Second half comeback sees Spurs draw with United
DRAW: Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with teammate Oliver Skipp.Pic:Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
IT took 45 minutes but Ryan Mason finally got the reaction he had demanded ahead of his first game since taking interim charge of Tottenham while Erik ten Hag was left to reflect on how his Manchester United side had squandered a two-goal lead.
Trailing to goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford at half-time and with Manchester United seemingly fully in control, it seemed there was little chance of Spurs redeeming themselves following Sunday’s humiliating defeat at Newcastle that had triggered apologies, a commitment by the players to reimburse the fans who had attended the game and the departure of Cristian Stellini, the interim head coach, after just four games in charge.
The second half was a very different story. An early reply from Pedro Porro brought the home side back into the game and after Son Heung-min equalised in the 79th minute, it seemed Spurs would be the most likely winners.
United ended the game relieved to have held on to a point that strengthened their prospects of a top four finish while Spurs moved up to fifth place with confidence renewed.
While Mason could be satisfied at the way his side recovered,Ten Hag was left wondering how his team had managed to lose their way after the break when victory had seemed assured.
Ten Hag’s side had experienced their own bout of soul searching last week when they were forced to pick over a dismal performance in a 3-0 defeat at Sevilla that brought their hopes of winning the Europa League to an abrupt halt.
The challenge last weekend was to put that behind them ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final with Brighton. And while United were fortunate their opponents failed to make the most of a number of scoring opportunities, they hung on, eventually winning on penalties to set up a meeting with near neighbours Manchester City in the final.
Spurs would need to display similar resolve after the numbing experience at St James’s Park and avoid suffering an early setback that would further weaken the side’s fragile confidence. Yet while that may have been the plan, the fragility that had been so badly exposed by Newcastle was evident once again as United wasted no time in establishing an early lead.
Just seven minutes had gone when Marcus Rashford easily worked his way past two unconvincing tackles before playing the ball wide to Sancho on the left. The winger was confronted by two defenders but Christian Eriksen’s overlap run proved enough of a distraction and Sancho took advantage by cutting onto his right foot and placing his shot beyond Forster.
Just as against Newcastle, the right hand side of the Spurs defence had been shown to be porous and was again exposed when Sancho almost doubled the lead only to see his deflected shot headed clear off the line by Ivan Perisic.
Forster’s failure to deal more effectively with a Bruno Fernandes shot did nothing to improve the confidence of a flaky backline. And at the other end of the pitch, Richarlison’s decision to attempt a cross when he had a clear shooting opportunity highlighted the lack of belief running through the team.
Spurs had their chances - David De Gea made two good first half saves - but the difference between the two side was summed up in the 43rd minute. Perisic broke clear but was denied by De Gea before Bruno Fernandes triggered the counter-attack with a superb long ball that sent Rashford clear with Eric Dier in pursuit. It was no contest and Rashford was untroubled as he lashed his shot past Forster.
United had been impressive and deserved their lead, The chants against Daniel Levy and the club’s ownership had grown in volume midway through the first half and mood was summed up the loud boos that greeted the half-time whistle.
Belatedly, Mason got the kind of reaction he was hoping to see at the start of the match. Spurs returned after the break with a vigour and purpose that had largely been missing during the first half. And they were rewarded when they forced their way back into the game in the 56th minute.
An excellent cross from Perisic caused confusion and after Harry Kane’s shot had been blocked, Porro met the rebound with a clean strike to volley home from 16 yards out.
The sense that Spurs might get something from the game was enhanced when Fernandes fluffed the chance to restore the two-goal lead when he shot against the bar when clear on the goal moments later.
They might have been level had Son Heung-min not miscued his shot before Dier had an even clearer chance to score, heading wide when unmarked just six yards out. United were rattled while Tottenham were transformed.
The visitors defence appeared increasingly vulnerable and the equaliser came eleven minutes from time when Kane swept in a ball that flew across the face of goal towards Son who this time displayed more composure to place the ball past De Gea.
: Forster 6; Romero 6, Dier 5, Lenglet 6; Porro 5 (Danjuma 77, 6), Skipp 6, Hojbjerg 6, Perisic 7 (Davies 77, 6); Richarlison 6 (Kulusevski 60, 6), Kane 8, Son 6 (Tanganga 87, 6).
Sanchez, Danjuma, Lucas Moura, Sarr, Davies, Austin, Mundle.
: De Gea 7; Wan-Bissaka 6 (Malacia 71, 6), Lindelof 6, Shaw 7, Dalot 6; Casemiro 7, Eriksen 7 (Fred 60, 6); Antony 6 (Weghorst 71, 6), Fernandes 8, Sancho 7 (Martial 60, 6); Rashford 7.
: Butland, Pellistri, Williams, Elanga, Sabitzer,.
Anthony Taylor 6
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
