as the best in the world, and now is, by blunt force default, the Europa League Final of last season which featured both of these sides and was decided by an error was very much representative of the declining standards therein.
And we were there again this lunchtime; Spurs v United at the new White Hart Lane, where the old White Hart Lane had produced a fixture between these sides which was an almost guarantee of quality, these days you can just about count on at least one of the teams shooting themselves in the foot.
In the first minute, United suggested it might be them yet again when Senne Lammens became the third goalkeeper in a calendar year to look uncomfortable on this ground, carelessly giving away a corner. But Spurs – as would prove to be the case throughout the first half – were just not in the sort of mood to accept any of United’s generosity.
It took the visitors a while to get into the swing of things; Matheus Cunha came alive at the midway point, but his nice footwork only led to a comfortably smothered shot.
Just after the half-hour, United had the breakthrough, in similar fashion to how they conceded last week. Cunha and Amad were involved as Spurs couldn’t get the ball out of their own box. Amad delayed his cross, and Mbeumo was at the far post to head with conviction into the net.
Just as United and Amad might have been at fault at Forest, today Pedro Porro was caught ball-watching – as analyst Tony Bryson suggested he might be on Wednesday’s tactical preview podcast.
That was the only shot in the first half that hit the target for either side. Spurs needed to be better after the break and were, forcing Lammens into action through Romero and Palhinha. Both managers made changes – Amorim bringing on Sesko for Mazraoui, and Thomas Frank bringing on Udogie to target Amad as Forest did last week.
In the 84th minute, the efforts of the hosts found a breakthrough, and it was through the area Amad was defending – a cross was put in from the left, and Tel turned De Ligt, hitting his shot against his Dutch marker which presented a strong enough deflection to leave Lammens with no chance.
Enter the chaos. Substitute Mount did very well to put through Sesko, but the striker had lumbered around looking decidedly off the pace in his cameo, and allowed Van Der Ven to snuff him out when the game was there to be decided. In the process, Sesko felt his groin, and came off, putting United down to ten men.
From that moment on it seemed as though Ruben Amorim’s side had rediscovered their penchant for avoiding a victory at all costs.
From a corner, Odobert took aim with a curling effort, which deflected off Richarlison’s head and went into the net. Bruno Fernandes furiously appealed for offside – and he would have been right to, if Manu Ugarte had not curiously decided to leave it very late until pushing up from the clearance, and leaving Spurs with five yards of space to do whatever they wished to do. His specialist role as a defensive midfielder gives the ostensible impression that he is the sensible option to replace a tiring Casemiro but his limited ability as a spoiler leaves him exposed in a midfield two. You could not put the delay in getting out at the corner to limited technical ability, but it is more alarming altogether to not smell danger at the most dangerous moment.
Down to ten, it seemed as though a match between these sides was once more yet to prove just how far United had left to go. But a flicker of resilience was there to be seen again when Bruno Fernandes’ corner was headed in by De Ligt right at the death.
That it was another week where United, in-game, found themselves second in the league only to prove they have many of the same old flaws, only goes to speak once more about the state of the league at the moment.
But another game against Spurs lost to chaos has to go down as a concern, particularly as the quality in United’s game regressed the more Amorim made changes. Those changes contributed to put United from a controlling winning position to a needless losing one.
United keep their unbeaten run going but have given four points to teams with terrible home records and one would not class that as a run of momentum to be wholly positive about just yet.
Ratings : Lammens 6, De Ligt 7, Maguire 7, Shaw 6, Mazraoui 6, Casemiro 6, Fernandes 7, Dorgu 7, Amad 6, Cunha 6, Mbeumo 8
Subs : Sesko 4, Yoro 5, Mount 7, Ugarte 4, Dalot
