Tottenham came from two goals down to hold Manchester United to a draw and show signs of life after a miserable week.
Spurs sacked Cristian Stellini after the 6-1 thrashing by Newcastle on Sunday and it initially appeared to have made no difference as United went in 2-0 ahead at the break. But the home team improved dramatically in the second half and fought back for a deserved point.
Jadon Sancho opened the scoring after just seven minutes, making the most of the space given to him to find the bottom corner. Ivan Perisic headed another Sancho effort off the line before Fraser Forster made two saves to deny Marcus Rashford. He wouldn't be denied for long, though, making it 2-0 from Bruno Fernandes ' long ball after Eric Dier stood off.
After being booed off at half-time, Spurs improved. Pedro Porro volleyed in a loose ball to halve the deficit before Fernandes slammed an effort against the bar. Tottenham really should have equalised, but Son Heung-min side-footed wide from Harry Kane's cross and Dier planted a free header wide from six yards out.
Tottenham equalised in the 79th minute when Kane picked out Son at the back post for a simple finish. Here are the talking points.
Sancho back in business
It's been a largely frustrating season for Sancho, who has failed to gather much momentum in a stop-start campaign. He is still failing to complete 90 minutes with regularity, but there were signs his confidence might be returning at Spurs.
Yes, Porro gave him way too much time and space. And yes, Cristian Romero did not close him down once he stepped inside onto his right foot. But the style with which he stuck the ball into the bottom corner brought back memories of his best days at Borussia Dortmund.
Sancho played off the left wing in this game - the position so frequently cited as Rashford's favourite - and he looked at home, with he and Antony on the opposing flank able to cut inside and threaten the goal. Once again he didn't last the game, brought off in the 61st minute, but Ten Hag will be happy with what he saw.
Midfield dominance
The headline news an hour before kick-off was the inclusion of Bruno Fernandes, who had been a doubt after being pictured wearing a protective boot and with crutches in midweek. United fans were delighted to see him fit and, as they have come to expect, he was brilliant in orchestrating things from the middle of the pitch.
With Casemiro behind them, Fernandes and Christian Eriksen had total licence to dominate against a Spurs team sorely lacking in confidence and quality. The intensity of Tottenham ’s press dissipated quickly and the intelligence of the United duo saw them picked apart.
Fernandes and Eriksen ran the show in the first half, dicing the home team with incisive passes and constantly threatening. Fernandes finished the first 45 minutes with an assist, pinging the ball over the top to allow Rashford an unfair fight against Dier.
He should have added a goal in the second half, but could only hit the bar after wriggling his way through. That miss turned out to be an important one.
Passive Spurs
Even the most optimistic Tottenham fan was probably not expecting much from this game following their embarrassing compensation-inducing thrashing by Newcastle on the weekend. But this was still a pathetic showing from their side in the first half.
They did at least create chances this time, but the simple things that should be non-negotiates in a good side were sorely lacking – and were punished. Dier was far from the only culprit, but his attempt to stop Rashford was akin to asking politely from a distance.
“I don’t know what Eric Dier is thinking here. He’s got to engage,” an exasperated Jermaine Jenas said at half-time on BT Sport. “You’ve got to get your hand on him, push him in the direction he’s already going.”
Pedro Porro – one of the guiltiest in the Newcastle mess – made the exact same mistake for Sancho’s opener. They were much improved after the break, but the first half was still worrying.
Kane shows his class
There were plenty of loud chants in north London, with the Spurs fans’ protests against chairman Daniel Levy and owners ENIC chief among them.
However, one from the away end stood out: " Harry Kane, we'll see you in June!" Kane is still fighting for Tottenham for now, but the sense is very much that he will be leaving his boyhood club this summer, with United among those interested in his services. Kane’s contract is up in June 2024 and now feels like the time for him to move on. But he is still giving everything for now.
In truth, he was not heavily involved in this game until midway through the second half when his influence grew and grew. His creativity was there for all to see when he set up Son for a clear sight at goal and he kept going to set up the equaliser with a trademark run and cross.
Ten Hag fails to halt momentum
Erik ten Hag has proven himself to be an astute tactician since moving to United last summer. Over the season there have been many instances of him turning games with tactical tweaks and substitutions. But it did not happen at Spurs.
With the crowd roaring Spurs on, and the team kicking towards the gigantic kop end, the home team were a completely different beast in the second half. Ten Hag reacted with two double substitutions, bringing on Anthony Martial and Fred for Sancho and Eriksen before bringing on Wout Weghorst and Tyrell Malacia for Antony and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. They did not have the desired effect.
Fred was wasteful with the ball, Weghorst was isolated up front and Malacia went missing for the Son goal as Kane ran in behind. It was a rare instance of Ten Hag failing to influence things.
