Tottenham Hotspur held Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday evening. The Red Devils led twice but Spurs fought their way back on both occasions and were undoubtedly the better side on the day.
The hosts took an early lead when Rasmus Hojlund rifled into the roof of the net from inside the box for his second successive league goal at home, the last being the winner against Aston Villa in the memorable 3-2 win in late December.
Marcus Rashford came close just minutes later, but his cushioned volley went wide.
Spurs certainly settled down well after falling behind and almost restored parity in the 11th minute when Rodrigo Bentancur’s header following a corner was cleared off the line by Diogo Dalot.
The North London side earned several corners before finally scoring from one to restore parity in the 19th minute. From Pedro Porro’s in-swinging corner, Richarlison rose highest to flick his header at the far post.
It was end to end as both sides looked to get the go-ahead goal before halftime. Ange Postecoglou’s side certainly came with a game plan as they pressed all over the pitch while maintaining a high defensive back line to cause problems for United.
Erik ten Hag’s side were almost gifted a second when Destiny Udogie’s header from Rashford’s cross hit the post.
Just seconds later, the Red Devils went ahead when Rashford played a one-two with Hojlund before drilling a low shot into the back of the net for his first goal this season at Old Trafford.
Timo Werner came close for the visitors but dragged his left-footed shot wide of target as United went into halftime with their noses in front.
However, the joy was short-lived for United as Spurs equalized right after the restart. After Cristian Romero’s delightful long ball opened up the United defense, Werner’s cross from the left was fired in by Bentancur.
The visitors dominated from there on, having the lion’s share of possession. They almost went ahead in the 52nd minute when Richarlison wasted a golden opportunity as he shot straight to Onana in the United goal.
The visitors had almost three-quarters of possession around the hour mark as Ten Hag’s side looked flat and out of ideas on the pitch. Lisandro Martinez returned for the hosts after a lengthy injury layoff, adding defensive solidity in the back four.
Tottenham were at their creative best as they got in behind the United back four multiple times but failed to garner clear-cut opportunities in the final third throughout the second half.
Scott McTominay had a glorious opportunity to steal the three points right at the death but the hosts will be disappointed with their second-half performance failing to have a shot on goal as the game ended two apiece.
The result means that Tottenham stay in fifth, with 40 points from 21 games, five behind league leaders Liverpool while United are seventh, eight points behind the North London outfit. Ten Hag’s side now focus their attention on the FA Cup fourth-round fixture next weekend while Spurs face Manchester City in almost two weeks.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
