Manchester United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur: result and report

Report

Manchester United were two minutes into stoppage time from beating ten-man Tottenham Hotspur, yet the 1-1 draw was the fairer result. United had the lead and the extra man, but Tottenham Hotspur created the better chances across the match.

How the game moved

The game stayed goalless until the 73rd minute, when Bryan Mbeumo scored from Matheus Cunha's pass. That looked like the decisive moment, especially because Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for Tottenham Hotspur five minutes later.

Despite playing the final stretch with ten men, Tottenham Hotspur still found an equaliser. Dominic Solanke scored in the second minute of stoppage time, with Sandro Tonali providing the assist.

Tottenham Hotspur: the better chances

The chance numbers explain why the late goal did not come from nowhere. Tottenham Hotspur finished with 1.66 xG to Manchester United's 0.75. They also created four big chances to United's one, though they missed three of them.

So while Solanke's goal arrived late, Tottenham Hotspur had been threatening to score for some time. Their attacking pressure was also higher on average across the game, which fits the picture of a side that kept asking questions.

Manchester United: a lead they could not hold

United did have more shots, eight to six, and more on target, four to three. That is the main counter-signal, because it shows they were not simply pinned back. Possession was split evenly.

Still, more shots did not mean better shots. United's goal came from a game in which they created only one big chance, and the red card did not give them enough of a foothold to close it out. Mbeumo was named player of the match, though his goal ended up as the only reward from a modest attacking return.