Dominic Solanke's stoppage-time header rescues ten-man Tottenham in 1-1 draw at Old Trafford

A late equaliser at Old Trafford

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday, leaving both clubs short of the result they needed. Spurs dominated large spells of a scoreless first half but could not turn their chances into goals, with Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus and Destiny Udogie all going close. United took the lead through Bryan Mbeumo in the 73rd minute, against the run of play, and the home crowd briefly believed a first win of the season was within reach. Tottenham then lost Rodrigo Bentancur to a red card, yet Solanke headed in an equaliser in the 92nd minute, leaving Spurs 18th in the table with no league win in six matches.

The red card and what followed

Referee Stuart Attwell sent off the 29-year-old holding midfielder in the 78th minute for a headbutt on Luke Shaw, moments after Shaw had pushed Bentancur to the ground in reaction to a strong tackle. The incident sparked a team-wide scuffle minutes after Mbeumo's goal, and Spurs had to finish the game with ten men.

Roberto De Zerbi said he kissed Bentancur and thanked him, calling the headbutt a mistake that helped Tottenham react. He acknowledged it was not the right reaction in football, but argued that with ten players his side played with more courage and more energy. The Spurs manager said he was pleased with the response of his team.

I am very happy because I have seen the right spirit and character.

Carrick under pressure

United were booed off at half-time and at full-time, and Michael Carrick said he understood the reaction of the supporters. Carrick made a triple substitution on the hour mark, bringing on Carlos Baleba and Joshua Zirkzee, and the home side began to look more like themselves in the second half. Carrick said he did not feel let down by his players, and that it was on him to help them and guide them through the period.

Obviously, it hurts, it hurts a lot.

Asked about the result, Carrick said he was not satisfied with the points total so far.

I'm not happy with the amount of points that we've had so far, for sure. There's no hiding from that.

Table position and fixtures

United have six points from six league games, their poorest league start since 1986-87, when they had four at the same stage. The draw left them 12th in the top flight. Tottenham spent more than £300 million ($397 million) in the transfer market during the close season and remain without a league win this season. United face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, while Spurs host Coventry City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Monday.