Manchester United can count themselves lucky that their unbeaten run is still intact. The Red Devils secured a late point away to Tottenham Hotspur, drawing 2-2 in North London, after a largely uninspiring performance once again from Ruben Amorim’s team.
Last season, the Lilywhites were something of a bogey team for United, who lost to Spurs four times. However, when Bryan Mbeumo scored just past the half-hour mark, it looked like that run could be coming to an end.
It was a good goal too, with Amad swinging a cross in for the Cameroonian attacker to guide home with his head.
The Red Devils were passive for most of the game, happy for Spurs to dominate the ball. Eventually, they did buckle under the pressure. In the 83rd minute, Mathys Tel saw his strike take a deflection and fly past Senne Lammens after excellent back-to-goal play.
Eight minutes later, in the first of six added minutes, Richarlison got his head on Wilson Odobert’s shot to direct it home. United seemed dead and buried, but Matthijs de Ligt was the saviour, heading home Bruno Fernandes’ corner to secure a draw.
It was a lacklustre performance from Amorim’s side, with De Ligt a key man at the back.
De Ligt’s stats vs. Spurs
Dutch international De Ligt capped off a good week for him personally by getting on the scoresheet. He was also recalled to the Netherlands squad after a fantastic start to the season at Old Trafford.
His last-gasp header to earn a point for United was an impressive effort.
He managed to shake off his marker and ghosted towards the back post, rising unmarked to head past Guglielmo Vicario in the Spurs goal.
Defensively, the former Ajax star impressed. He was the player whose deflection sent Tel’s strike into the back of the net, but it is hard to blame him after good centre-forward play.
Aside from that, De Ligt made six clearances and three recoveries, mainly operating at right centre-back, having largely bullied the likes of Richarlison ahead of him.
The heroic late goal from the Dutchman, meanwhile, would have brought relief to United fans and players alike. That includes another starter, who struggled against Spurs.
The United star who struggled against Spurs
Despite the performance of De Ligt, United were disappointing against Thomas Frank’s side. It was a largely toothless performance going forward, with Amorim’s side managing just five shots in the entire game.
One of those attacking players who struggled was Matheus Cunha. The Brazilian has shone this season as something of an Amorim favourite, but, operating as a number nine on Saturday, was largely anonymous.
He certainly had a tough day going up against Cristian Romero and Mickey van de Ven.
In fact, Cunha didn’t really manage to get himself into the game at all. The former Atletico Madrid star only managed 35 touches in the 72 minutes he played, less than Lammens’ 37.
He also had four touches in the Spurs box and won one out of seven ground duels.
Cunha stats vs. Spurs
Stat
Number
Touches
35
Passes completed
17/24
Touches in opposition box
4
Ground duels won
1/7
Passes into final third
2
Shots
1
Stats from Fotmob
Well, it was a performance which MEN writer Steven Railston also seemed to think left a little to be desired. He gave Cunha a 5/10 for his afternoon’s work, and said the 17-cap Brazil star was ‘not at his best’ at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It will certainly give Amorim something to think about. United’s next game sees them take on Everton, and with two more physically imposing centre-backs in Michael Keane and James Tarkowski, he might decide against starting Cunha against the Toffees.
There are other options if he decides to rotate the Red Devils’ number 10 out of the lineup. Benjamin Sesko is, of course, one player who could start, although he picked up an injury against Spurs. Joshua Zirkzee is another player Amorim could turn to, and his hold-up play could be important against the Toffees.
Whatever decision the United boss chooses, he will need his side to create more going forward. On another day, they could have easily been put to the sword in North London.
