Tottenham made a remarkable comeback from a two-goal deficit against Manchester United on Thursday, with Son Heung-min scoring a late equalizer to secure a 2-2 draw in a crucial match for both teams’ top-four hopes.
Tottenham, who had recently lost 6-1 to Newcastle, were on track for another big defeat in the Premier League as Manchester United scored two goals in the first half.
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford scored for United, but Tottenham displayed a positive attitude that has been missing for most of the season in their first game under interim manager Ryan Mason.
Pedro Porro scored a goal at the beginning of the second half which gave them hope, and Son’s goal at close range finished off the comeback towards the end of the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham’s comeback was a morale booster but it did not help their chances of qualifying for the Champions League through a top-four finish.
Tottenham is in fifth place and is currently six points behind fourth-placed United. United has two games in hand. Tottenham is also eight points behind third-placed Newcastle.
Tottenham has not won a trophy since 2008 and is at risk of not qualifying for the Champions League, which could lead to an uncertain future for the club and increased pressure on their chairman, Daniel Levy.
On Thursday, Levy faced the majority of the backlash from frustrated fans due to the high level of tension from a disastrous season.
Fans gathered outside the stadium before the game to demand his resignation, causing a mutinous atmosphere in north London.
During the game, fans chanted anti-Levy sentiments and black balloons with the words “£NIC OUT” were seen in the stands, referring to Tottenham’s owner ENIC. The chairman was seen looking unhappy from his seat in the directors’ box.
Tottenham had a terrible season and it got worse on Sunday when they lost badly to Newcastle, allowing five goals in just 21 minutes.
Cristian Stellini, who was the interim boss, was fired after the team’s embarrassing defeat. This is the second time this season that a manager has left the club, following Antonio Conte’s departure in March.
Conte left his position as manager after only 16 months, which ended with a furious outburst against Tottenham’s players and their losing mentality.
While Tottenham is experiencing chaos, Manchester United appears to be quite steady, even amidst the competition to acquire the club from the Glazer family.
Earlier this season, they were victorious in the League Cup and recently secured a spot in the FA Cup final against Manchester City by defeating Brighton on penalties.
Tottenham’s weak defense gave up their first goal in just two minutes during the Newcastle game, but it took them seven minutes to give up their first goal in their most recent match.
Rashford passed the ball to Sancho who was on the left side of the penalty area. Sancho had enough time and space to curl the ball into the far corner and score a great goal.
Sancho almost scored his second goal in 14 games but Ivan Perisic prevented it by heading the ball off the line.
Rashford scored his 29th goal of the season in the 44th minute after outsmarting the Tottenham defence.
Rashford scored a goal for Manchester United after running onto a pass from Bruno Fernandes and escaping Eric Dier’s defense. He made a calm shot from eight yards away and scored past Fraser Forster. In the second half, Tottenham played better and Lenglet almost scored with a header from Perisic’s cross, but hit the bar instead.
In the 56th minute, Porro, who was criticized for being signed in January from Sporting Lisbon, scored a goal from just inside the area and reduced the team’s deficit.
Fernandes hit the crossbar even though it seemed like an easy goal after he charged through the Tottenham defense. Son missed a great chance to tie the game by hitting the ball wide with only De Gea to stop him, and Dier also missed a good opportunity to score with a header.
Tottenham were attacking with more confidence and Son scored the deserved equalizer by tapping in Kane’s cross from the far post in the 79th minute.