Tottenham missed out on their first home Premier League win since the opening weekend this afternoon as Man United defender Matthijs de Ligt broke Spurs’ hearts with a dramatic equaliser, despite Thomas Frank’s side briefly taking a 2-1 lead in the second half.
Tottenham 2-2 Man United, Spurs’ home form continues to be poor
Brian Mbeumo put United ahead in the 32nd minute and October’s Premier League Player of the Month continued his fine form by nodding in the helpless Guglielmo Vicario at the far post.
The visitors had the upper hand for long periods as Spurs once again looked disorganized at home and lacked creativity overall. Tottenham had one chance before the interval, but striker Richarlison missed a golden opportunity when he headed free from 12 yards out.
He somehow missed the ball completely, leaving all the Spurs fans in the stadium stunned, with the same supporters booing the home team at half-time after a very disappointing first 45 points.
United controlled the game well after the restart and looked set to take the three points, although the genius Senne Lamence had to make some great saves to maintain their advantage.
However, in the 83rd minute, substitute Matthijs Tell’s shot hit De Ligt and deflected off goal, ultimately resulting in an equalizer.
Tottenham 2-2 Man Utd – Player of the match | match rating |
|---|---|
Wilson Odbert | 7.4 |
Matthijs de Ligt | 7.3 |
Amad Diallo | 7.3 |
matistel | 7.1 |
patrick dorug | 7.1 |
via scorer | |
Franck’s introduction changed the game, with fellow sub Destiny Oudogui setting up the Frenchman’s stunning equalizer inside the box. Yet another sub, Wilson Odbert, added to the late drama.
In the 91st minute, Richarlison curled Odbert’s ball past Lamence from outside the box and into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations as the Brazilian took off his shirt in glee. Tottenham appeared to have made a sensational comeback, but there was one last trick.
In the 96th minute, United’s corner kick hit the back post and a completely unmarked De Ligt headed home, quelling Spurs’ celebrations and giving Ruben Amorim’s side a dramatic score.
With this draw, United remain unbeaten in four games, while Tottenham’s home struggles continue. Spurs have won just four of their last 20 home league games, with their impressive away results overshadowing their real struggles at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Peter Crouch takes aim at ‘lazy’ Jed Spence in Man United draw
A lot went wrong with United’s first goal.
Papu Sarr made the strange decision to play a very difficult pass to Micky van de Ven just outside Spurs’ penalty area rather than clearing the ball, with the Dutchman rushing on the missed clearance before United scored and took the lead.
Right-back Jed Spence was also unable to quickly clinch Mbeumo’s headed cross, with former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch telling TNT Sports at half-time that his defending simply wasn’t good enough.
Crouch said Spence appeared to be “too calm” as he went to press Diallo, and claimed Diallo’s “relaxation” in that moment cost Spurs the lead.
All in all, the North Londoners are undoubtedly the weaker side and a win against them would have been pretty tough on United, even if their short return sparked real hopes of a perfect performance in the final Premier League game before the November international break.
The next two games after the break are actually away, but they are against very formidable opponents: Premier League leaders Arsenal and European champions PSG.
