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
Mason on bringing the group together
As part of his pre-match media duties Tottenham interim boss, Ryan Mason, was asked how important ‘togetherness’ is for Spurs as they look to end the season on a high and he replied: “It’s big now, and always important.
“I don’t believe you can be successful if you’re not together for one, inside this training centre, but then also as a whole, as a Club, because (otherwise) it becomes difficult.
“For us, we need to get the fans with us, we know that, because they’re disappointed with us and how the game went at the weekend.
“Ultimately, I’ve no doubt that if they know the players out there have desire, showing the will to run for the shirt, we’ll have them with us.”
Ryan Mason keen to get Tottenham’s fans back on side
Tottenham acting head coach Ryan Mason has acknowledged part of his role over the next month is to restore a connection with the supporters.
Spurs saw their season hit a new low on Sunday when they were thrashed 6-1 at Newcastle after they trailed by five goals inside 21 minutes.
It saw many away fans leave St James’ Park before half-time and while the squad have since promised to reimburse the travelling support, a toxic atmosphere could occur when Manchester United visit on Thursday night with chairman Daniel Levy set to again bear the brunt of criticism.
Mason, who threw his name into the hat for the managerial job on Wednesday, said: “I think the fans know what I feel for this club.”
Ryan Mason keen to get Tottenham’s fans back on side
Spurs supporters have chanted for chairman Daniel Levy to leave during the last two home matches.
More memories from Eriksen
“I think I really enjoyed my time there,” he explained when recalling his playing days at Tottenham. “We did have a very, very good team.
“And, every time, I’d be like no, I’m not going to leave for another team in the Premier League. I felt good at Spurs. You could see the opportunities for the future. Yeah, speaking [about it] is one thing but going for it is something else.
“I couldn’t see myself [elsewhere in England] so it was also why, when I left Spurs, I didn’t have the mindset of staying in the Premier League, when I wanted to leave.
“I didn’t plan on coming back but then, two years later, I was back and you never know what is going to happen in football.”
Eriksen recalls Tottenham days
Before joining Manchester United Christian Eriksen made his name in the Premier League playing for Tottenham and later Brentford.
He spent seven years at Spurs between 2013-2020 and spoke about how his time in London shaped and prepared him for life in the English top flight.
“I don’t know if I was a bargain,” he said about signing for Spurs from Ajax. “It was different. Just like going into a ping-pong machine, like a basketball game, continuously up and down. The intensity. Technically, I wasn’t surprised. I train and see players’ quality be the same as in Holland, technically. But you go into a game and wow, the intensity is completely different.
“If you lose the ball, it ends up there. If you lose it there, it ends up there. One rhythm, just up and down. It was a bit of a shock to get used to in the beginning.
“Under Andre Villa-Boas, I was in and out of the team at the time. I think also the club and the team was on and off. Against the top six, we lost a lot of games but, apart from that, we did okay. Then he left and Tim Sherwood took over at the end of that season and then Poch [Mauricio Pochettino] came in.
“I think, obviously, I had Poch for a lot longer than the other managers and I think what we did and what we created with him, the team we had was incredible. So, learning wise, I did learn from Poch. You’d have the ball less in training than before but have the ball a lot more in the games. With him, there was a lot of tough training, a lot of running, which is important for the physical part. We were a young side so, for us, it was the perfect mix and, just in the game, to play free.”
Tottenham vs Man Utd
Tottenham have lost four consecutive Premier League meetings, their worst run against Manchester United since seven successive defeats between September 2001 and September 2004.
Will it be a fifth straight defeat for Spurs tonight?
Jim Ratcliffe considers retaining Glazers as Manchester United stakeholders
Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s Ineos is “exploring all options” in order to seal the purchase of Manchester United. Sir Jim is considering retaining some of the Glazer family as stakeholders of the club, including Avram and Joel Glazer.
While that proposal is sure to enrage supporters and potentially get any prospective new regime off to a difficult start, The Independent has been told it is just one of a few proposals put forward by the billionaire. Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim-led bid is meanwhile solely seeking to buy 100 per cent of the club, as a number of investment firms also attempt to purchase minority stakes.
The deadline for these bids is 10pm on Friday evening, with the situation expected to move more quickly from next week. With Qatar expected to offer the highest bid, but not go over the £6bn the Glazers want, involved sources maintain that Ratcliffe is looking at numerous options to offer the most attractive bid over all. That involves offering the two Glazer siblings who want to stay a minority stake, as Ineos take controlling stake.
Jim Ratcliffe considers retaining Glazers as Manchester United stakeholders
The billionaire owner of petrochemicals giant Ineos has put forward a number of proposals as he seeks to secure a deal
Tottenham vs Man Utd prediction
Spurs surely have to show a big reaction after the debacle at St. James’ Park, but Manchester United have no need to be accommodating and will likely play a safety-first approach.
Spurs 1-1 Man Utd.
What is the early team news?
Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Emerson Royal are all out for Spurs and are not set to feature again this term. Clement Lenglet is a doubt, while there are question marks over Hugo Lloris who was subbed at halftime after conceding five goals early on against Newcastle.
For United, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Scott McTominay are all out. Bruno Fernandes faces a fitness test to see if he can play but Alejandro Garnacho and Donny van de Beek are other squad absentees. Jadon Sancho will hope for a start, while Anthony Martial or Wout Weghorst may get the nod up front.
How to watch Tottenham vs Man Utd
The match kicks off at 8:15pm GMT on Thursday 27 April.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on BT Sport 1 and Ultimate. Subscribers can stream the action via the BT Sport app or online player.
Predicted line-ups
Tottenham XI: Forster, Porro, Romero, Dier, Davies, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Sessegnon, Kulusevski, Richarlison, Kane
Man Utd XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot, Casemiro, Eriksen, Sabitzer, Sancho, Rashford, Martial
Tottenham vs Manchester United
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Premier League action from the Tottenham Hotspur stadium where Spurs take on Man Utd.
It’s been a difficult week for the London club after they were hammered 6-1 by Newcastle and interim manager Cristian Stellini was dismissed from the club.
In his place for the rest of the season is Ryan Mason, back for his second spell as interim manager, and he’ll be hoping to turn around Spurs’ poor form to end the season on a high.
Places in next season’s European competitions are at stake tonight. Tottenham are hoping to get back up to fifth in the table and close in on a spot in the Europa League whilst Manchester United want to secure Champions League football by finishing in the top four.
This will be a interesting match-up with neither side able to field their strongest teams but it could come down to whoever’s defence holds up best.
Kick off is at 8.15pm and we’ll have all the build-up and team news beforehand so stick with us.
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