Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Solid Draw at the Theater of Dreams

It was goals galore for both sides as a 2-2 draw in an intense super-sunday. Points were shared as Ange Postecoglu's injury problems were no problem as he held United to a harsh draw at the theater of dreams.

Some big names were missing in the Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur match. Due to the international break in other continents, Sofyan Amrabat, from Manchester United, was unable to participate.

The injury to Casemiro meant his absence was significantly felt in the United midfield.

Tottenham Hotspur missed their danger man Son Heung-Min &— who is currently the third best chance creator in the Premier League.

James Maddison continued to be sidelined due to an ankle injury, while Ivan Perisic was also out for an extended period due to a cruciate ligament injury.

The game was the debut of Tottenham Hotspur’s new signing, Timo Werner.

Tottenham entered the match as the third-best team in away games &— a significant statistic for an away match at Old Trafford.

Controversy earlier this year continues to keep Antony Dos Santos on the bench.

The Erik Ten Hag press conference spoke out on Jadon Sancho and his loan deal to Borussia Dortmund.

I hope he’s faring well and I wish him all the luck in the world for his success.

3RD MINUTE GOAL &— Rasmus Hojlund got Manchester United off to a flier &— the early possession rewarded the Red Devils as Cuti Romero and his fellow defenders were caught off guard.

Spurs were unlucky in the 12th minute as Diogo Dalot’s anticipation led to a goal line clearance with his head.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in the stands amongst a jubilant United support during the vibes of an early goal. The Old Trafford atmosphere was certainly there. The Glazer ownership of Manchester United has long since been protested by fans.

19TH MINUTE GOAL &— Richarlison ended the jubilance of the United support as Pedro Porro found the Brazilian's gallant leap from a corner.

Wan Bissaka and Rodrigo Bentancur both received yellow cards for rough play and kicking the ball away, respectively. The bookings started to be distributed.

In the 32nd minute, some protests were audible when Garnacho was treated quite harshly in the box. However, John Brooks dismissed the penalty calls.

40TH MINUTE GOAL &— Marcus Rashford found space amongst the chaos around the Spurs box, good work by Bruno and Hojlund helped Rashford swift past the defense and slot it into the bottom right corner.

After remaining goalless in Manchester United’s home stadium this season, Marcus Rashford finally scored at Old Trafford. His 32nd shot at home allowed him to finally hit the net.

Timo Werner’s swift maneuvering with the ball resulted in no final product, as the ball ended up rolling past the post.

Despite immense pressure from Spurs and several opportunities in United’s box, the dying minutes before the break yielded no results.

At half time, Tottenham had a higher ball possession at 63%, but Manchester United had capitalized on more opportunities, making six shots compared to Spurs’ ten. The score was 2-1 in favor of Manchester United at the halfway point.

46TH MINUTE GOAL &— The break ended and it slid right back into the action, with Timo Werner helping Bentancur place a powerful shot into Onana's near-post. 2-2 meant game on.

In the 52nd minute, Richarlison had a huge opportunity but his shot was slightly mishit. Onana collected the ball amidst a dangerous situation.

In the 58th minute, Scott McTominay came in for Christian Eriksen.

In the 60th minute, Spurs had a remarkable xG of 1.11, significantly higher than Manchester United’s 0.3. However, United remained resilient under pressure, utilizing counterattacks as a strategy against Spurs’ possession play.

Man Utd (0.92) 2-2 (1.50) Tottenham

— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) January 14, 2024

McTominay took a chance with a shot from just outside the Spurs box in the 62nd minute, but the ball barely rolled past the post.

After a few intense moments of combat against United players, Udogie experienced an injury scare. It seemed like Ange Postecoglu was ready to make substitutions, but Udogie remained on the field.

The game became end-to-end around the 70th minute with a few recorded shots on target, but none were particularly threatening. The addition of McTominay to the field certainly increased Manchester United’s pace.

Werner, making his debut, was tactically substituted by Ange Postecoglu in the 80th minute, after assisting a goal for Bryan Gil.

Even though Garnacho and Rashford teamed up multiple times, the match was still up for grabs in the final minutes. Both teams displayed urgency and maintained the game’s back-and-forth pace.

The fourth minute of injury time had the potential to be the deciding factor for Manchester United when Scott McTominay’s head connected with a cross in front of a surprised Vicario, but instead, he sent it over the bar.

Rasmus Hojlund took just FOUR MINUTES to score the opening goal in the Man United vs Tottenham match. Besides scoring, he also provided an assist for Marcus Rashford’s first goal of the season at Old Trafford. The Danish sniper demonstrated his quality with a single shot leading to a goal. His 85% pass accuracy rate further endorses his ability to link-up play efficiently.

Rasmus Hojlund: “We’re a little bit disappointed. We played a very good game, everybody is starting to click, but then we conceded two not so good goals &— especially the first one, from a corner, when we should be more focused.” #MUFC pic.twitter.com/tBaWacGXpY

— Stretford Paddock (@StretfordPaddck) January 14, 2024

During his time at Chelsea, Timo Werner won the UEFA Champions League under Thomas Tuchel. After leaving for Leipzig in the Bundesliga, he returned on loan and made his debut during this game for Chelsea's direct London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.

Timo provided an assist to Rodrigo Bentancur during the 2-2 equalizer for Spurs. After the match, Werner gave a brief interview to Sky Sports.

First of all, very happy to be back, I think it makes a lot, of a lot of fun to play here.
You see today it's the best league, how the tempo is, how the game is going. I enjoyed it very much to be outside there with the guys. At least one point, in the next few days when I can train more with the guys it can go better.

Manchester United: Onana 6.3, Wan-Bissaka 7.1, Varane 6.2, Evans 6.5, Dalot 7.9, Mainoo 6.2, Eriksen 6.4, Rashford 7.4, Fernandes 6.8, Garnacho 6.8, Hojlund 8.4.

Subs: McTominay 6.5, Martinez 6.0, Antony 5.8.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario 5.4, Udogie 7.1, Van De Ven Romero 7.2, Porro 8.3, Bentancur 7.5, Hojbjerg 6.8, Skipp 7.4, Johnson 6.9, Richarlison 7.8, Werner 7.0.

Subs: Gil 6.0, Dragusin 6.0, Royal 6.0.

Match highlights: Manchester United 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

In the next round of the FA Cup, Manchester United is set to play either Eastleigh or Newport County on Sunday, 28th January. On the other hand, Tottenham will compete against Manchester City in the same round, albeit on 26th January.