Solanke strike spares Spurs blushes at United
Crisis clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur played out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, with Dominic Solanke's stoppage-time goal rescuing a point for the 10-man visitors.
Spurs should have had the game won long before Bryan Mbeumo stroked home in the 73rd minute, having created a swathe of chances in front of a disgruntled Old Trafford crowd.
Rodrigo Bentancur's dismissal for violent conduct made Spurs' task even more difficult, but Solanke's glancing header in the second of eight added minutes earned Roberto De Zerbi's side just its third point of the Premier League season.
De Zerbi made six changes to the team that lost 3-2 to Aston Villa prior to the international break, and his side looked hungry from the off as it pushed United back.
A panicked Senne Lammens passed straight to Lucas Bergvall and then had to scramble to keep out Solanke's shot, while a rapid Spurs counter down the left flank led to Mohammed Kudus shooting narrowly wide.
United's only real chance of the first half saw Amad Diallo shoot straight at Antonin Kinsky from the left side of the area, and after Lammens had to smother the ball at Conor Gallagher's feet, the Red Devils were booed off at the interval.
Having been a bright spark throughout the first half, Savio continued to carry the fight to United in the second, but he saw one centre flicked off the line by Luke Shaw and another skewed over the top by the sliding Solanke.
Bruno Fernandes fired the wrong side of Kinsky's near post in a rare foray forward for United, but the hosts went in front when Mbeumo turned on Matheus Cunha's pass and stroked into the bottom-right corner.
Bentancur received his marching orders when he reacted to a push from Shaw soon afterwards, initiating head-to-head contact with the United left-back, but the Red Devils could not make their numerical advantage count.
Lisandro Martinez appeared to be more interested in wrestling Solanke to the ground than in defending Sandro Tonali's cross, and as the striker fell, he diverted the ball into the far corner.
United boss Michael Carrick admitted there were huge regrets in his camp for failing to kill off another team with 10 men – his side is winless in its past three league games against teams that have received a red card.
"A really mixed game. We found it tough in the first half. It was a challenging opening period," Carrick said.
"It just wasn't quite there, with the little bits of play, and we kept getting caught on the ball.
"We weren't finding the pass, we were a little bit late with the press, leaving spaces, there were a number of things.
"We warmed to the game and were much better in the second half in so many different ways. We got ourselves in a really good position to show that bit of spirit and fight to put ourselves 1-0 up.
"It's a game we then should kill off and we didn't find a way. We turned the ball over too easily at times and it leaves the game open.
"It's obviously a bad goal and it sums things up. We're very disappointed to be in a position like that and not come away with the game."
Things do not get much better for Carrick's under-fire team, either, as it visits Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (AEDT), before facing arch-rival Leeds United in the Premier League.
De Zerbi, meanwhile, is confident Tottenham's first Premier League win of the season is around the corner.
"I think we played very well against a great team. We had many chances to score in the first half. Three or four," he said.
"The second half, it is normal to suffer against this quality. I am very happy because I have seen the right spirit and character.
"We suffered in the game but in every situation of the game. I like the situation we were in with the red card. We need this situation. We have not accepted the defeat.
"We have to react in all the ways we can. It is a bad way, it is not the right way. I kissed Bentancur in the dressing room. Football is character.
"We win the game if we play as a team. We didn't win this game playing as a team. Every game like today, we will win many games."
