FOR 84 minutes this felt like a rerun of May’s dismal Europa League final… and then all hell broke loose.
Manchester United had taken the lead through former Thomas Frank favourite Bryan Mbeumo’s header just after half hour.
But that goal aside, the chances were few and far between, Frank’s Spurs were once again insipid at home and Ruben Amorim’s United were just happy not to be losing to Tottenham.
It was not as bad as the fare in Bilbao but it was close.
And then it all kicked off.
Mathys Tel, controversially sent on for Xavi Simons, levelled up with a brilliant swivel and blast with six minutes to go.
Things got even better for Spurs a minute into stoppage time as an effort from fellow sub Wilson Odobert was flicked home by Richarlison, who ripped off his shirt in celebration.
But the Brazilian’s ecstasy soon turned to agony as Matthijs De Ligt, who Tel had held off for his equaliser, headed home a corner with 90+6 on the clock.
What the two managers must have been feeling only they can describe.
Frank at one point had looked in danger of emulating Nuno Espirito Santo for his ultra-caution, then he thought he had won it, but then he didn’t.
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
Amorim, who lost three times against Spurs last season including that miserable showpiece at the San Mames Stadium, saw his Tottenham curse lifted, descend and then disappear once more.
It was hard enough just catching your breath, let alone making any sense of the mayhem.
Perhaps in the long run it will feel like an acceptable result for both teams, as United extended their unbeaten run to five games and Spurs ensured they did not suffer another confidence-sapping home loss.
But the reality is both teams, managers and sets of fans will be feeling just as much frustration as relief.
At least the action-packed end meant the game in totality ended up being a better watch than it was five months ago in the San Mames Stadium.
Yet that was not the case for the vast majority of the game with both sides cancelling each other out in the middle of the park – as so many Premier League sides do these days – and neither looked to have much of a cutting edge.
Brazilian Richarlison, the embodiment of Spurs fan frustration for how he can produce the ingenious but is horribly inconsistent, missed Tottenham’s only good chance of the first half.
Brennan Johnson had whipped in a delicious cross on his weaker left foot which Richarlison had risen to meet – only to get the tamest of flicks on the ball and the moment was gone.
United, playing with the same four across the midfield that had struggled in Bilbao, looked comfortable.
In fact the most excited the quiet home fans got in the opening 45 was when Micky van de Ven dribbled the ball a few yards in his own half.
It was, of course, in reference to the early Puskas Goal of the Season contender the Dutchman produced against Copenhagen when running the ball all the way from his box to the other end and belting it into the back of the net.
Sadly this time there was to be no thrilling repeat as Van de Ven shifted the ball safely on to a team-mate.
The entertainment was in short supply – save for Patrick Dorgu’s laughable attempt at the campaign’s worst long throw.
But if one side looked like they had more of a clue how to break down the opponents, it was United, and on 32 minutes, they took the lead.
Spurs were the architects of their own downfall because Pape Sarr should have hacked the ball away to stop the move at source.
But he did not and when United had recycled the ball after Spurs thought they had cleared the danger from an initial Dorgu cross, Amad Diallo picked out Mbeumo beautifully for the Cameroon star to head home.
There was a smattering of boos from the home fans at the break as Frank stewed over another insipid home half where his team had registered just 0.07xG.
He knew he had to do something to shake things up and brought on Odobert for Randal Kolo Muani.
Spurs did up the intensity in the second half – they had to – and were rewarded with a flurry of early chances.
Captain Cristian Romero had the first, flicking on an Odobert cross, but was brilliantly repelled by Senne Lammens.
The Belgium keeper was then alive to a hooked effort from Joao Palhinha – a former Amorim favourite at Sporting Lisbon – and produced another fine reactionary stop.
Spurs did have the ball in the net shortly afterwards but Johnson was clearly offside when converting a pass from Richarlison, who really should have picked out the onside Odobert instead.
United began defending deeper and deeper but still looked good for the win.
That was until sub Tel controlled a Destiny Udogie cross in the box, held off De Ligt and smashed home a leveller.
Tel had come on for playmaker Simons which on the face of it looked a risky move from Frank given it was hardly a crowd-pleasing decision.
Yet Spurs looked to have won it when Richarlison flicked in Odobert’s effort on goal and set off on his barmy shirtless celebration.
But amazingly there was still time for United to salvage something thanks to De Ligt rising highest to a corner in the sixth minute of injury time, handing Amorim some Spurs relief at long last.