United In Focus

Matthijs de Ligt continued his impressive run of form for Manchester United against Tottenham but he still has room for improvement.

Manchester United drew 2-2 with Tottenham to extend the unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches.

Matthijs de Ligt scored a last-gasp equaliser to salvage a point, but Ruben Amorim left disappointed that his side threw away another lead.

After the full-time whistle, De Ligt was frustrated to draw, but the Dutch defender can be extremely proud of his individual performance.

United fans raved about De Ligt following his display in North London, but Amorim is confident that he can elevate to an even higher level.

How Matthijs de Ligt can level up at Man United

Defensively, De Ligt was flawless for United against Tottenham and, frankly, he has been the club’s best defender all season.

But at 26 years old, he still has plenty of years ahead of him to keep improving, and Amorim has already said how.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

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After full-time against Tottenham, Amorim praised De Ligt but also dropped a hint about what he wants from his defenders.

“I think he has more quality on the ball than he’s showing because he’s still at a point where he doesn’t want to make a mistake with the ball. When we reach a point, a very good point, our three centre-backs will control the tempo and the quality of the game.”

Amorim clearly wants Matthijs de Ligt to be more composed in possession, which will help United to dictate possession and the tempo of matches.

Matthijs de Ligt must cut out clearance habit

The statistics back up what Amorim is saying about De Ligt.

De Ligt has played every minute of United’s Premier League campaign, and there has been a noticeable trend in his performances.

As per the Premier League figures, De Ligt has made 59 clearances this season. That is twice as many as any other United player, with Leny Yoro ranking second with 27.

While that appears as a positive on paper, De Ligt’s tendency to clear his lines does cost United possession and a chance to build up from deep.

Amorim has adopted a more direct approach, but ideally he wants United to become a possession-based team. For that to happen, De Ligt will have to adapt.

Manchester United suffered a bittersweet draw against Spurs in a performance that was a repeat of their draw against Nottingham Forest, but they have a new undisputed first-choice starter now.

The game against Nottingham Forest was the first time Ruben Amorim named an unchanged side, and he made three changes for the visit to Spurs.

It hints that the Man Utd manager is finally getting close to his ideal team, although a triple injury blow vs Spurs will test that theory.

What’s extremely encouraging, however, is the emergence of a new undisputed first-choice player in the team who was an absolute monster vs Spurs.

Ruben Amorim must take note of Patrick Dorgu

Patrick Dorgu was always seen as a project player thrust into the brightest spotlight straightaway at Old Trafford, so some growing pains were expected.

In an ideal world, he would have been backup to a first-choice player, but when the first-choice player is Diogo Dalot, Dorgu deserves more chances.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

He lent strength to that argument with a monstrous display vs Spurs, where he threw himself into duels with abandon, and was a foul magnet throughout.

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Dorgu was the most fouled player during the game, and he won a game-high nine duels to keep United in control of the game when Spurs pushed for an equaliser (Stats courtesy of FotMob).

It’s not a coincidence that the team conceded twice after he came off in the 80th minute, as his natural left-footedness and physicality thwarted Spurs on every occasion until his departure.

Amorim was choosing not to fix what wasn’t broken by continuing to select Dalot because he was a part of a winning team.

Now that Dorgu has come in and made the most of his opportunity against a big team, the left wing-back spot should be his to lose again.

Dorgu is a long-term investment unlike Diogo Dalot

It can be argued that even if Dorgu was struggling and left his spot open for Dalot to take it, Amorim should have taken the long-term view.

That is because Dorgu’s age and potential make him a long-term investment worth persisting with through growing pains.

The light at the end of the tunnel is bright in Dorgu’s case, while Dalot is what he is, and it’s extremely unlikely he improves another level.

The Portuguese is a perfectly serviceable role player who is a model professional off the pitch, so his contribution should be appreciated.

What shouldn’t happen is dropping Dorgu for him, who has the potential to lock down that left wing-back position for the next decade.

Just like Senne Lammens in goal, Dorgu is the long-term play here who can provide an immediate upgrade as well.

It’s a no-brainer who the left wing-back position should go to, even more so after his game against Spurs.

Bryan Mbeumo has now opened up on the crucial message that he sent to every Manchester United player during the 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Saturday.

