Tottenham rescued an unlikely point at Manchester United after fighting back to draw 1-1 with 10 men – but their search for a Premier League win extends into another unwelcome week.
The point at least lifts Spurs off the foot of the table, but Roberto De Zerbi’s side remain marooned in the relegation zone, without a league victory since May.
Their predicament can be summed up by three cases of extreme wastefulness and one of ill-discipline, with Dominic Solanke particularly guilty of spurning the chances that might have seen his side take a comfortable first-half lead.
Instead, it was Bryan Mbeumo who broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute, combining with Matheus Cunha in the box and turning smartly to guide a clinical finish across Antonin Kinsky.
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Mbeumo fired Manchester United ahead
Spurs spent most of the game in the ascendancy but were hurtling towards their fourth loss of an already chaotic campaign, made worse by a moment of madness from Rodrigo Bentancur, who saw red for a headbutt motion towards Luke Shaw five minutes after the goal. The incident sparked a touchline brawl between both benches.
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Rodrigo Bentancur saw red for a headbutt on Luke Shaw
As emotions ran high, De Zerbi’s mission looked hopeless. But Spurs did not give up, and were rewarded with a leveller in stoppage time when Solanke glanced a header past a static Senne Lammens.
Neither manager is likely to be satisfied with the outcome.
Man Utd were booed off the pitch at half time and full time, stuck in the midst of their worst start to a season for 40 years. Spurs’ plight, meanwhile, is arguably more damning still. After the points were shared, it’s perhaps a result that leaves more questions than answers for both.
The key moments from Old Trafford…
Dominic Solanke celebrates after scoring a late equaliser
3: MISS! Lucas Bergvall pounces on a poor Lammens pass to put Solanke through on goal, but the striker can’t punish the mistake.
21: HUGE CHANCE! Savio sets up Kudus, who hooks a first-time shot wide of Lammens’ right-hand post.
34: SHOT! Mbeumo feeds Amad on the counter, but his low shot is easily saved by Kinsky.
42: CHANCE! Solanke plays in Conor Gallagher, who just needs to pull the trigger but he takes too long and allows Lammens to save.
49: CHANCE! Spurs pass up another chance as Savio drives into the box and rolls the ball back into the six-yard box but Shaw clears.
51: OVER! Savio gets to the byline and crosses for Solanke, who balloons over from six yards out.
73: GOAL! Mbeumo scores smart opener on the turn, beating Kinsky with a clean, low drive.
90+2: GOAL! Martinez is distracted as Sandro Tonali’s cross comes in, losing sight of the ball and allowing Solanke to glance a header home.
Carrick with soul-searching to do after ‘worrying’ performance
Sky Sports’ Gary Neville:
“Tottenham deserved a point. That was a really important moment for Solanke. He’d missed some big chances and was captain for the first time.
“They were the better team by far. If they’d left without a point, it would have been terrible for them.
“Michael Carrick is left with a lot to think about. It was a worrying day in terms of the level of performance and a big week ahead.”
Man Utd devoid of structure and ideas
Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp:
“I do not see enough connections in that midfield and they look devoid of any confidence, ideas, or patterns of play, playing out the back.
“Tottenham were just much better than them in every department, but that is a theme this season.
“Their energy levels are not good enough and they look loose going forward; there was no real structure.
“The squad is not good or strong enough and Michael [Carrick] needs help in that respect.”
Carrick admits Man Utd were ‘off it’
Man Utd boss Michael Carrick:
“We couldn’t find a way to get ourselves into the game. With the ball, without the ball, we were off it.
“I’m not happy with the amount of points, I’m not hiding from that. We need to put things in a positive direction quickly.
“We have to be more streetwise and stubborn in the moment. It doesn’t change my belief, or confidence in the players. We can be a really good team.
“We don’t want to start games like that, it was challenging. They worked through it, got themselves in a good position, and couldn’t see the game out. That’s the most disappointing thing.
“I don’t feel let down bty players making mistakes but we’ve all got to help each other be better.”
De Zerbi pleased with different Spurs character
Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi:
“We did not deserve to lose, for sure. Today, for the first time we showed we’re a team. We played for team-mates, stayed inside of the game in every situation. We attack and defend as a team.
“Suffer together. We have to find the balance between confidence, and to be hungry in training and in games.
“For a long time Tottenham played without this character, now I’m the coach, I want to see this character every week. With the quality, with character, the right energy, I think we’re going to win many games and score many goals.”
