Friday – football and maybe a few drinks? Tottenham Hotspur welcomed Manchester United to an empty White Hart Lane Stadium for our Premier League Restart earlier tonight, and for plenty of fans, it was just what the doctor ordered in terms of a distraction.
With our Champions League hopes still alive and only four points to make up after a mixed season so far, victory tonight was key to our chances of a strong end to the campaign – but the players (both sides) were always going to be a little bit rusty.
That proved to be true, but after a brighter start, we waned and United came more into it in the second period and having found the back of the net just ahead of the half hour mark through Steven Bergwijn, a Paul Pogba gained penalty allowed Fernandes to level things for them with minutes remaining on the clock.
The first game back was always going to be strange, but plenty will feel the break hasn’t solved what has been our Achilles heel all season long – but it’s a point and Champions League remains within our grasp.
Speaking to Sky Sports following the full time whistle, manager Jose Mourinho said of our return to the pitch for the first time in over three months.
“Happy with things and unhappy with others. What did I like? I liked the team attitude, organisation, control, being solid. Giving to United what they don’t like. Unhappy with the fact that the way I was reading the game I had no bench to react to it. When they became more dominant we were tired up front and could not press. It was hard to manage the game. I am not happy with the penalty and not happy with the second penalty. I am unhappy with the VAR, not the referee on the first, the referee can make a mistake but VAR is there to do the job. In the second I am unhappy with Jon Moss because he did not give the free kick leading up to it and then gave a no penalty. In this case the VAR gave the truth.”
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