5 reasons why Manchester United failed to win over Tottenham Hotspur even though they had an interesting 2-0 lead. Because, a draw made Man United fail to gain full points which were actually in plain sight.
Yes, Manchester United have just visited Tottenham’s headquarters, namely the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on Friday (28/4/2023). Unfortunately, the Red Devils -Man United’s nickname – had to be willing to be held to a 2-2 draw.
A series of reasons caused Man United to fail to win in that match. Here are 5 reasons why Manchester United failed to win over Tottenham Hotspur even though they had a 2-0 lead.
- Off guard in the Second Half
One of the reasons why Manchester United failed to win over Tottenham Hotspur even though they were leading 2-0 was carelessness in the second half. Man United actually played well throughout the first half.
As a result, Erik Ten Hag’s team won 2-0 in the first half through goals from Jadon Sancho (7′) and Marcus Rashford (44′). But in the second half, Man United looked off guard and lost momentum. This condition made them finally have to swallow a bitter pill because Tottenham continued to pound in order to catch up.
- Tottenham’s Great Comeback
Yes, Tottenham, who managed to take advantage of Man United’s carelessness in the second half, were finally able to make a great comeback. They scored two goals against Man United in the second half.
Pedro Porro scored the first goal via a volley in the 56th minute. Then, there was Son Heung-min who scored in the 79th minute.
“After the first half there was a difference, we lost control because we weren’t all safe. Then you have to fight,” said Erik Ten Hag, quoted from Sky Sports, Friday (28/4/2023).
“When you lose the fight, don’t have possession and don’t have chances you concede goals. That’s what happened. Then you have to be satisfied and take that point.”
- Less Sharp
Another reason why Manchester United failed to win over Tottenham Hotspur, even though they had a 2-0 lead, was a lack of sharpness and clinicality. This was conveyed directly by Erik Ten Hag.
Ten Hag considered his team to appear less clinical because they often wasted the golden opportunities they got. If that doesn’t happen and Man United can add a goal in the second half, Ten Hag believes victory can be won at Tottenham headquarters.
One of the opportunities that Ten Hag highlighted was that of Bruno Fernandes. At that time, Bruno Fernandes got a golden opportunity after Pedro’s fol was created. Unfortunately, he failed to take advantage of the opportunities he got because his shot still made the ball hit the Tottenham crossbar.
“Yeah, of course, my opinion is that we didn’t play that well. We weren’t clinical enough, but we scored two goals and then you have to finish the game,” said Ten Hag.
- Solid Match Schedule
Apart from the game factor, Ten Hag also highlighted Man United’s busy match schedule. This is considered to have played a role in causing his team to fail to win.
Erik Ten Hag said Manchester United had a bad match schedule in the Premier League this season. Because, just four days after playing 120 minutes plus a penalty shootout to beat Brighton in the FA Cup semifinals, Man United had to play again against Tottenham.
“You have to deal with that (the busy schedule). You really can’t use that as an excuse. The time is considered sufficient to recover, so our players are required to be ready. However, today they are not ready,” said Ten Hag.
- Son Heung-min’s Big Ambition
Finally, the reason why Man United failed to win at Tottenham headquarters was because of Son Heung-min’s brilliant action. He became Tottenham’s hero until he avoided defeat by scoring the decisive goal in the 79th minute.
Son Heung-min also admitted that he had great ambition and determination to get points in that match. Because, they suffered from a crushing defeat in the previous game, namely against Newcastle United (1-6).
“We couldn’t let that game go. We were very angry about that, we didn’t deserve to be 0-2 down at half-time,” said Son Heung-min.
“Last week was unacceptable and we don’t want to repeat it. We feel very, very sorry about our performance and results and today we want to put in good energy. We really appreciate the support (of the fans) and they are fighting with us.”
