The Tottenham faithful were eager for an immediate response to Sunday’s embarrassing 6-1 pummelling at the hands of Newcastle – a match that spelled the end of coach Cristian Stellini’s interim spell in the Spurs hotseat after just four games.
Tasked with reviving their top-four push, Ryan Mason had his side playing with intent in the early stages, but once again they fell behind inside seven minutes. Marcus Rashford showed great persistence to hold onto the ball and play it out to Jadon Sancho, and the winger shifted it onto his right foot to calmly strike into the far corner.
United continued to be relentless, and Sancho saw another attempt headed off the line by Ivan Perišić, though the Croatian nearly equalled the scores at the other end soon after with a glancing header to draw a heroic reflex save from David de Gea.
Spurs' deputy goalkeeper Fraser Forster also showed some ingenuity, but he was unable to stop the rampant Rashford before half-time. The England international latched onto Bruno Fernandes’ pinpoint crossfield ball in acres of space, and he had the beating of Eric Dier before smashing in a second at the near post.
With hopes of Champions League qualification seemingly slipping through their fingers, Spurs’ situation warranted a second-half rally, and they came straight out of the blocks following the break.
Pinball in the United box resulted in Clément Lenglet’s header striking the bar, and it wasn’t long until the home side went one better. Harry Kane saw his shot blocked, but it only went as far out as Porro, who punted first time into the near top corner, with De Gea rooted to the spot.
That goal was the catalyst for a reborn Spurs, and there were opportunities abound. Son missed a clear-cut opportunity before Dier headed agonisingly wide from close range, but Spurs had to wait until the last 10 minutes before hitting a well-deserved equaliser. Kane pounced upon a loose ball and raced ahead of Tyrell Malacia to swipe a ball across goal to Son, who was waiting to slot in at the far post.
While anyone could have snatched it in the dying minutes, it was certainly a case of two points dropped for Erik ten Hag and United, while Ryan Mason will be delighted with Spurs’ second-half performance, in which they were well worth their first home league draw since December 2021.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)
