Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester United: Matthijs de Ligt was heroic for the Red Devils as he denied Spurs’ second-half comeback by Matthijs Tell and Richarlison
Matthijs de Ligt silenced the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 95th-minute header to give Manchester United a late point and end the Premier League campaign in style. The Dutchman scored to stop Spurs’ late comeback after Richarlison’s goal minutes earlier with the score ending at 2-2.
Spurs had the first chance of the game in the 17th minute. Brennan Johnson sent a great cross to Richarlison, but the Brazilian misjudged his header and the ball fell helplessly out of play.
Neither team was able to move the game, but subpar attacking and defending ultimately gave United a chance. In the 32nd minute, Amad put the ball up for Brian Mbeumo to head home at the back post.
Tottenham also had the ball in the net in the second period, with Sene Lamence forced into two good saves. However, Johnson went offside before finishing.
A fine touch from Matthijs Tell gave the Spurs star a momentary space in the box in the 84th minute. The former Bayern Munich star’s shot hit Matthijs de Ligt and deflected past Rammens to level the score.
read more: Manchester United’s 88-year-old tradition saved by Darren Fletcher’s son after injury scareread more: Ruben Amorim warns Bruno Fernandes about future role in Manchester
Richarlison finally found the back of the net with his head in stoppage time. The Lilywhites looked to have won the game after Wilson Odbert’s fierce shot resulted in a smart flick inside the box.
But the game wasn’t over yet. United were reduced to 10 men after Benjamin Sesco was sent off injured, but De Ligt denied Richarlison the joy of scoring the winning goal with his own shot late on.
Mirror Football covers the talking points arising from the match.
Manchester United’s record remains
United’s 88-year tradition of incorporating academy players into their squad continued on Saturday after Coby Mainu’s injury put them in jeopardy. Before Tottenham, the midfielder was the only international, but Jack Fletcher was brought in to protect that record.
This is an admirable tradition of remarkable length, and it will be a relief to many that the Amorim are willing to keep it alive. Amorim told TNT Sports:
“There’s something special about our club that we need to take care of in the way we behave and the way we run the club. We’re not going to stop at this academy of players. Results don’t matter, nothing else matters.”
“We need to continue with those little things that are the foundation of the club. We have that record, but we’re not going to break that record, and Jack is ready to help us.”
“We are doing two things together: showing people that our academy is also our future, and showing the players that we will need them at some point so we need to be ready.”
Benji sitting on the bench
“I’m relaxed, he’s not relaxed,” Amorim said of Benjamin Sesco during the build-up against Tottenham. The 22-year-old once again failed to start against Spurs.
His £74 million signing has yet to convince his manager that he is a key member of the starting XI, but he had to wait nearly an hour to take to the pitch in London. Amorim suggested that Sesko “has more potential than I ever thought.”
Potential means little until it is realized, but the Portuguese coach has placed the responsibility on the entire squad to adapt to the new forward. “We need to understand how he likes to play and incorporate our ideas,” he added.
Sesco showed flashes against Spurs, but the goals should guarantee his place. There are many candidates for the front three roles, with Amadou and Mbeumo impressing on the wings, so Sesco will likely have less work to do in training.
If United keep scoring, the young forward will have plenty of time to settle in before the pressure mounts. The forward will have to curse Micky van de Ven’s excellent tackle late in the game.
Sesco left the match with a near-death injury.
clean sheet
Heading into the game against Spurs, United had kept just one clean sheet in 10 Premier League games. The Red Devils conceded 16 goals to their opponents during that period, while scoring 17 themselves.
There is plenty of ammunition for entertainment, but the impression is that the Amorim side is not yet ready to become a dominant force. However, Senne Lamence made two great saves in the second half, giving some indication that the United manager was finding a promising pillar in his team.
Amorim doesn’t care about keeping a clean sheet as long as he gets results. That was what we needed to get the three points on Saturday.
Do Tottenham need to fight more?
Tottenham have not won in their last 18 Premier League games, neither when they conceded the first goal nor when they took the lead against United. The fact that it took Spurs 54 minutes to get a shot on target says a lot.
Going into the game, only Burnley had fewer shots, but that’s a problem for a team that wants to score goals. Tottenham have started the season with a huge improvement over last season, but they risk being bogged down if they run out of wins when the team scores.
Do you need more fights to get back into the game? The only thing left is the ambition to score. Bodies are rarely placed in boxes. Do they lack a forward? Indeed, the club’s attacking struggles have put Thomas Frank under scrutiny. The decision to replace Xavi Simmons when Spurs needed a goal was met with boos from the stands.
Spurs improved significantly in the second period and their subs seemed to pay off. They found some fight and a few goals to take the lead late on. Still, we have to wait for a come-from-behind victory after De Ligt’s goal.
Chance for top 4
United may need more clean sheets, but Tottenham need more goals. Watching Saturday’s game, the Red Devils look poised to pick up the three points with their attack.
It is advantageous for United as there are no European football matches and they have more time to prepare. As the season progresses, Amorim is able to focus more firmly on one sport.
Saturday’s draw was probably a reasonable result. The fact that United collapsed when they had 10 men on the field might mean they look a little more prepared.
But for Spurs, at least in the second period, it showed they could score with more ambition. Tottenham currently sit in 3rd place and United in 7th place. It could be a very tough battle for the Champions League.
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