Manchester United drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday, and Dominic Solanke denied them a victory with a 92nd-minute equaliser, after Bryan Mbeumo had given the home side the lead midway through the second half. Tottenham had been down to 10 men since Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for head-butting Luke Shaw.
The United fans who arrived hoping to enjoy themselves at Manchester City’s expense left disappointed. Before kickoff, they chanted “You cheating bastards, you know what you are” at their neighbours, and after Mbeumo’s goal they taunted Spurs with “You’re going down with the City”. By the final whistle, though, referee Stuart Attwell had blown for full time, and the City scandal had been forgotten. Fans streamed out of the stadium discussing how Tottenham had found a late equaliser.
A frustrating afternoon for Carrick
United’s performance was nervous and disjointed, and Michael Carrick admitted the result left him deeply unhappy. “Massively disappointed with the result for sure,” Carrick said afterwards. “A mixed performance, to be totally honest. I think it was tough. It was challenging for the first period, definitely.”
He pointed to signs of improvement after the interval. “There was a big improvement through the second half as it progressed and 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.”
The draw means United have endured their worst start to a season after six games since 1986. Carrick does not usually blame his players publicly, and he did not do so again in his post-match news conference, but the pressure on him is growing.
Late goals costing points
Solanke’s header was the third time this season that United have conceded in stoppage time. Two of those late goals, against Everton and Tottenham, have cost them four points.
“It’s a couple of times now when — different ways, obviously — that’s two late, late goals against us to throw away two wins really,” Carrick said. “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.”
The defensive error was clear. Lisandro Martínez let Solanke get goal-side, and Senne Lammens could also have done better. Carrick, however, placed the emphasis on game management rather than individual blame.
“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,” Carrick said. “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.”
A pattern against 10 men
Solanke’s goal means Tottenham have joined City as the only visitors to find the net at Old Trafford this season after having a player sent off. United have now failed to win any of their past three matches against teams with 10 men. In March they lost 2-1 at Newcastle United after Jacob Ramsey was sent off, and in November, under Ruben Amorim, they lost 1-0 at home to Everton, who had Idrissa Gueye dismissed for slapping his own teammate.
Tottenham, who began the day bottom of the table, started brightly, and there were boos inside Old Trafford after just 20 minutes. United were outplayed for large spells of the first half, and frustration quickly returned despite the Premier League’s guilty verdict against City dominating the headlines during the international break.
The energy changed when Carlos Baleba, a £70 million summer signing from Brighton & Hove Albion, came on just before the hour mark. His debut was positive, but United’s failure to hold on to a winnable game overshadowed it.
What comes next
United travel to Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, before visiting Leeds United next weekend. After that, they face another demanding European fixture at Como. Carrick insists the core problem is that United keep losing out on fine margins this season. He will need that to change quickly if his side are to start moving in the right direction.