The Red Devils summer signing broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute of the clash after Bryan Mbeumo scored a stunning header from an Amad Diallo cross.

Manchester United were leading Tottenham going into half-time and maintained their advantage for the majority of the match before a late Spurs comeback.

Mathys Tel beat Senne Lammens in the 84th minute after a deflection from Matthijs de Ligt allowed Tottenham to cancel out United’s first-half opener in the match.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

Ruben Amorim and Co would be stunned only seven minutes later after Richarlison curled a stunning effort into the bottom right corner of Senne Lammens’ net.

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Bryan Mbeumo explains where he stood with Man Utd players after Tottenham’s Premier League fightback

Manchester United were able to avoid a major setback on Saturday afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the dying stages of the 2-2 Premier League draw.

The Red Devils received a late corner and United summer signing Senne Lammens was even called up to the Tottenham box for the injury-time set-piece.

Bruno Fernandes crossed the ball into the far post of the Tottenham net and Matthijs de Ligt escaped his marker and smashed home a header past Guglielmo Vicario.

Speaking after United’s result against Tottenham, Bryan Mbeumo admitted that he attempted to rally his side back after Richarlison put Spurs in the lead in injury time.

The 26-year-old Cameroon forward claimed that he told his teammates to “stay” in the contest and they all showed how “very strong mentally” they are “right now.”

“Yeah, I tried to talk to the guys and tell them to ‘stay in the game’ because it’s still five minutes to go and we know in a football game anything can happen,” Mbeumo told TNT Sports.

“And I think we are all very strong mentally right now to come back and that’s what we’ve done.”

Bryan Mbeumo’s verdict on Man Utd’s performance in the draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Mbeumo impressed United fans with his overall display on Saturday afternoon and he insisted that the Red Devils were involved in “big drama” at the end of the tie.

“Yeah, that was a big drama, but yeah, at the end, we managed to come back into the game and yeah, as I said, if we can’t win, don’t lose,” he explained.

When asked about Spurs’ tactical changes in the match, the United summer signing responded: “Yeah, we knew that it’s going to be harder in the second half.

“Obviously, they were going to push, but before the first goal we conceded, I think we played a very, very good game.

“Very solid. So, I think we still have to work a bit on the goals we conceded.”

Mbeumo has netted six times and picked up one assist in his first 12 United matches in the 2025-26 campaign after his stunning summer arrival from Brentford.

Bryan Mbeumo believes Manchester United will continue to grow in confidence after drawing with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Manchester United drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur to make it five matches unbeaten in the Premier League.

The Red Devils took the lead through Bryan Mbeumo after 32 minutes and appeared to be in control of the game at half-time.

However, in a similar fashion to last week, United collapsed in the second half by conceding two goals. They also kept the faith and showed their newfound belief by scoring late on to secure a point.

Matthijs de Ligt felt United deserved more after his headed goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but there was relief as they came away from London after avoiding defeat.

Bryan Mbeumo takes confidence boost from Tottenham draw

United’s goalscorer Mbeumo was the main attacking threat in the first half.

Mbeumo took advantage of Tottenham’s poor defending when he converted Amad’s brilliant cross for the opening goal. The Cameroon international stood – rather than jumped – with no Spurs defender in proximity.

It was Mbeumo’s sixth goal of the season, and he took a positive approach to his post-match interview, despite many United fans feeling that it was two points dropped.

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Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

In an interview with TNT Sports, Mbeumo was asked about the overriding feeling in the dressing room after drawing 2-2 with Tottenham.

“That was a big drama, but at the end we managed to come back into the game,” Mbeumo said.

With United now five matches unbeaten, Mbeumo believes United can take more confidence from their draw at Tottenham.

“It builds confidence when we don’t lose,” he added.

“It’s always easier on the pitch and training ground, so everyone is enjoying a lot. We are going to try to build this [unbeaten run] as long as possible.”

Bryan Mbeumo ranks among Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah

It has been a brilliant year for Mbeumo on the pitch.

Not only was he Brentford’s talisman throughout the 2025/26 season, but Mbeumo also completed a move to United and was voted Premier League Player of the Month in October.

Mbeumo also ranks among the top attacking players in the Premier League for goal contributions in 2025.

