Thrilling Draw Highlights United’s Struggles and Resilience

The match commenced with an energetic atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where visitors United demonstrated early promise. Their determination bore fruit in the 30th minute when Amad Diallo delivered a well-placed cross from the right, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to head the ball past goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

However, the second half unfolded quite differently. Tottenham emerged with renewed vigor, and despite United’s goalkeeper Senne Lammens making crucial saves against efforts from Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha, the relentless pressure eventually broke through. With just six minutes remaining, substitute Mathys Tel found an opening at the edge of the area and struck the ball towards goal. A deflection off Matthijs de Ligt caught Lammens off guard, resulting in the ball spinning into the net.

Tottenham appeared to have secured a comeback victory deep into stoppage time when Wilson Odobert’s speculative shot ricocheted off Richarlison’s head and rolled past Lammens. Yet, Amorim’s squad, despite being battered and shorthanded, refused to concede defeat. In the dying moments, Bruno Fernandes delivered one final corner, which was met by the towering De Ligt, who nodded it home at the back post, equalizing the score at 2–2.

Benjamin Sesko’s brief appearance from the bench encapsulated his season, showcasing moments of potential but ultimately leading to frustration. The 22-year-old believed he had scored the winner moments before his injury, only for a sensational sliding block from Micky van de Ven to deny him. The challenge left Sesko grappling with knee pain and visible distress.

In his post-match comments, Amorim was unable to provide much reassurance regarding Sesko’s condition. “We have to check. He had something in his knee, let’s see,” he remarked. When pressed on the severity of the injury, he stated, “I have no idea. Because it’s the knee, we never know.”

Sesko has managed only two goals in 11 league appearances, and at Tottenham, he once again missed two pivotal opportunities. When questioned about whether Sesko’s confidence issues were affecting his performance, Amorim dismissed the concern, saying, “No, I think… I think that is not the biggest concern now. That happened in the same way that he is not scoring and then he scores two goals in the next two games [Brentford and Sunderland], so that happens, especially with a striker. I’m more concerned with an injury because it’s in the knee and I don’t know. We need Ben to be a better team.”

As the Africa Cup of Nations approaches in December, United’s forward options may soon be severely limited, with Mbeumo, Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui all set to depart for international duty. With Sesko potentially sidelined, the urgency of the situation has increased. The Portuguese manager acknowledged the possibility of the club needing to enter the transfer market in January.

“We have to check everything, we have to check what has happened with Ben,” he stated. “Of course, we are going to have a problem there [with AFCON], but we already knew. Then you can prepare that in the summer, but then you have a lot of players in the summer who are not going to play because it’s one game per week. So the management of that situation is going to be hard.”

“But let’s see when the window is open, if we can improve the team and try to prepare something that happened. Until then, we have to take the chance.”

The draw keeps United unbeaten in five matches heading into the international break. Although the team has drawn consecutive league games against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, there is a newfound sense of belief. De Ligt’s late equalizer stands as a testament to this resilience. Amorim will draw encouragement from his team’s fortitude, but the ongoing lack of finishing prowess and the uncertainty surrounding Sesko remain pressing concerns. United will resume Premier League action later this month with a home match against Everton, followed by a challenging away fixture against Crystal Palace to conclude November.