There were times during the first half when it felt as if Manchester United were toying with the Tottenham, their 2-0 lead at half-time a poor reflection of a game that felt mainly about how the home team would react to what had happened at Newcastle on Sunday.
Spurs looked inhibited, the 6-1 hammering in their minds – along, perhaps, with all of the other craziness that had made them the crisis club of the moment. And yet as they stared into the abyss, they found strength. From somewhere.
It would be wrong to underplay the extent of United’s second-half collapse. Not for the first time under Erik ten Hag, they completely lost their way at the first sign of trouble. There were shades of the 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first-leg draw at home to Sevilla.
It looked as though fatigue was an issue here, along with a lack of quality off the bench. All of the players that Ten Hag introduced struggled, especially Anthony Martial.
But Spurs and their caretaker manager, Ryan Mason, deserved immense credit. They carried the fight to United from the restart, stepping high and playing the game on their terms, which has not been said for a while. They gave the home crowd, which continued to chant against the chairman, Daniel Levy, something to get behind.
Pedro Porro, a recent target for some of the frustration, made it 2-1 with a beautifully guided shot, United’s advantage courtesy of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford suddenly not looking so secure.
Spurs would get an equaliser, an incredible tonic, and they deserved it. Harry Kane was always going to be a principal subplot given how heavily he has been linked with a move to United. “Harry Kane, we’ll see you in June,” the United fans sang during the first half.
Spurs saw him here when it mattered. It was his lovely cross from the right that picked out Son Heung-min and he was not going to miss this one, having blown a gilt-edged opportunity earlier in the half. Kane had sprung forward after Cristian Romero stepped up to win a header and one of Ten Hag’s changes, Tyrell Malacia, was caught out.
The point was probably not the worst for United in terms of their top-four hopes and it is difficult to see Spurs making it into the Champions League places. But the night was about more than the result. Spurs needed a performance to restore a bit of pride and in the end they got one. At full time there were no boos from the home crowd. For Levy, the slightly muted response was golden.
The pre-match protest against Levy – not for the first time – had seen about 50 blokes gather on the High Road with a few banners, singing some songs. It was not exactly the anti-Glazer movement although, as their United counterparts can tell them, it is one thing to protest, quite another to shift unpopular owners.
It was flat inside the ground at the outset, the impression being that 60,000 or so were watching Spurs try to shake their heads clear and United sweeping into an early lead. Rashford rode a challenge from Oliver Skipp to work the ball left and Sancho’s finish was bent into the far corner after he stepped inside Porro and Romero. It was a lovely moment for Sancho, who was restored to the starting XI after his positive cameo in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton.
The locals were restless rather than seething with anger, the South Stand striking up a few anti-Levy choruses while the man himself sat impassively. There were boos at the half-time whistle but there usually are when Spurs are behind.
United’s second came on 44 minutes and the only wonder was that they took so long. It was a wretched concession, Ivan Perisic having been through at the other end one-on-one with David de Gea up the inside left, only to be denied. United broke, Bruno Fernandes sending a raking diagonal upfield to Rashford, who had isolated himself against Eric Dier.
The alarm bells rang loudly for Spurs, Dier backing off Rashford, showing him up the outside. Rashford went there and blasted past Fraser Forster. It was so simple. When the ball hit the net, Perisic remained deep in United territory.
Richarlison, restored to the Spurs starting XI, brought a bit of snarl and a few dangerous runs, while Perisic worked De Gea with a header. But United created several clear chances after Sancho’s breakthrough. Sancho had a shot cleared off the line by Perisic while Forster made saves, the best to deny Rashford from a Fernandes cross.
A “Levy Out” banner appeared in the South Stand at the start of the second half and perhaps United thought that the job was done. Spurs had other ideas. Clément Lenglet hit the top of the crossbar with a header before Porro picked out the top corner with the outside of his boot after a Perisic cross sparked chaos in the area.
Fernandes ought to have restored United’s cushion only to hit the crossbar after tricking through the middle of the area, nutmegging Lenglet, but Spurs were bang in the game, sensing a reprieve.
Son’s miss from Kane’s pass was a bad one, bettered only when Dier nodded wide from point-blank range and in yards of space. But Son made no mistake at the second time of asking and Mason could celebrate when Casemiro headed off target at the very last.
