Manchester United threw away a lead once again on Saturday, as Dominic Solanke’s stoppage-time header earned Tottenham Hotspur a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Bryan Mbeumo had given United the lead midway through the second half, but Tottenham finished with 10 men after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for head-butting Luke Shaw.
The home supporters had arrived hoping to mock Manchester City, whose neighbours are embroiled in a scandal, and their chants of “You cheating bastards, you know what you are” were loud before kickoff. After Mbeumo’s goal, they turned on Spurs with “You’re going down with the City”. By the final whistle, however, referee Stuart Attwell had sent the fans home still fixated on how Tottenham had equalised so late.
Carrick Reflects on Another Late Blow
Michael Carrick admitted that his side had been far from convincing. “Massively disappointed with the result for sure,” he said afterwards. “A mixed performance, to be totally honest. I think it was tough. It was challenging for the first period, definitely. 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 result leaves United with their worst start to a season after six games since 1986. Carrick, though, is not one to blame his players publicly. He chose not to do so again in his post-match news conference, but he has every right to expect more from his team.
Solanke’s header was the third time already this season that United have conceded in stoppage time. Two of those goals, against Everton and Tottenham, have cost the club 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.”
Defensive Errors Under the Microscope
The inability to close out games points to a fragile mentality and an inability to cope with pressure when it matters most. Lisandro Martínez will not want to watch the goal again. Quite what he was doing as Sandro Tonali’s cross was floated towards Solanke remains a mystery. Perhaps, rather than dancing around the Spurs striker, he should have headed the ball clear. Senne Lammens could also have done better.
Solanke’s goal means Tottenham join Manchester City in scoring at Old Trafford this season after having a player sent off. United have now failed to win any of their past three games against teams with 10 men. In March, they lost 2-1 at Newcastle United after Jacob Ramsey was sent off. In November, under Ruben Amorim, Everton won 1-0 at Old Trafford despite having Idrissa Gueye dismissed for slapping his own teammate.
“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.”
Mounting Pressure
Boos rang out around Old Trafford after just 20 minutes, as Tottenham, who had started the day bottom of the table, began brightly. The damning guilty verdict against Manchester City in the Premier League case had taken the focus away from United during the international break, but the frustration soon returned as Carrick’s side were outplayed for large parts of the first half.
The change came when £70 million summer signing Carlos Baleba was introduced from Brighton & Hove Albion just before the hour mark. His energy and intent lifted United, and his first appearance was a positive one. Under other circumstances, his cameo would have been the story of the day, but it was overshadowed by United’s failure to see out a game they should have won.
United travel to Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, before heading to Leeds United next weekend. After that, they face another demanding European assignment at Como. Carrick insists that his biggest issue is that United have been on the wrong side of fine margins so far this season. He needs that to change quickly if they are to start moving in the right direction.