Manchester United failed to hold a late lead against Tottenham Hotspur, and Dominic Solanke‘s stoppage-time header secured a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday. Tottenham had been reduced to 10 men after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for head-butting Luke Shaw.
The home supporters arrived hoping to enjoy themselves at Manchester City’s expense, given the scandal engulfing their neighbors. Their chants before kickoff targeted City directly with “You cheating bastards, you know what you are.” When Bryan Mbeumo gave United the lead midway through the second half, the crowd turned its attention to Spurs with “You’re going down with the City.” Yet by the final whistle, referee Stuart Attwell had ended a match that left United fans questioning how they had let the result slip.
United had struggled with a nervous, disjointed performance for much of the game. Spurs, who began the day bottom of the table, started brightly, and boos rang out at Old Trafford after only 20 minutes. The home side was outplayed for large parts of the first half.
Ruben Amorim was no longer in charge when Everton won at Old Trafford in November, so the focus now falls on Michael Carrick. Carrick said he was “massively disappointed with the result,” calling the performance “mixed” and admitting it was “challenging for the first period.” He noted a clear improvement in the second half, adding, “we put ourselves in such a good position towards the end of the game. To then not see it through — we should find a way of seeing that through.”
Late goals and fine margins
The draw leaves United with their worst start after six games since 1986. It also marks the third time this season that they have conceded in stoppage time. Two of those late goals, against Everton and Spurs, have cost them four points in total. Carrick pointed to the pattern directly: “That changes a lot of things, you know. It changes a lot of feelings for ourselves and it changes points and what [the table] looks like. We need to do better with seeing out games, that’s for sure, once we get ourselves in a good position.”
Solanke’s goal came from a Sandro Tonali cross. Lisandro Martínez appeared to be caught out as the ball was floated into the box, and Senne Lammens could also have done better. The concern for United is that their defensive errors keep recurring in the closing minutes of games they should control.
Spurs became the second side to score at Old Trafford this season after being reduced to 10 men, following City’s earlier success in the same situation. United have now failed to win any of their past three matches against teams with 10 players. In March, they lost 2-1 at Newcastle United after Jacob Ramsey was sent off. In November, Everton won 1-0 at Old Trafford despite having Idrissa Gueye dismissed for slapping his own teammate.
Carrick acknowledged the problem: “It’s definitely something where — 10 men or not 10 men — if we’re ahead in the game, we’ve got to see games out. Whether that’s taking the ball, whether that’s controlling the game a little bit more, looking after the ball better in their half and around their box and pinning them in a little bit, or whether that’s defending moments better. Certainly, we need to improve that.”
Baleba’s arrival and the road ahead
United’s energy began to change just before the hour mark, when Carlos Baleba made his debut as a substitute. The £70 million summer signing from Brighton & Hove Albion offered hope for the weeks and months ahead. Under other circumstances, his cameo would have dominated the headlines, but United’s failure to close out a winnable game overshadowed it.
United face a demanding run of fixtures. They travel to Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, then visit Leeds United the following weekend. After that, they face another tough European assignment at Como.
Carrick insists that his biggest issue is that United have been on the wrong side of fine margins this season. Another late equalizer makes that point hard to dismiss, and he needs results to turn quickly if United are to move in the right direction.