Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London—A sense of confusion hung over Tottenham Hotspur’s 2–2 draw with Manchester United on Saturday as both sides tried to retrace the trajectory of a bonkers conclusion.
Spurs were tumbling towards another sour home defeat with six minutes to play after Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half opener. Mathys Tel came off the bench to draw the hosts level before Richarlison punished United’s second-half passivity in the first minute of stoppage time, breaking down in tears to celebrate what he thought was a dramatic winner.
United had been reduced to 10 men by Benjamin Šeško’s late injury after all five substitutions had been made yet the visitors did not fold. “When you cannot win you don’t lose,” Ruben Amorim would subsequently surmise, “once again we did that.” Matthijs de Ligt duly popped up with a crowd-silencing 96th-minute equaliser.
Both sides gained a point yet the helter-skelter events of the final 10 minutes gave the impression that each team walked away disappointed.
Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Tottenham (3-4-2-1)
There's no need to worry about Bryan Mbeumo's form. pic.twitter.com/zIYiVITpr0
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) November 8, 2025
GK: Senne Lammens—6.5: Began the game by nervily letting a back pass trickle past him to go out for an entirely unnecessary corner. Lammens proved to be less error-prone thereafter.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt—7.6: Shifted centrally in Harry Maguire’s absence for the final 20 minutes and was far too easily palmed away by Tel for the equaliser. Emphatically redeemed himself late on.
CB: Harry Maguire—6.5: Kept Randal Kolo Muani so resolutely muzzled that his half-time substitution barely made any difference—the French striker was just as anonymous on the pitch as he was off it.
CB: Luke Shaw—6.6: Amorim’s first act after Mbeumo’s opener was to hurriedly call Shaw across and impart some feverish instructions amid the celebrations. Shipping two goals in the final six minutes probably wasn’t part of the brief.
RWB: Noussair Mazraoui—6.8: Oddly understaffed defensively—neither Djed Spence nor Richarlison were interested in running down the wing—and offered little going forward himself.
CM: Casemiro—6.4: Rarely has a player been able to wind back the clock of his own career as effectively as the 33-year-old. Such was his confidence and competence, Casemiro even managed to rob Micky van de Ven during one of his surges up the pitch. Subbed off while United were 1–0 up.
CM: Bruno Fernandes—7.5: A perpetual blur of red, all waving arms, snapping tackles and scowls.
LWB: Patrick Dorgu—7.2: If Dorgu’s effectiveness on the ball came close to matching his energy off it then United would have an almighty wingback on their hands. If is the operative word there.
RF: Amad Diallo—7.4: Marked his return to the front three with a deft assist and an engaging hour-long battle against Spence which he unmistakably won.
ST: Matheus Cunha—6.1: Helps so much dropping off the frontline, giving United’s midfield double pivot an extra body to bounce the ball off.
LF: Bryan Mbeumo—7.2: Unusually starting on his unfavored left flank, Mbeumo proved to be just as effective with the ball at his feet and an added aerial threat.
Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Ayden Heaven, Jack Fletcher, Joshua Zirkzee.
Tottenham (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence; João Palhinha, Pape Sarr; Brennan Johnson, Xavi Simons, Richarlison; Randal Kolo Muani.
Subs used: Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso.
Subs not used: Antonín Kinský (GK), James Rowswell, Dane Scarlett, Yusuf Akhamrich.
Player of the Match: Wilson Odobert (Tottenham)
Man Utd Player of the Match: Matthijs de Ligt
Tottenham 2–2 Man Utd: How It Unfolded at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
While Thomas Frank named two strikers in his starting XI for the first time this season, Ruben Amorim dropped his under-fire centre forward Benjamin Šeško. One change proved to be more effective than the other.
All three members of the reshuffled visiting trio combined for United’s well-taken opener shortly after the half-hour mark. Matheus Cunha laid the ball off to Amad Diallo in a penalty area crowded with oddly passive white shirts, who seemed more intent on getting a really, really good view of the cross rather than stopping it. Mbeumo was alert enough to head the ball beyond a helpless Guglielmo Vicario.
Richarlison, who started on the left wing for Spurs just as he had in the Europa League final between these two sides five months ago, was part of the watching committee that admired Amad’s cross from afar. When the Brazilian forward was presented with a similar headed opportunity while the game was goalless, he conspired to miss the ball entirely.
The air of toxicity which gathered overhead during last weekend’s limp derby loss to Chelsea had returned, adding an extra edge to a crisp November lunchtime by the end of the first half. Each misplaced pass, stray shot and overhit cross (of which there were many) were met with a collective groan from the stadium. They were replaced with outright boos at half time.
Spurs emerged from the interval emboldened by the bubbling unrest. If Amorim won the tactical battle in the first half, Frank outwitted his opposite number with a series of in-game alterations—even if he dismissed his influence: “Sometimes you’re lucky.”
Tottenham have only won three of their last 20 Premier League home games.
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) November 8, 2025
A season ticket at Spurs is one of the most expensive in England. pic.twitter.com/F24T6YJ4th
Randal Kolo Muani, whose Tottenham career must be considered entirely hypothetical given his lack of any meaningful impact up to this point, was hooked for Wilson Odobert. The natural winger was soon joined by Destiny Udogie at fullback, completely transforming a previously problematic left flank. The Italian left back whipped in the low cross which led to Tel’s equaliser.
The misfiring Frenchman had trotted onto the pitch to a chorus of vehement boos not five minutes earlier, as the Spurs faithful took issue with Xavi Simons’s exit. Frank was swiftly vindicated.
Holding off Matthijs de Ligt with his bandaged hand, Tel swivelled inside the penalty box before picking out the top corner. The jeers had been replaced with cheers which would go on a little longer.
A stoppage time corner was cleared to the edge of the box where Odobert was lurking. The half-time arrival jinked into enough space to rattle a vicious effort which Richarlison contorted his body to meet, glancing a remarkably deft header into the bottom corner.
A full-blooded rendition of “Champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that,” had scarcely left the lips of a jubilant crowd by the time De Ligt emphatically popped Tottenham’s balloon. Creeping around to the back post, the curiously unmarked Dutchman got just enough power on his header to force it over the line, snatching a point in dramatic circumstances.
Tottenham vs. Man Utd Half-Time Stats
Tottenham vs. Man Utd Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Tottenham: Stoppage-Time Chaos Reigns Supreme.
