Tottenham vs Man Utd LIVE: Result and reaction from Premier League fixture as Spurs complete comeback
Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United: Spurs come from two goals down to secue a draw against Man Utd
Tottenham Hotspur banished all memories of their 6-1 defeat to Newcastle to complete a remarkable fightback against Manchester United on Thursday night.
Things started badly for the hosts as Jadon Sacho sent the visitors ahead inside seven minutes as Erik ten Hag’s men imposed themselves on the game. Marcus Rashford then finished off a wonderful move to send United into the break with a comfortable lead as the Tottenham players were booed off.
The second half saw a different Tottenham side come onto the pitch. From the off they controlled the tempo and, aided by key personnel like Christian Eriksen being taken off, they found a way back into the game - Pedro Porro volleying a shot home from the right side of the box.
From there Spurs continued to push and, despite a poor individual performance, Son Heung-min bobbled in an equaliser having been expertly picked out by Harry Kane inside the area. Spurs earned just one point but in the context of their recent performances it will feel like a whole lot more.
Relive the action as Tottenham hosted Manchester United in the Premier League
Ralf Rangnick identifies what Tottenham need to give Julian Nagelsmann a platform to succeed
Tottenham Hotspur would make a good landing spot for Julian Nagelsmann’s next job - but Spurs have been told they’d need to make another key appointment to let him thrive.
Ralf Rangnick was in charge of football operations at RB Leipzig when Nagelsmann was at the club, then in just his second senior role, and the 35-year-old is now dealing with his first real setback of his coaching career after being sacked by Bayern Munich. Rangnick believes it would be a good match in terms of giving room to build a new team, suggesting Spurs do not immediately demand success.
Talks between the younger German boss and Spurs have been ongoing but there is no agreement in place and some reports have suggested Nagelsmann wants to wait until summer to decide his future.
Rangnick called Spurs an “exciting club” but insisted they would have to replace ousted sporting director Fabio Paratici if they wanted to get the best out of Nagelsmann.
Rangnick identifies what Spurs need to give Nagelsmann platform to succeed
Ryan Mason has been appointed as the latest Spurs interim boss but talks remain ongoing with Nagelsmann
Tottenham vs top seven
Spurs have won just one of their nine Premier League games against sides currently in the top seven, losing the other eight.
Will tonight be an exception to this trend or are Tottenham destined to lose again?
Will Man Utd lose on the road again?
Erik ten Hag’s side have lost all five top-flight away fixtures with teams currently in the top seven this season, conceding 21 goals in the process.
Defeat would be Manchester United’s 200th in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag praises Harry Kane as Manchester United look for centre forward
Erik ten Hag has praised potential summer target Harry Kane’s intelligence, personality and goalscoring instincts ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
Fresh from edging past Brighton in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final on penalties, the Red Devils return to London for a key match in the race for Champions League qualification.
Fourth-placed United boast a six-point cushion and two games in hand on Spurs, who turned to Ryan Mason as caretaker boss following their 6-1 shellacking at Newcastle.
But whatever the disfunction at Spurs, club record goalscorer Kane always seems to find a way to find the net and took his tally to 26 in all competitions at St James’ Park.
Erik ten Hag praises Harry Kane as Manchester United look for centre forward
The 29-year-old’s deal at his boyhood club expires next year and Manchester United have been strongly linked with a summer move
United’s great midweek form
Manchester United are unbeaten in seven midweek Premier League matches this season, winning five and drawing two.
United are seeking to win four consecutive top-flight matches without conceding in a season for the first time since between February and March 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Tottenham vs Man Utd
Tottenham have lost their last two top-flight matches, conceding nine goals and scoring three in reply. They have let in 28 Premier League goals in 2023 with only Leeds United (33) conceding more this year.
Tottenham vs Manchester United: Team news!
Tottenham: Forster, Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Porro, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Richarlison, Son, Kane
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot, Casemiro, Eriksen, Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho, Rashford
Tottenham, Manchester United and a sliding-doors moment
Erik ten Hag was praising a prolific centre-forward. Which, in itself, meant he was not talking about a current Manchester United player.
Marcus Rashford has scored 28 times this season, but his preferred position is coming off the left flank. Anthony Martial has seven goals: the damning statistic, however, is not that none have come in his last four outings but that, as May beckons, he has still only started seven league games. Wout Weghorst has two goals, neither in the Premier League.
Instead, Ten Hag was speaking about Harry Kane and of his admiration for a player who, in most other seasons or a world without Erling Haaland, would be on course for the Golden Boot. Kane has 24 league goals in a mediocre Spurs side, a record 274 for Tottenham Hotspur and a record 55 for England.
His excellence extends beyond the total, however, as the Dutchman said.
The sliding-doors moment that shows Tottenham what they could have had
Erik ten Hag was a contender for the Tottenham job in 2021 but Spurs looked elsewhere and began down a road that led to their current chaos
Tottenham vs Man Utd
Tottenham have won just three of their previous 21 top-flight home fixtures against Manchester United, drawing seven and losing 11.
The Red Devils are vying to beat Spurs for the 40th time in the Premier League.
Do Spurs have belief?
“I believe in all my players, absolutely, and I wouldn’t want any of them to feel like I don’t.” said Ryan Mason when asked if his team believe they can finish the season well.
“I need to transfer that to the players and more importantly the players need to feel that together as well. They need to help each other to understand the situation we’re in.
“We’ve six really big games to try and finish this season as well as possible and hopefully set us up for a good summer and pre-season next season.
“The main focus is on Thursday and Sunday, two big games.”
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