Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Manchester United – Steven Bergwijn’s first half goal was cancelled out by a Bruno Fernandes penalty as Tottenham remain 4 points behind the Red Devils in the race for Champions League football.
First half:
The game started off cagey as both sides were easing their way back in to the action and it was Manchester United who had the first big chance of the game through Marcus Rashford who saw his low shot well saved by the legs of Hugo Lloris.
The opening goal of the game was scored by Steven Bergwijn for Tottenham who went on a good run through the Manchester United defence and then scored his third goal for Spurs since signing in January; however, David De Gea should no doubt have done much better.
Tottenham had a great chance to double their lead a few minutes later when Bergwin’s cross found the head of Son Heung-Min who forced a good save out of David De Gea who slightly redeemed himself for his earlier error.
Tottenham saw the first half out comfortably in the end as The Red Devils struggled to create any meaningful chances.
Second half:
The first big moment of the second half was when Hugo Lloris was forced in to another great save by Anthony Martial this time who saw his shot well tipped over by his national team mate to keep Spurs in front.
Manchester United did then win a penalty with 10 minutes to go when Eric Dier bought down substitute Paul Pogba in a clumsy challenge from the Englishmen. Bruno Fernandes stepped up and converted his third Premier League goal for Manchester United.
Manchester United were well and truly on top in the secondhalf and were awarded a second penalty when Bruno Fernandes was clipped by Eric Dier inside the box, however VAR looked at the decision and over turned the call as there was not enough contact as VAR saved Tottenham from conceding a second penalty as the game finished all square.
Full time
Man of the match:
Steven Bergwijn – The Tottenham winger looked threatening all game causing Manchester United problems throughout and a scorer of a fine goal to top off his performance.
Fascinating facts:
This was the first time Spurs and Manchester United have drawn a game since December 2014 which was 0-0 at White Hart Lane.
All of Steven Bergwijn’s goals for Tottenham have come in home fixtures.
Manchester United have been awarded 23 Premier League penalties since the start of last season which is 9 more than any other side.
This is the first time Manchester United have avoided a loss from off Spurs in a Premier League season since 2014/2015.
Manchester United are now 6 Premier League games unbeaten which is their joint best unbeaten run this season.
Talking points:
A quiet day for both clubs top scorers – Son Heung-Min, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial were all largely ineffective throughout in a rare quiet day for the four top scorers on the field this season.
A glimpse of Pogba and Fernandes connection – The duo that Manchester United fans have been excited to see and by the looks of it, the two certainly showed glimpses of what we could see in the future of the Manchester United midfield.
VAR spot on to overturn Manchester United’s second penalty – It’s fair to say VAR has come in for some criticism this season and at times the criticism has been justified however today VAR correctly overturned a penalty what was not and mainly did and that is what VAR was bought in to do.
Champions League rivals happier with the result than these two clubs – If Tottenham Hotspur won this game they would have gone only a point behind the Red Devils but as it turns out the teams happiest with this result will be Chelsea, Wolves, and Sheffield United who are the teams still in the race for a Champions League spot.
Both January signings on score sheet – Steven Bergwijn and Bruno Fernandes have both made impressive impacts at their respective clubs with the two men becoming key players in their short times in the Premier League and this game was no different with both men being the driving force for both teams.
Is David De Gea under threat of no longer being Manchester United number one? It was only last season when David De Gea pulled off a fantastic performance at Wembley for Manchester United against Spurs, however can you recall a fantastic performance from the Manchester United goalkeeper since then? It seems as though the once Manchester United hero between the sticks place might be under threat especially if the form of on loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson is anything to go by at Sheffield United.
Sam’s match reports 