Manchester United ought to have beaten Spurs, and failing to do so reveals how deep a hole Carrick and his side are in

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday, after Dominic Solanke scored a 92nd-minute equaliser for a Spurs side that had been reduced to 10 men. Bryan Mbeumo had given United the lead midway through the second half, but Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for head-butting Luke Shaw, and Spurs took the point despite the numerical disadvantage.

The home supporters had arrived hoping to mock their rivals, Manchester City, who are embroiled in a scandal of their own. Chants of “You cheating bastards, you know what you are” rang out before kickoff. When United took the lead, the crowd turned on Spurs with “You’re going down with the City.” By the final whistle from referee Stuart Attwell, though, the fans were talking about how their side had let a win slip away.

Spurs, who began the day at the bottom of the table, were the brighter team early on. Boos greeted United after just 20 minutes, and Michael Carrick‘s side were outplayed for long periods of the first half. The damning guilty verdict against City in their Premier League case had dominated the international break, but the frustration at Old Trafford soon returned.

Carrick admitted the performance had been mixed. “Massively disappointed with the result for sure,” he said. “A mixed performance, to be totally honest. I think it was tough. It was challenging for the first period, definitely.”

He pointed to a clear improvement after the interval. “There was a big improvement through the second half as it progressed and we put ourselves in such a good position towards the end of the game. To then not see it through — we should find a way of seeing that through.”

A worrying pattern

The draw leaves United with their worst start after six games since 1986. Carrick has not been one to blame his players publicly, and he did not do so again after this match, but the pressure on him is growing. Solanke’s header was the third time already this season that United have conceded in stoppage time, and two of those late goals, against Everton and Spurs, have cost them four points.

“It’s a couple of times now when — different ways, obviously — that’s two late, late goals against us to throw away two wins really,” Carrick said. “That changes a lot of things, you know. It changes a lot of feelings for ourselves and it changes points and what [the table] looks like. We need to do better with seeing out games, that’s for sure, once we get ourselves in a good position.”

The sequence for Solanke’s goal was costly. Lisandro Martínez was in the thick of the action when Sandro Tonali‘s cross was delivered towards the Spurs striker, and he could have done more to head the ball clear. Senne Lammens could also have done better.

The result also highlighted a wider problem. United have now failed to win any of their past three matches against teams with 10 men. Solanke’s goal means Spurs have joined City in scoring at Old Trafford this season after having a player sent off. Earlier this campaign, United lost 2-1 at Newcastle United after Jacob Ramsey was dismissed, and in November, under Ruben Amorim, they went down 1-0 at home to Everton, who had Idrissa Gueye sent off for slapping his own teammate.

Carrick acknowledged the need to improve. “It’s definitely something where — 10 men or not 10 men — if we’re ahead in the game, we’ve got to see games out,” he said. “Whether that’s taking the ball, whether that’s controlling the game a little bit more, looking after the ball better in their half and around their box and pinning them in a little bit, or whether that’s defending moments better. Certainly, we need to improve that.”

A promising debut

United’s frustrations were partly eased by the introduction of Carlos Baleba, the £70 million summer signing from Brighton & Hove Albion. He came on just before the hour mark, and the energy and intent of the home side began to change. His cameo offered real encouragement, although it was overshadowed by the failure to hold on to a lead.

What comes next

United travel to Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, before a trip to Leeds United next weekend. After that comes another demanding European fixture, at Como. The historical comparison is a stark one: the last time United had fewer than six points after six games, Ron Atkinson was sacked as manager. Carrick is not in that position yet, but the margins that have defined his start to the season must change quickly if United are to move in the right direction.