Five of those goals were scored in a United shirt, with more to follow before the end of the year.

Manchester United are now five games unbeaten, but the draw against Tottenham feels like a defeat.

For so long at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was Manchester United in control and cruising toward three points. But having failed to push on and score a second, Ruben Amorim watched his side throw away victory.

In the end, it took a 96th minute equaliser from Matthijs de Ligt to earn a point. United and Spurs drew 2-2, but for the Red Devils it was a massive missed opportunity to make a statement.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

United would be second on 22 points had the team been able to hold onto the lead from winning positions, with this trend becoming alarming for Amorim.

In fact, the past two games have been record matching from the Red Devils.

Manchester United have made history over the past two games

It was a day to forget for United, with the failure to hold onto a winning position proving to be a task this team really struggles with.

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Against Spurs, the game had the exact same order of events as in the draw with Nottingham Forest.

Opta Joe tweeted to reveal that United are now the first team since Manchester City in 2012 to score first, then go behind and still avoid defeat in back-to-back Premier League games.

The account noted that these games have been a ‘rollercoaster’ for United, but it isn’t something fans will be delighted with.

Ruben Amorim was a loser from this game for this reason, as to drop points from a winning position twice is unacceptable and the manner in which the team capitulates should be the top thing for Amorim to solve.

Manchester United making unwanted records

There were big celebrations from the players when De Ligt scored, and rightly so. The players deserved to be commended for their comeback, but it should never have got to that point.

United won’t have wanted to have matched this record set by City, as in order to be eligible, it requires a catastrophe before redemption.

Going beyond the last two games, United also almost threw away a 3-0 lead against Brighton as the Seagulls pulled it back to 3-2, before Bryan Mbeumo re-established a two goal buffer.

When United welcome Everton to Old Trafford in two weeks, Amorim cannot afford similar issues and needs to re-establish a winning presence in the league, which the home form this season should make likely.

Bryan Mbeumo received a spine-tingling ‘nickname’ from one Sky Sports pundit after the Manchester United summer signing’s display against Tottenham on Saturday.

Tottenham hosted Manchester United at home for Saturday’s Premier League contest in the afternoon ahead of the start of the November international break.

The Red Devils took the lead against Spurs after an uneventful opening 30 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Bryan Mbeumo breaking the deadlock.

Amad Diallo received the ball on the right side and the 23-year-old Ivory Coast international chipped in a cross from inside the Tottenham box in the first half.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

The United winger’s lofted pass found its way to Mbeumo, who planted his feet on the pitch before directing the ball into the near post of Guglielmo Vicario’s net.

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Guglielmo Vicario was caught out by the Red Devils summer signing’s header and United took a 1-0 lead over Tottenham at half-time on Saturday afternoon.

Tim Sherwood powerfully reacted to Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half opener for Man Utd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Bryan Mbeumo has now scored six times in 12 matches across all competitions for Manchester United since the start of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.

The 26-year-old Cameroon international has been in scintillating form for Ruben Amorim since he left the Gtech Community Stadium and arrived at Old Trafford.

Mbeumo was named Premier League Player of the Month for October and the former Brentford star has been a standout performer for the Red Devils this season.

Tim Sherwood was on punditry duties for Sky Sports during United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham and the former Spurs manager reacted to Mbeumo’s impact.

The 56-year-old former Aston Villa manager dropped a nickname for ex-Bees ace Mbeumo by calling him the “man who haunts Spurs” after his first-half opener.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Tim Sherwood said: “The man who haunts Spurs – Mbeumo’s fifth goal against them – he is free at the back post and just heads it in for a deserved lead.”

What did former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood mean by his remarks on Man Utd star Bryan Mbeumo?

Mbeumo’s impact against Spurs at the weekend felt like a ‘boogeyman’ moment for Tottenham after what the United summer signing did in the 2024-25 campaign.

The United player made a stunning impact for Brentford against Spurs in September 2024 during the Premier League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Bees took the first-half lead over Tottenham inside the opening minute, with former Brentford forward Mbeumo netting past Guglielmo Vicario in the tie.

Brentford would later lose 3-1 to Tottenham in the Premier League match, but United were fortunate to walk away with a 2-2 draw after Spurs’ late fightback.

