Premier League: United and Spurs play out pulsating draw

-

Manchester United 2 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs came back from behind twice in a pulsating Premier League encounter to deny Manchester United what would have been a very important victory. 

Rasmus Hojlund drove United into a third-minute lead. Richarlison then levelled with his sixth goal in as many Premier League games for the visitors. Tottenham were without three players, including captain Son Heung-min - who is away with South Korea at the Asian Cup.

MUFC 2 - 2 Spurs - 1

Marcus Rashford took the lead for the home team before halftime, but Rodrigo Bentancur nullified the advantage a minute into the second half with a powerful shot. This marked his first goal since April, overcoming a cruciate knee ligament injury and an ankle problem during that period.

For new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, who was seated alongside Sir Alex Ferguson in the directors' box, the rest of the match served as a learning experience. Manchester United had less than 40% possession, managed only nine shots compared to Tottenham's 16, and had only a third of the visitors' six shots on target.

While the draw didn't propel Tottenham above rivals Arsenal into the top four, it maintained an eight-point lead over Manchester United, who could potentially drop to 10th before their next match against Wolves on 1st February.

Before this game, Hojlund and Rashford had collectively scored only four Premier League goals this season. Hojlund had broken his Premier League duck with a memorable winner in United's last home game against Aston Villa on 26th December.

His recent goal reflected a surge in confidence as he swiftly fired a shot into the Tottenham goal after Destiny Udogie had intervened to stop Rashford's charge across the penalty area.

Although Rashford has accomplished a lot, confidence seems to be a concern, as he has not performed at the level seen in the previous season when he surpassed the 30-goal mark. There was a hint of uncertainty when he hesitated to take a shot just before half-time, despite already finding the net once.

Manager Erik ten Hag engaged in an extended tactical discussion with Rashford midway through the second half, possibly addressing the forward's missed opportunities. Meanwhile, Tottenham's Betancur, a fan favourite, had a noteworthy day as he continued his recovery from an ankle injury that followed his return from cruciate surgery.

Premier League news and stories: 2023/2024 (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) 

More Manchester United news

More Spurs news

The Uruguayan's eventful day included an early effort cleared off the line and a caution for kicking the ball away after an offside call, claiming he was returning it to United. His first goal since his injury showcased excellence, with debutant Timo Werner providing the pass, and Bentancur confidently driving the ball past Andre Onana at his near post.

While a draw was the least Tottenham deserved, the debut of £25m newcomer Radu Dragusin as a late substitute was a positive note, though they hope the injury forcing off Micky van de Ven is fatigue-related after his return from a two-month absence due to a hamstring injury.

The best reaction

The We want the Glazers Out (group) Facebook page posted: "Interesting performance yesterday. Thought we looked dangerous at times going forward but didn't put enough pressure on Spurs. I think we'll look a lot better once more players have come back from injury."

The Fight for Man United FC page posted: "Yesterday's performance was interesting. Our forward and attacking play was dangerous at times, but we failed to put enough pressure on Spurs. I think we'll look much better once more players return from injury. It was great to see Lisandro Martinez back, and he should have a huge defensive impact for the rest of the season."

Greg, the resident Spurs fan for News Ball UK, gave his thoughts on the match yesterday: "We played really well, in my opinion. Especially here, being a goal down wasn't the best of starts. The response we gave was outstanding, and the football we played afterward was excellent. 

"We really controlled the game in the second half. You can tell that the team had a tough week off the field with illness and other things so this was a good point even if United aren't in the best form."

Also this weekend: Premier League: Chelsea earn narrow win over Fulham (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)

Popular posts from this blog

Sliding Doors Moments: What if Scholes wasn’t offside?

-
Image
It's time to for another sliding doors moment in football  We travel back to 2004. Manchester United face Porto in the last-16 of the Champions League.  Author - Liam C What actually happened? A ontroversial offside call against Paul Scholes became a pivotal moment in European football history. The disallowed goal cost United a place in the quarter-finals, while Porto, managed by the up and coming manager José Mourinho, went on to win the competition and launch Mourinho into the managerial elite. But what if Scholes hadn’t been ruled offside? How might this alternative scenario have changed the landscape of world and European football? Scholes wasn’t offside: United progress Had the linesman not flagged Scholes for offside, Manchester United would have progressed to the next round of the Champions League. Scholes' goal was legitimate, and had it stood, United would have won the tie on aggregate, knocking out Porto and ending their European dreams. With the Red Devils moving
Read more

PL News: Ten Hag sacked by Man United

-
Image
There has been a managerial change at Old Trafford. Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag due to the club's disappointing start to the season. Author - Olivia T Ten Hag's last match ended in a 2-1 defeat against West Ham , leaving the club in 14th place in the Premier League with only three wins from their first nine matches. The Red Devils are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League league stage, having drawn their three opening matches. Club sources from the club have reportedly suggested that this was a difficult decision but a unanimous one among all the key decision makers.  The club exercised a one-year extension in Ten Hag's contract after their FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May . However, just over three months later, he has been dismissed. United currently sit on 11 points after nine games, marking their second-lowest tally in the Premier League at this stage (only slightly better than the 10 points they had in the 2019-20 season)
Read more

Scotland: Kilmarnock stun Rangers with late winner

-
Image
Kilmarnock 1 - 0 Rangers Rangers remain six points behind the Premiership leaders after suffering a late defeat against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. Author - Mark Lee In a lacklustre match, Rangers wasted several opportunities to secure three points. A combination of poor finishing and solid defending from Kilmarnock made it another frustrating afternoon for the Belgian manager. As the game was heading for a draw, David Watson's lob found Marley Watkins, who beat the offside trap and bundled the ball past Jack Butland. The Gers need to regroup quickly ahead of their Europa League match against FCSB on Thursday. Meanwhile, Derek McInnes' team has now moved to seventh place and are just outside the top six on goal difference. A closer look at how Kilmarnock stunned this Rangers side Home form has traditionally been a strength for Kilmarnock , but they had recorded five draws and one defeat in all competitions on their own pitch leading up to this game. ⚽️ Goal of the day: Mar
Read more