Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Manchester United
Saturday 2nd February 2008
White Hart Lane, London
Carlos Tevez scored with the last kick of the game to earn Manchester United a draw at Spurs, but they slip behind Arsenal to second in the league.
The late goal was desperately harsh on Tottenham, who had produced a defensive display the like of which White Hart Lane regulars will not have seen for years. Their late show rescued a point, but the draw means they slip to second in the Premier League after Arsenal's 3-1 victory at Manchester City earlier in the day.
In a week that will see United honour the vicitms of the Munich air disaster 50 years ago, the visitors struggled in a laboured, disjointed display.
Spurs were in the ascendancy from the start and after Owen Hargreaves turned a dangerous Berbatov cross over his own crossbar, from their next attack the hosts went in front. Jermaine Jenas surged down the right and when his run was halted by Hargreaves, Lennon took over, crossed from the byeline and after Van der Sar parried it out, Berbatov had the simple task of tapping in.
United were furious, claiming that Jenas handled the ball into Lennon's path, but having fallen over backwards it would have been harsh to have penalised him.
Spurs ploughed forward again and Lennon's trickery earned him space to cross down the right, Berbatov uncharacteristically volleying high into the stand from 15 yards.
United were struggling and an unhappy Sir Alex Ferguson sent his team out early for the second half and replaced Hargreaves with former Spurs midfielder Michael Carrick. But they should soon have been 2-0 down, Berbatov brilliantly skipping past three players and teeing up Keane, the striker shooting straight at Van der Sar from 18 yards when he had time and space to take the ball on.
Ferguson made a double change on the hour, Anderson and Nani brought on in place of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, but still Spurs kept control of the midfield, with the revitalised Jenas again outstanding. Nani did manage to leave his mark on Pascal Chimbonda, the Portuguese booked for a shocking lunge on the full-back.
Rooney was then cautioned for diving - a booking that will rule him out of next Sunday's Manchester derby - before United threw everything forward in search of an equaliser.
Tevez had been anonymous, but the Argentine left it until the last possible moment to earn some space from a corner and direct the ball past Radek Cerny to leave the home fans heartbroken.