Manchester United saved their unbeaten streak with another late salvo, but Ruben Amorim will be more worried about the state of his squad because he might just have a third injury issue.

Harry Maguire was the first to go down against Spurs, holding his hamstring, after which he was replaced by Leny Yoro.

Benjamin Sesko’s issue with his knee late on forced Man Utd to finish the game with ten men, as they had already made all their subs.

Now, it seems like Ruben Amorim might have to deal with a third injury worry after the latest developments surrounding a third player.

Full picture behind Casemiro’s substitution

Once again, United crumbled to dust the moment Casemiro left the pitch, hammering home his importance to this side.

Amorim taking Casemiro off is not a new occurrence, with the Brazilian’s minutes being managed so that he can play at his best.

The same happened against Spurs, and Manuel Ugarte, not being very good after coming off the bench, only served to raise the Brazilian’s importance.

The worrying news is that it seems like Casemiro’s substitution against Spurs wasn’t planned, and it was forced due to a rough tackle he received.

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Brazilian journalist Fred Caldeira reports that it was Casemiro who asked to leave the pitch after that rough tackle, not believing he could shake it off.

He wrote (translated to English): “Casemiro asked to leave after taking a rough hit.”

Man Utd face nervous wait for Casemiro

The sole silver lining about this development is that United don’t play again for 16 days, as the last international break of this year begins after their weekend.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

Their next game is on October 24 against Everton back at Old Trafford, although Casemiro has been called up to the national side.

Having recently regained captaincy, Casemiro will be itching to play, but perhaps United can come to an agreement with the player and his country to manage his minutes.

From being an expendable member of the squad, Casemiro has engineered a remarkable turnaround where United don’t seem to be able to survive without him.

They now face a nervous wait on whether the substitution was just precautionary, or it needs more attention to get him back ready for Everton’s visit to Old Trafford.

Matthijs de Ligt argued Manchester United “deserved more” from their draw with Tottenham Hotspur, after the Dutch centre-back rescued a point in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Manchester United drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, despite being the better team on the day.

Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring for United in the 32nd minute, but Tottenham came back into the game in the final 10 minutes of normal time when Mathys Tel found the back of the net.

In the first minute of stoppage time, Richarlison put Tottenham ahead, but their fans were silenced when Matthijs de Ligt headed in a late equaliser.

The result means United are unbeaten in five Premier League matches, which means there is plenty to work on after the November international break if Ruben Amorim’s side are to climb into the top four.

Matthijs de Ligt admits Man Utd felt tired after the break

Similar to United’s 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest, United appeared to be in a comfortable position at half-time.

Amorim’s side were a goal ahead at half-time, but they were also in complete control of the match.

A drop in tempo after the break invited Tottenham back into the game. Thomas Frank’s side could count themselves very lucky to hold a 2-1 lead in the early stages of stoppage time, but United’s newfound belief came alive again as De Ligt converted a header at the far post.

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Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, De Ligt expressed his belief that United were the better team and deserved to take more from the game.

The Netherlands international accepted that United felt tired in the second half, with the tempo dropping significantly after the break.

“Luckily we got a point, I think we deserved more the way we played, I felt the second half we were a little tired. We didn’t get the chance to get out of our half,” De Ligt, as quoted by BBC Sport.

“Their first goal was a bit lucky, I’m a bit upset about that, but I’m proud of how the team fought back and got a point at a difficult stadium.

“Last year we lost against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham 1-0, but last week and today you see we have the fire in our bellies to fight and get a point.

“The season is long, drawing the games is more important than losing.

“You saw today we are really dangerous, we have a lot of speed up front, we are really stable, we know our strengths and utilise them. Today we had more opportunities to get in behind them because they are vulnerable, we played a good game and I think we deserved a little more.”

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

Matthijs de Ligt’s stats against Tottenham

While Richarlison’s runs from the left caused some issues for De Ligt early on, the Dutchman grew into the game.

De Ligt’s header saved the day with his first goal of the season.

The 26-year-old played the entire match and completed 86% of his passes (37/43) from the back.

He made 10 defensive contributions throughout the game and touched the ball 58 times.

