Manchester United can consider themselves lucky to still have an unbeaten record. The Red Devils grabbed a late point as they drew 2-2 away at Tottenham Hotspur in North London after another uninspiring performance from Ruben Amorim’s side.
Last season, the Lilywhites were a bogey-prone team for United, who lost four times to Spurs. But that losing streak looked to be coming to an end when Brian Mbeumo scored just after the 30th minute.
It was another good goal, with Amad swinging in a cross that the Cameroonian attacker headed home.
The Red Devils were passive for most of the match, content with Spurs dominating the ball. Eventually, they succumbed to the pressure. In the 83rd minute, after a great play back on goal, Matthijs Tell’s shot was deflected and sailed past Senne Ramens.
Eight minutes later, in the first of six extra minutes, Richarlison headed Wilson Odbert’s shot into the net. United looked doomed, but Matthijs de Ligt came to the rescue, heading in Bruno Fernandes’ corner kick to secure a draw.
With De Ligt being the last key player, Amorim’s performance was lackluster.
De Ligt’s stats against Spurs
Dutch international De Ligt capped off a good week by personally getting on the scoresheet. After an excellent start to the season at Old Trafford, he was recalled to the Dutch national team.
His final header to give United a point was impressive.
He managed to shake off his marker and ghost towards the back post, rising unmarked and heading past Guglielmo Vicario and into the Spurs goal.
The former Ajax star impressed defensively. He was the one who deflected the ball into the back of the net, but it’s hard to fault him as he played well as a centre-forward.
Apart from that, De Ligt primarily played as a right centre-back, making six clearances and three recoveries, mainly tormenting the likes of Richarlison in front of him.
Meanwhile, the Dutchman’s heroic goal late on would have brought a sense of relief to United fans and players alike. That includes another starter who struggled against the Spurs.
United stars struggled against Spurs
Despite de Ligt’s performances, United were disappointing against Thomas Frank’s side. Amorim’s side had just five shots in the entire game and it was a mostly lackluster performance after that.
One offensive player who struggled was Matheus Cunha. The Brazilian has shined as something of a favorite of Amorim this season, but was largely unknown as he wore the number nine shirt on Saturday.
He certainly had a tough day against Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
In fact, Cunha was unable to participate in the match at all. The former Atletico Madrid star had just 35 touches in the 72 minutes he played, fewer than Lamence’s 37.
He also recorded four touches inside Spurs’ box and won one of their seven ground duels.
Cunha stats vs Spurs | |
|---|---|
status | number |
touch | 35 |
pass completed | 17/24 |
Touch the offensive box | 4 |
Won a ground duel | 1/7 |
advance to the final third | 2 |
shot | 1 |
Fotmob statistics | |
Well, it was a performance that even MEN writer Stephen Railston thought was a bit lacking. He gave Cunha a 5/10 rating for his work this afternoon, saying the 17-cap Brazil star was “not at his best” at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
That would certainly give Amorim something to think about. United face Everton in their next game, but with two more physically capable centre-backs in Michael Keane and James Tarkowski, they may decide not to start Cunha against the Toffees.
There are other options if he decides to rotate the Red Devils’ number 10 out of the lineup. Benjamin Sesco, of course, is one of the players who could start despite his injury against Spurs. Joshua Zirkzee is another player Amorim can rely on and his hold-up play could be important against the Toffees.
Whatever the United manager decides, the team will need to produce more going forward. On another day, they could have easily been slaughtered in north London.
