Matthijs de Ligt scored deep into stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in a dramatic Premier League encounter at the Tottenham Stadium. The Dutch defender headed home from a corner in the 96th minute, snatching a point for Ruben Amorim's side after they had been reduced to ten men following Benjamin Sesko's injury-enforced departure.
The match was a slow-burner, with neither side registering a shot on target in the opening half-hour. Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock with a header to give Spurs the lead before half-time, which was greeted by boos from the home crowd. Tottenham responded after the break, with two goals in eight minutes from substitutes Mathys Tel and Richarlison turning the game on its head.
Tel, introduced along with another substitute, finished smartly after a low cross from the left. Richarlison then added a subtle flick to a curling shot to make it 2-1. United, who had lost Sesko to injury, appeared down and out until De Ligt's last-gasp intervention. The equaliser came from a corner, with the ball reaching the former Bayern Munich defender at the far post for a calm headed finish.
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank hailed his side's second-half performance but acknowledged the disappointment of not winning against ten men. 'It's just football, how many times have we seen it?' he said. United counterpart Ruben Amorim, meanwhile, avoided defeat to Spurs for the first time in four attempts, though his team have now twice surrendered leads in successive away games, only to salvage late draws.
The result leaves Tottenham third on goal difference, while United sit seventh. Both sides will likely slip as other fixtures unfold, but the late drama provided a memorable finish to an otherwise cagey affair.
