Matthijs de Ligt applauds the fans after scoring injury-time goal | Image Credits: IMAGO/Action Plus
Matthijs de Ligt's 96th-minute header snatched a point for Manchester United in a see-sawing 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday, after Richarlison thought he had won it for the hosts in stoppage time.
United's Bryan Mbuemo scored with the first shot on target in the 32nd minute of what had been a flat contest, nodding in Amad Diallo's clipped ball to the back post for the summer signing's sixth goal of the season.
Spurs had their Europa League trophy on display before kickoff, a reminder of their triumph over United in May's final which secured Champions League football and delivered a long-awaited trophy in former boss Ange Postecoglou's last hurrah.
But the gesture did not have the desired effect as Richarlison squandered Spurs' best chance of the first period and the hosts looked uninspired before halftime, which was greeted with a smattering of boos.
They improved slightly after the break but boss Thomas Frank's decision to replace Xavi Simons with Mathys Tel with 10 minutes to play was also booed by the home support.
It was Tel, though, who equalised in the 84th minute before Richarlison gave Spurs the lead seven minutes later by getting a fortunate touch on a Wilson Odobert shot.
But de Ligt levelled at the death from Bruno Fernandes's corner to extend United's unbeaten run to five games and leave Spurs with a single home league win from six games this season.
Both sides are on 18 points from 11 games, with Spurs third and United seventh on goal difference.
Frank emphasised the positives of his side's display after the break, telling reporters: "Second half, our response, I was extremely happy with. The way we turned around to stay in the game... very, very happy with that."
Tel was less upbeat. "Second half our reaction was good, we changed the game," he told TNT Sports. "But we're also mad because we had to win today."
Spurs beat United four times in all competitions last season, culminating in the Europa League victory though it was not enough to save Postecoglou's job.
His replacement Frank has sought to make Spurs more robust but they have been toothless offensively at times, as was on display in Saturday's first half.
Odobert replaced the anonymous Randal Kolo Muani at the break and produced an early chance with a teasing cross that Romero hit straight at Senne Lammens, who then did well to palm away Joao Palhinha's half volley.
The game seemed to be drifting away from Spurs when three substitutes combined as Odobert found Destiny Udogie, whose cross was trapped by Tel and smashed off de Ligt's shin and in.
Micky van de Ven made a crucial tackle to stop Benjamin Sesko restoring United's lead, an incident that seemed to hurt the striker, before Richarlison seemingly gave Spurs an unlikely winner.
De Ligt rose highest at the far post, however, in the last of six minutes of added time as both teams spurned the chance to move into provisional second place.
United head coach Ruben Amorim said he was disappointed his side had let their lead slip away, despite their late equaliser.
"We have a lot of problems," he told reporters. "We are just in the beginning. I know that sometimes the results show to people that we are improving... but we have a lot to do."
