27 April 2023 , 21:52
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From somewhere deep within, Tottenham found the fight they have been lacking all season.
And it turned the mood from rebellion to celebration to leave Manchester United fans feeling angry and frustrated for a change. Tottenham forward Son Heung-min grabbed a late leveller to complete a remarkable second half comeback and regain some pride after another turbulent week in the Spurs soap opera.
United blew a two-goal half time lead, dropped two precious points as they close in on a place in the top four and will probably be wondering where on earth Tottenham’s performance came from. This was the team which was thrashed 6-1 at Newcastle last Sunday, they fired another manager in Cristian Stellini on Monday having already parted company with Antonio Conte and had rookie Ryan Mason in charge.
But it was Mason who clearly conjured up some fight and passion which has been lacking for so long and the night finished with the remaining supporters in the stadium actually clapping the players off the pitch at the end. No wonder United’s players looked annoyed at the final whistle because, even at 2-1, they blew a great chance to put themselves out of sight when Bruno Fernandes hit the bar.
But you have to also wonder whether United’s FA Cup heroics caught up with their weary legs as, having beaten Brighton after extra time and penalties on Sunday, they ran out of steam in the second half. It does not get any easier either as they face in-form Aston Villa on Sunday and they are lucky to have some breathing space in fourth place as the season looks to be catching up with them.
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But Tottenham actually finished the night on a high which is saying something after their disappointing season and some loud chants of “Daniel Levy - get out of our club” against the chairman before half time.
Jadon Sancho put Manchester United 1-0 up after seven minutes (Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images)However, the rebellion never quite caught fire and, amid all the frustration, it showed that all the fans really want to see is a bit of passion. It was sorely lacking in the first half when United roared into the lead with Jason Sancho firing the visitors ahead after just seven minutes when Cristian Romero gave the winger too much space to pick his spot in the far corner.
Downright stupidity led to United’s second goal which had Mason cursing his luck on he touchline. Ivan Perisic saw a shot saved by United keeper David de Gea, the Croatian kept the ball in rather than let it go out for a corner.
United turned over possession and Fernandes launched a long ball forward, Marcus Rashford outpaced Eric Dier and slammed home a second. It looked over.
But Spurs fought back and Son netted a 79th minute equaliser (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)It could have been so easy for Tottenham to have crumbled. But they showed fantastic spirit in the second half to claw their way back. Harry Kane could not force the ball home in a goalmouth scramble, Pedro Porro hooked a shot past de Gea and the United keeper complained bitterly as he though Richarlison - who was in an offside position - stopped him making a dive.
Fernandes crashed a shot against the bar, Dier headed a sitter wide and Son also missed a gilt edged chance. But Tottenham refused to give up and finally got their reward. Kane sent over a low cross from the right and there was Son at the back post to fire home and almost make the whole stadium forget the mutiny and enjoy a memorable fightback.
The night ended in frustration for United but a point does not do much for Spurs other than show they do have some fight after all.