LONDON – Matthijs de Ligt’s 96th-minute header earned Manchester United a 2-2 draw at Tottenham, denying Richarlison a stoppage-time winner, while Brian Brobbey’s late goal ended Arsenal’s 10-game winning streak, securing a 2-2 draw for Sunderland in the English Premier League.
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 after Spurs failed to clear, Reuters reported.
Spurs looked uninspired before halftime, which was greeted with a smattering of boos from the home fans, before substitute Mathys Tel equalised in the 84th minute and Richarlison gave Spurs the lead seven minutes later.
But de Ligt levelled at the death from Bruno Fernandes’s corner to extend United’s unbeaten run to five games and leave both sides on 18 points from 11 games, with Spurs third and United seventh on goal difference.
In the opening half hour this could have been a meeting of last season’s nervous, scratchy sides. There was no Europa League at stake this time and certainly nowhere to hide for Senne Lammens when, within a minute, he let De Ligt’s short free-kick slide under his boot for a corner.
The set-piece was duly overhit and the scruffy, error strewn proceedings that followed were entirely of a piece.
United extended its unbeaten streak in the league to five games – three wins followed by two away draws – for its best run in the year-long tenure of Ruben Amorim.
Yet the 40-year-old Portuguese coach insisted his team still had “a lot of problems” after squandering going ahead, going behind and then equalizing for the second straight week.
“We are just in the beginning,” Amorim said. I know that sometimes the results show to people that we are improving. We are improving but we have a lot to do,”
When Xavi Simons, starting in a more attack-minded Spurs lineup than had laboured miserably against Chelsea, burst inside from the left he spoiled all the good work by falling over.
Brennan Johnson, sent off against Copenhagen in midweek but maybe deployed here with his Bilbao heroics in mind, then threatened on the opposite side but ran the ball out. Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison had been selected in attack but any added intent was rarely matched by cohesion.
Johnson chipped over an enticing cross in the 16th minute and, in front of goal, Richarlison should have done better than brush the ball well wide off his shoulder.
Pape Matar Sarr blasted wildly off target soon afterwards and United, perhaps spooked by Frank’s boldness at the outset, began to assume broad control.
Matheus Cunha danced through, via a ricochet off Cristian Romero, but his shot deflected wide. The opener had not exactly been signposted but Mbeumo, whose early efforts had amounted to unsuccessful stabs at staying onside, was clinical when his chance came.
Tottenham was closed down in their own box, twice fluffing opportunities to clear, and eventually found themselves out of shape when Amad Diallo weighted a delivery from the right. It perfectly located Mbeumo, not a noted aerial threat and entirely unattended, for a precise header past a rooted Guglielmo Vicario.
“Champions of Europe we know what we are,” the home choirs had sung earlier. But now the grumbling resumed and the thought occurred that nobody, at this point, really knows how iteration of Spurs would identify.
Johnson, a conundrum of his own, drew sighs when his next cross drifted deep behind Lammens’ goal. Pedro Porro caused similar exasperation before the interval and Spurs looked to be running out of ideas already.
Brian Brobbey’s goal in the fourth minute of added-on time ended Arsenal’s winning run of five matches in the league – and 10 in all competitions – that had been built on one of the stingiest defenses English soccer has seen in a generation.
Arsenal hadn’t let in a goal since Sept. 28 – eight games ago – before its former academy player, Dan Ballard, lashed in the opener for Sunderland in the 36th minute at the Stadium of Light.
Back in the Premier League for the first time in eight years, Sunderland gave the leaders their toughest game for some time but second-half strikes by Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard looked like giving Arsenal victory.
