Tale of two halves in Tottenham vs Manchester United draw

Tottenham came back from 2-0 down to rescue a 2-2 draw with Manchester United as Ryan Mason made his second interim managerial debut in north London on Thursday.

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The result sees Manchester United (60 points) drop to 4th in the Premier League table following Newcastle’s resounding victory over Everton on Thursday, but the Red Devils remain six points clear of both Tottenham (5th) and Aston Villa (6th) with two games in hand on each side.

Jadon Sancho opened the scoring after just seven minutes — a point by which Tottenham had already conceded twice to Newcastle on Sunday — and he did it with ease as three defenders in white shirts approached, but never challenged, him as he cut in from the left wing. Sancho used his yard of space to whip a curler inside the far post and take a 1-0 lead.

Manchester United were rarely threatened in the first half, as they held over 60 percent of possession, out-shot Tottenham by a nearly two-to-one ratio (11 to 6), and eventually doubled their lead just before the intermission.

WATCH TOTTENHAM vs MANCHESTER UNITED FULL MATCH REPLAY

Tottenham had a rare moment of attacking opportunity down one end of the field as Ivan Perisic’s shot was parried away by David de Gea, only for the Red Devils to spring Marcus Rashford into acres of space with one simple ball over the top in the 44th minute. Rashford went past Eric Dier, the last defender standing, and rifled a left-footed finish past Fraser Forster.

The second half represented marked improvement from Spurs, as they pressed and won the ball back higher up the field, and created better scoring chances as a result. Pedro Porro cleaned up a penalty-area scramble to make it 2-1 in the 56th minute, after Harry Kane’s shot was blocked and the ball bounced out to the edge of the box. Porro controlled it with his thigh and uncorked an outside-of-the-foot volley into the corner.

Manchester United were well and truly on the back foot by the time the 79th minute came around, without a shot taken in more than 20 minutes. That’s when Kane chased down a 50-50 ball rolling toward the Man United goal and hooked a cross around two defenders to find Son Heung-min making the late-arriving run to the back post.

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Stars of the show

What’s next?

Tottenham will be back in action when they visit 7th-place Liverpool (53 points) at Anfield on Sunday (11:30 am ET). Manchester United will host Aston Villa at Old Trafford earlier on Sunday (9 am ET).

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Tottenham vs Manchester United, final score: 2-2

7th minute – Jadon Sancho cuts inside and gives Man United the lead

44th minute – Marcus Rashford runs by Eric Dier and doubles the lead

56th minute – Pedro Porro cleans up to give Tottenham a way back in

79th minute – Son Heung-min hooks Harry Kane’s cross home for 2-2

How to watch Tottenham vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 3:15pm ET, Thursday (April 27)
TV Channel: Peacock
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium

Key storylines & in-form players to watch

Spurs are in turmoil on and off the pitch. Sporting Director Fabio Paratici resigned after his appeal against a worldwide ban from FIFA was rejected just after Antonio Conte was fired and now Stellini is also out. There is real pressure on long-time chairman Daniel Levy from the Spurs fans. On the pitch it has been pretty disastrous for some time. Harry Kane is doing his best to keep Tottenham in the top four conversation but it just isn’t enough. The recruitment last summer wasn’t good enough and although Spurs had a very strong start to the season under Conte, old habits returned and defensively they have been so poor.

Manchester United are still in a comfortable position in the top four hunt, while they are also in the FA Cup final and are looking to win two domestic trophies and qualify for the UEFA Champions League in Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge. That would be a very good debut campaign for the Dutchman. However, there is something about this United side which leaves a lingering doubt they could stumble massively at the end of this season. There have been enough heavy defeats away from home this season (Liverpool, Brentford, Newcastle and now Sevilla) to leave United’s fans worried about the run-in. That said, Bruno Fernandes is getting back to his best and the return of Casemiro in midfield has made a big difference. United are struggling with injuries, especially at the back, and after a long season across four competitions they look a little jaded.

Tottenham team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Rodrigo Bentancur (torn ACL – out for season), Yves Bissouma (foot), Emerson Royal (knee), Ben Davies (hamstring), Lucas Moura (suspension), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh)

Manchester United team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Raphael Varane (foot), Lisandro Martinez (foot – out for season), Alejandro Garnacho (ankle), Donny van de Beek (knee), Mason Greenwood (suspension – MORE), Tom Heaton (ankle), Phil Jones (knee), Scott McTominay (knock)

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Tale of two halves in Tottenham vs Manchester United draw originally appeared on NBCSports.com