Richarlison thought he had scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a chaotic final, but Matthijs de Ligt’s last-minute header saved Manchester United from a 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
United took the lead in the first half through Brian Mbeumo’s header, but an impressive 84th-minute equalizer from substitute Matthijs Tell gave Spurs the lead, but Richarlison put them ahead seven minutes later, missing out on their second home league win of the season.
Substitute Benjamin Sesco’s knee injury squandered a bright chance just after Spurs’ equaliser, and United went down to 10 points, but De Ligt managed to pull a lead at the back post from a corner kick in the final six minutes of stoppage time.
Spurs never took the lead or won a Premier League game after 90 minutes, but United scored first and took the lead in the competition for the first time since August 2012, becoming the only team without a losing streak.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Matthijs Tell celebrates after scoring the equalizer
Manchester United’s Brian Mbeumo celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
A win would have lifted both teams to second place in the table, but in a bizarre match between last season’s Europa League finalists, neither team performed well enough to deserve that spot. Spurs have moved up to third place, while United are currently seventh.
Just like against Nottingham Forest, United conceded two quick goals to take the lead, but Spurs looked toothless for long periods of time, just as they had in their crushing defeat to Chelsea, not having a shot on target until the 54th minute.
Spurs continue to be United’s bogey side, having won all four meetings between the sides last season, including the Europa League final in Bilbao, and their winless record against them now stretches to eight games.
Although Spurs avoided defeat and showed their mettle to fight back, their disastrous home league performance remains a major cause for concern, with only one win in six games coming against Burnley on the opening weekend.
Frank responds to Spurs fans booing sub
Spurs fans booed head coach Thomas Frank’s decision to sack Xavi Simmons when United were leading, but equalized 4 minutes and 45 seconds after Tell was introduced as his replacement.
“Sometimes you get lucky,” Frank said of his substitutions. “Whenever I make the decision to substitute a player, there is only one objective: to win the game.”
Tottenham failed to register a single shot on target until the 54th minute, another disappointing performance for much of the game, but Frank continued to perform well as United were held to just five shots, their lowest of the season.
“We faced a Manchester United side who played with confidence, with Matheus Cunha, Amad Diallo, Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesco, but we limited them to just five shots,” he said.
“It’s just a reverse example. Even when you have all the big boys in the Premier League, it’s not that easy to produce. Having said that, I was very happy with our reaction in the second half.”
“We’re playing at home, of course we all want to win and we don’t talk too much about how we’re doing at home,” Frank added. The team has earned 5 points from 6 league games.
“Before we talk about it, we know we have to win. But I’m very, very happy with the way we pivoted and continued to do the right things throughout the second half to stay in the game.”
“There are days when you’re so close to winning and on other days you win.”
Amorim: We have many problems.
United manager Ruben Amorim said the loss of Harry Maguire and Casemiro, who came on as substitutes with less than 20 minutes to go when his side were leading 1-0, was a major factor in the team’s second successive defeat.
Nottingham Forest overturned United’s advantage last Saturday by scoring twice in the first two minutes of the second half, before pulling one back late on with a fine volley from Amad Diallo.
Amorim’s side have repeated those same mistakes and rescue attempts at Tottenham, and despite going on a five-game unbeaten run, his longest spell in charge, Amorim feels there is still much work to be done.
“We have many problems,” Amorim said. “We’re just getting started. I know the results can show people that we’re improving, but there’s a lot of work to do.
“The last 10 minutes can decide the game, even when we beat Harry Maguire and Casemiro at the same time and then we conceded two goals and had to lose (to Sesco), even before we got the big chance and got the second goal.”
“It’s good that we were able to overcome everything and still manage to score while playing with 10 men.
“But looking at the rest of the game, we were comfortable, but I think we should play more aggressively, feeling the environment in the stadium.
“The three points were there, we had the space and I think we were too comfortable during the game. You have to hope that one play can make something happen and change the atmosphere in the stadium, and today was just that kind of game.”
“We controlled the game well, but we need to do better because the game was meant to be won.”
