How to make sense of a match that, so low on quality for the majority, swung in every conceivable direction in its final 15 minutes? Tottenham were on the brink of a potentially transformative win for Thomas Frank when Mathys Tel, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes, equalised out of nowhere before Richarlison glanced in an apparent clincher early in added time.
It would have been their first league victory at home since the opening day but then Matthijs de Ligt, getting on the end of a deep corner with virtually the final action, extended Manchester United’s run of encouraging form. Head scratching was the only response; from Frank’s point of view at least Bryan Mbeumo, his former charge at Brentford, had not decided matters with his first-half header.
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.
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.
