Manchester United were held to a draw at home by 10-man Tottenham, with the result heaping pressure on head coach Michael Carrick. The Red Devils were booed off at half-time after a torrid opening 45 minutes at Old Trafford.
United booed off after poor first half
United's display was described as outright torrid, with sloppy passes in defence and goalkeeper Senne Lammens struggling to clear the ball. Jamie Redknapp, joking in the Sky Sports studio, said the one positive for the Red Devils was that surely the second half couldn't be anywhere near as bad.
It was a performance of a team that already had their season wrapped up, not one that is rapidly entering free fall. United had three weeks to work out their direction, with five of their starters having remained at Carrington, yet they still looked like a team lacking direction.
Mbeumo strike and Solanke leveller
United's goal came from individual brilliance from Bryan Mbeumo, who turned smartly and lashed the ball across Antonin Kinsky into the far corner. Old Trafford almost couldn't believe the scenario, with the only reason they weren't losing by four or five goals being Spurs' reliance on Savio.
Spurs let their frustration show when Rodrigo Bentancur flew into a scissor tackle that left Luke Shaw furious. The England full-back rushed over and shoved Bentancur to the ground, who responded by springing up and leaning into Shaw with his head. Bentancur was sent off, while Shaw was booked.
United have already lost to 10 men this season, and they couldn't hold onto their lead as Spurs finally got the goal they deserved. Dominic Solanke, who had missed so many chances, beat Lisandro Martinez for strength and glanced his header past Lammens.
Pressure mounts on Carrick
It feels like deja vu for the Red Devils, with similar feelings when they lost to Spurs in the Europa League final. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has backed Carrick, but it is becoming increasingly obvious he might not be the right man for the job. United are slipping down the table and came out of Saturday night looking worse.
It really felt like Saturday was the night to get their season going, with Spurs having been really poor this season, but they will now travel to north London with tails up. United stand on the brink of a tough run of games, and it remains to be seen where Carrick will be come Christmas.
