Reds denied at death to extend poor run
Man Utd dropped more points as they were forced to share the spoils with bottom placed Tottenham. A disjointed performance looked to be resulting in a win against ten men. A last minute equaliser prevented a second win to the frustration of the home support.
It was probably justly deserved for the visitors who were the better side for most of the game. They created plenty of chances but find themselves behind with less than 20 minutes left. They snatched an injury time leveller to move off the bottom though.
Michael Carrick made two changes from the side who drew at Fulham before the break. Leny Yoro came in at right back ahead of Diogo Dalot while Amad Diallo returned on the right with Marcus Rashford dropping to the bench. He was joined there by Carlos Baleba for the first time this season.
Robert De Zerbi made six changes from their home loss to Aston Villa. Only Kinsky, John Paul Van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, Savio and Dominic Solanke remained.
Almost trouble early on
They were winless so far this season but almost went ahead early on. Lucas Bergvall intercepted on a loose pass out from Senne Lammens. He found Dominic Solanke but the Utd keeper rescued himself with the save.
Leny Yoro was then in the right place at the right time to make two excellent tackles to prevent opportunities from Bergvall and Savio. They came from loose passes outside the United penalty area. Mohammed Kudus then put an effort past the post after slick build-up play.
Groans were audible as the visitors continued to control proceedings. There was far too much space being afforded to the opposition players in midfield to pick passes and advance without pressure.
It took more than half an hour for the home side to fashion a chance of their own. Spurs gave away the ball and Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo found themselves two on two. The latter fed the former for a shot on target. It was dealt with easily enough by Kinsky.
The half almost ended with Tottenham going in front. Conor Gallagher burst his way into the box, but failed to get his shot off in time. A combination of Youri Tielemans and Lammens managed to shepherd it out of danger.
Fans expected us to come out with greater vigor in the second half. They were left disappointed. Tottenham continued to make and spurn chances. Kudus and Solanke both guilty of poor decision making.
New man makes debut at last
A triple sub saw Carlos Baleba introduced into the midfield. He was presented an opportunity for an immediate impact. He skied his chance over the bar though.
That appeared to have lifted the crowd but Spurs almost went in front. Sandro Tonali flicked on a pass by Marcos Senesi into the path of Destiny Udogie. The full back tried to be clever with his effort but curled it past the post. An offside flag saved his blushes.
Reds take the lead
Then despite having being second best for most of the game, Utd went in front on 73 minutes. Matheus Cunha found space out on the left and cut it back inside for Mbeumo. He was not properly closed down and shot across Kinsky and into the bottom corner.
The game appeared to going further in Utd’s favour when Spurs went down to ten men. Luke Shaw intercepted a loose pass and charged down the left flank. John Paul van Hecke steamed into both him and Bruno Fernandes but Shaw remained on his feet. Substitute Rodrigo Bentancur lunged at the full back sparking a response. Shaw pushed him only for the midfielder to land a head butt on him. He received a straight red with a yellow for Shaw.
In a bad tempered closing to the game, Utd had chances to kill it off with chances for Mbeumo and Cunha. Both were denied though.
Disappointment at the end
That was to be critical when the ten men levelled up in injury time. Tonali clipped a cross towards Solanke who was tussling with Martinez. He came out on top and flicked his header into the bottom corner.
Neither side were able to find a winner in the minutes left. The final whistle was met with a smattering of boos from the home support. Just two wins in all competitions and a side lacking in cohesion. It has not been a good time for fans or the team. It does not get any easier coming up. Trips to Atletico Madrid and Leeds United lie ahead. Tottenham will be hoping to claim their first win when they face Coventry Monday week.
Manchester United: Senne Lammens, Leny Yoro (Diogo Dalot 59), Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw (Ayden Heaven 90+5), Youri Tielemans (Carlos Baleba 59), Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo (Joshua Zirkzee 59), Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha (Marcus Rashford 90+5), Bryan Mbeumo
Subs not used: Karl Darlow, Mason Mount, Andrey Santos, Shea Lacey.
Booked: Luke Shaw (77), Bruno Fernandes (83), Lisandro Martinez (87), Diogo Dalot (90+6)
Sent Off: None
Tottenham: Kinsky, Archie Gray, John Paul Van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Destiny Udogie (Micky Van de Ven 74), Lucas Bergvall (Rodrigo Bentancur 67), Sandro Tonali, Savio, Conor Gallagher (James Maddison 74), Mohammed Kudus (Omar Marmoush 67), Dominic Solanke
Subs not used: Martin Dubravka, Tobi Abarabioyo, Matys Tel, Mateus Fernandes, Ben Davies.
Booked: Conor Gallagher (04), John Paul Van Hecke (77), Archie Gray (90+7)
Sent Off: Rodrigo Bentancur (77)
Referee: Stuart Atwell
Attendance: 74,129
Simply Red Man of the Match: Leny Yoro
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