Tottenham 2, Manchester United 2
Manchester United were held at Tottenham after Heung-min Son’s late equaliser earned a creditable point for the home side.
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter a 6-1 mauling up at Newcastle, the home side had every reason to be nervous for the visit of the the Reds but they rallied in the second half after shipping their 30th goal this year.
United were cruising after first half goals by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford but after the break Clement Lenglet hit the crossbar before Pedro Porro pulled a goal back and Son grabbed the equaliser with 11 minutes to go.
And despite United looking below their best they can take a big step towards confirming a return to the Champions League if they can beat Aston Villa on Sunday.
United boss Erik Ten Hag was disappointed not to win all three points have a positive start but was clear that the Reds had to move on to the next game in their quest to secure a top four finish.
He said: “When you are 2-0 up then you are a bit disappointed when you draw.
“We had chances to go 3-1 up and then we conceded another goal but 2-2 is a good draw.
“We were not that good over 90 minutes, even in the first half we were not that good.
“We lost control after half time, we could see the goals coming but it was too late.
“We had to manage the game and keep the ball, we didn’t block the crosses and the shots – it was so easy for them to score a goal.
“We have to be ready for Sunday [against Aston Villa].”
Jadon Sancho was the only change from United’s semi final win at Wembley over Brighton – coming in for Anthony Martial.
And Sancho put United ahead after just seven minutes with an 18 yard strike inside the back post after Rashford raced through the porous Spurs midfield unchallenged and moved the ball out to the left to his team mate.
The Reds had much the better of the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rashford dragged a free kick wide of the far post as United looked to double the lead against Spurs from 25 yards out while Richarlison tested David De Gea with a tame shot.
Bruno Fernandes also forced Fraser Forster into a save while Richarlison’s shot was blocked by Luke Shaw.
From a corner De Gea saved from a header by Ivan Perisic from Pedro Porro’s corner.
Forster twice saved from Rashford while Perisic shot straight at De Gea on a rare counter attack for Spurs.
But United went up the other end and Rashford scored his 29th goal of the season in the 44th minute after being released by a deep pass from Fernandes which enabled the striker to go clear past Eric Dier and convert his chance.
Earlier in the season Spurs would play much better in the second half and acting head coach Ryan Mason, in position after Cristian Stellini was sacked following the Newcastle debacle, plotted the comeback.
Clement Lenglet’s header shaved the top of the United cross bar as Spurs put United under pressure early in the second half.
And this paid off soon afterwards when Harry Kane’s shot was blocked but Pedro Porro pulled a goal back by volleying home the rebound into the top corner to bring Spurs back into the game after 56 minutes.
Fernandes broke through immediately afterwards shimmying past two defenders to make space but his rocket came back off the crossbar.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg shot wide as Spurs looked for the equaliser and Dejan Kulusevski replaced Richarlison but United suffered greatly after a multitude of substitutions by both sides weakened the Reds.
Anthony Martial came on to replace Jadon Sancho while Christian Eriksen was replaced by Fred after 61 minutes.
Kulusevski shot wide before Dier contrived to head wide with the goal at his mercy.
With less than 20 minutes to go United brought on Wout Weghorst and Tyrell Malacia for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Antony.
And Spurs got close again with another goal mouth scramble which Fernandes cleared but the chances were coming now for Spurs – Kane had a long range effort saved by De Gea.
The home side swapped out both wing-backs at the end with Arnaut Danjuma and Ben Davies replacing Perisic and Porro for the last 13 minutes.
And Spurs immediately equalised after 79 minutes with Kane creating a great chance for Heung-min Son after Spurs won the ball back from De Gea’s long clearance and Kane crossed for Son to sweep home from 5 yards out at the back post.
United tried to respond from that but they had nothing left in the tank and had to be content with a point that still leaves them in a great position to qualify for the Champions League next season.