Man Utd salvage a point at Spurs.placeholder image
Man Utd salvage a point at Spurs. | Getty Images
Thomas Frank is determined to take positives from Spurs’ performance but one Premier League legend was not impressed.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United had to settle for a point apiece after a dramatic end to the Premier League clash on Saturday lunchtime, but Alan Shearer was left unimpressed with the football on offer in north London.
Thomas Frank was under pressure to get more from his side at home in the top flight, having not won a league fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since the season opener despite European success at the ground.
A lacklustre start to the match was made worse for Spurs when Bryan Mbeumo scored after 32 minutes and the hosts struggled to create much going forward to respond. Frank’s side were improved after the break with Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel particularly impactful from the bench.
Alan Shearer criticises ‘poor’ Spurs and Man Utd performances
There was late drama following Tel’s equaliser in the 84th minute, Richarlison putting Tottenham Hotspur ahead in the 91st minute before Mathijs Lijt rescued a point in the 96th. There was plenty of excitement in north London but former Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers talisman Shearer wasn’t overwhelmed by the quality of the two sides.
The pundit said: “A draw was probably a fair result in the end. But the standard of football was pretty poor for both teams.
“The substitutes made a difference for Spurs but not for Manchester United. The visitors going down to 10 men after Benjamin Sesko’s injury definitely didn’t help. But the quality was lacking, especially for two sides that could have gone second in the league if they had won today.”
Thomas Frank positive after point at home
Spurs and Manchester United remain level on points, now with 18 after 11 fixtures, with the London outfit third in the table ahead of the rest of the action this weekend.
Reacting to the game, Frank was determined to take the positives from the point ahead of the international break. Speaking about the defence, he said: “A fine, good performance against a good Man Utd team that is definitely in flow. To play against a Manchester United team with confidence and keep them down to five shots… They had all their big boys out there.”
With regards to his side’s attacking exploits, he added: “We are searching to find the right balance up front. When we look back at the game, there were positive bits going forward. We created one of the biggest chances after 5 or 10 minutes with a Brennan Johnson cross to Richarlison. We constantly work on the relationship and try to improve it with the player, try to find exactly the right blend.”
In other news, Tottenham Player Ratings: 'Absolute gamechanger' 10/10 but 'unconvincing' 4 as Man Utd beaten.
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