Ruben Amorim has sent clear-cut advice to Senne Lammens after the Manchester United star’s mixed display against Tottenham in Sunday afternoon’s 2-2 draw.

Senne Lammens has firmly established himself as the Manchester United No 1 and has now had a consistent run of matches in the Red Devils’ first-team squad.

The 23-year-old Belgian shot-stopper has started United’s last five Premier League matches and Lammens has kept one clean sheet for the Red Devils so far.

Ruben Amorim had been using Altay Bayindir for a brief period amid Lammens’ arrival at Old Trafford and Andre Onana losing his place as the United No 1.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

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Lammens has impressed United fans between the sticks since his arrival from Royal Antwerp, including in his debut in United’s 2-0 Premier League win over Sunderland.

However, the former Royal Antwerp star arguably faced his toughest test to date in United’s 2-2 Premier League draw against Tottenham away from home.

Ruben Amorim reacts to Senne Lammens’ Man Utd performance in the 2-2 Premier League draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham started strong against United and Senne Lammens was shaky after the ball rolled underneath his foot when he tried to collect Matthijs de Ligt’s back pass.

Spurs received a subsequent corner after a rare mistake from Lammens, who later came into his own as the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium progressed.

Lammens showed his true quality for United in the second half after a double save to deny Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha from scoring for Tottenham.

United manager Ruben Amorim has been happy with the former Royal Antwerp star so far and he urged Lammens to “move on” from his early setback against Spurs.

“He is doing really well, he understands in a game a lot of things can happen, but as a goalkeeper you have to move on,” he told TNT Sports, as per BBC Sport.

“It’s like a new game every time the ball is on the pitch.”

Man Utd star Senne Lammens should walk away from the Tottenham match with his head held high

The United summer signing has been a commanding presence since he made his debut against Sunderland last month and Lammens did do well against Spurs.

Lammens had very little chance of denying Mathys Tel’s second-half equaliser for Tottenham on Saturday, considering the slight deflection from Matthijs de Ligt.

The Belgian shot-stopper was not at fault either for Richarlison’s long-range effort in injury time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It’s not how someone starts that matters, but it’s how one finishes that does matter and Lammens was able to confidently overcome a bumpy start against Tottenham.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has spoken out on Benjamin Sesko after the Slovenia international’s injury setback against Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

Benjamin Sesko was dropped to the bench for the visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Manchester United’s 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest last Saturday.

Ruben Amorim changed his tactics and started Bryan Mbeumo in Sesko’s spot in the frontline against Spurs, with Amad Diallo playing in the right-sided No 10 role.

The 40-year-old United manager turned to Sesko in the second half and Amorim brought on the Slovenian forward in the 59th minute for Noussair Mazraoui.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

Sesko came close to putting United 2-0 up against Tottenham before Micky van de Ven came to Spurs’ rescue and denied the Red Devils summer signing from scoring.

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Guglielmo Vicario was able to collect the ball after Micky van de Ven’s intervention, but Sesko appeared to hurt himself during the incident in the Premier League tie.

Despite coming on in the second half of Manchester United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham, Benjamin Sesko would be forced to make way from the pitch.

Ruben Amorim used up all of his substitutes by the late stages of the Premier League match and United were forced to see out the remainder of the tie with 10 men.

Speaking to TNT Sports, the former Sporting CP head coach admitted that the United coaching staff felt that Sesko had picked up an issue in the match.

“We have to see; we think he has a problem, but let’s see,” Amorim said, as per BBC Sport.

“It’s a little frustration, but also pride at the response of the players to [the] second goal of Tottenham.

“This is the tip of the iceberg; we are at the beginning of becoming a strong team, so we have a lot to do.”

The November international break might have come at the right time for Benjamin Sesko amid the Man Utd injury scare

It remains to be seen if Sesko could be sidelined for the Red Devils, but the United striker could overcome his problem from the Spurs match in the coming weeks.

United won’t play another match until 24th November due to the November international break, which could provide the time needed for Sesko to recover.

Sesko has had a hit-and-miss start to life at Old Trafford since the Slovenia striker’s big-money move from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window.

The former RB Leipzig ace has netted twice and picked up an assist for United in 12 matches across all competitions in the 2025-26 campaign.