Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes fired home an 81st-minute penalty to grab Manchester United a draw against Spurs tonight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Steven Bergwijn blasted the hosts ahead midway through the first half, but the Red Devils fought back and fully deserved their point. Tonight’s big game, Premier League: Spurs vs Manchester United, was a battle between two teams with Champions League aspirations; last year’s beaten finalist against the three-time winners.
Neither has made big progress towards that aim, but neither are out of the race.
Highlights of the game
In a high tempo start, Marcus Rashford looked sharp in United’s attack while Erik Lamela was busy behind Spurs’ forward line. Heung-Min Son had the first shot on target which was comfortably collected by David de Gea, but Rashford came the closest in the early stages, latching on to a ball from Bruno Fernandes and Hugo Lloris had to be alert to clear with his foot.
United looked the stronger squad in the early stages, and Fernades tested Lloris with a cross-shot, but it was Spurs who went ahead with a breakaway goal. Steven Bergwijn collected the ball just inside the United half and, after leaving Harry Maguire for dead, he blasted his shot through De Gea and into the roof of the net.
The Spanish stopper will have been disappointed. United’s other young keeper, Dean Henderson, who is on loan at Sheffield United, has kept 11 clean sheets this season for the Blades and he could be in line for a return to Old Trafford. But the present incumbent partially redeemed himself with a fingertip save to deny Son’s header after Bergwijn had broken free again.
The Red Devils tried to respond and Fred curled a dangerous ball in, but Rashford missed his header, and then United’s best player, Fernandes, hit a swerving shot which Lloris did well to hold on to.
The return of Harry Kane to full fitness dominated much of the pre-match Spurs vs Manchester United news, but the England skipper was anonymous in the first half with only ten touches of the ball in the 45 minutes — though he will have been pleased enough to go into the break 1-0 up.
Fernandes tried to get United back in the game early in the second half, taking a return pass from Anthony Martial, but his low fizzing strike was inches wide of Lloris’ right-hand post.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rang the changes on the hour, bringing on Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood for Fred and Daniel James. Both players were immediately involved as United upped the pressure. Fernandes fired a pass into Martial but the striker fluffed his shot and then when the Frenchman had another chance, he hit it sweetly but Lloris stretched to make a world-class save.
Pogba, then, made his impact with a run into the box and Eric Dier clumsily felled him to gift the Red Devils a penalty. Man-of-the-match Fernades stepped up and fired the perfect spot-kick low into the bottom left corner.
Kane had a chance to win it for Spurs with a free-kick from 30 yards but he hit the United wall. Then, on 90 minutes, the Red Devils thought they had another penalty when Fernandes fell under a challenge from Dier, but the Spurs defender was relieved when VAR overturned the referee’s decision.
Key statistics
In the run-up to the game, the Spurs vs Manchester United betting odds pointed to a tight game with the draw available at 3.11 and a 1-1 scoreline at odds of 5.60.
And so it was, with Manchester United dominating possession and edging the shot count by 12 to ten.
Fernandes’ goal was United’s 16th penalty this season, and Bergwijn’s effort was only the third conceded by the Red Devils in 12 games.
In contrast, Spurs have only collected four clean sheets all season, the joint lowest in the Premier League.
What’s next?
Next up, the Red Devils are at home to this season’s surprise package, Sheffield United. And then they have a trio of fixtures against sides in the relegation battle, Norwich City, Brighton and Bournemouth. Here at SBOBET, we’ll be watching the basement struggle closely with games coming thick and fast. But this little run is a clear chance for Solskjaer’s men to pick up nine points.
Spurs also face the Blades after United have met Chris Wilder’s team. But before that, they have a London derby against another struggling side, West Ham.
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