Outplayed for an hour, ahead at 73 minutes, caught by ten men in stoppage time.
The numbers
| Manchester United | Tottenham Hotspur | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 49.6% | 50.4% |
| Shots | 12 | 12 |
| On target | 4 | 3 |
| xG | 0.8 | 1.62 |
| Touches in opp. box | 23 | 32 |
| Corners | 4 | 4 |
| Pass accuracy | 83.6% | 83.7% |
Result the chances deserved: Manchester United 18% / 25% / Tottenham Hotspur 57% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens, Yoro, Maguire, Martínez, Shaw, Tielemans, Mainoo, Amad, Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Kinský, Gray, van Hecke, Senesi, Udogie, Bergvall, Tonali, Kudus, Gallagher, Sávio, Solanke.
Tottenham subs: Bentancur and Marmoush (66', Bergvall and Kudus), Van de Ven and Maddison (74', Udogie and Gallagher), Mateus Fernandes (89', Senesi). Bentancur was sent off at 78' for violent conduct (head-to-head contact with Shaw). Tottenham head coach: Roberto De Zerbi. Line-ups, shapes and minutes from FotMob; beIN SPORTS lists Tottenham's first double change at 67', and The National puts United's triple change at 58'.
Key moments, move by move
- Shaw and Cunha combine down the left.
- Cunha is given time and slides the ball into the right side of the box.
- Mbeumo turns one way, then the other, to lose van Hecke.
- A low left-footed shot across Kinský into the far corner.
- Second minute of eight added: Tonali floats a cross into the box.
- Martínez watches Solanke instead of the ball, and the two tangle.
- Solanke gets a glancing header on it at the back post, low past a static Lammens.
Tottenham's press, United's lost first hour
- The press. De Zerbi's side pressed United's build-up from the first minute: Bergvall pounced on a loose Lammens pass and Solanke was through after three minutes. Spurs won the ball in United's third five times in the first half (Sky Sports).
- First half in numbers. Tottenham had seven shots to one and 0.96 xG to 0.05 before the break; over the whole match United made four errors that led to shots (Sofascore). Kudus and Sávio stayed wide and pinned Yoro and Shaw.
- The change. United pushed higher after half-time, and Carrick changed three at 59': Dalot, Baleba on his debut, and Zirkzee. United had 11 of their 12 shots after the break and completed 14 of 24 long balls, against 1 of 20 before it (Sofascore). Mbeumo scored at 73'.
- Not seen out. Bentancur's red card left Spurs with ten men for the last 21 minutes, including stoppage time. De Zerbi still sent on Maddison, Van de Ven and Mateus Fernandes and kept crossing. Solanke's header was a 0.23 xG chance (Sofascore).
Tactical scenes
Tottenham's wingers stayed on the touchlines, which kept Yoro and Shaw wide and left gaps inside them. Sávio set up Kudus at 21', his cut-back at 49' needed a Shaw clearance, and his low cross from the byline at 51' found Solanke six yards out, but he shot over.
Evidence: Tottenham had 32 touches in United's box to 23 and four big chances to one (FotMob); 1.54 of their 1.62 xG came from open play (Sky Sports stats, Opta). Sávio and Kudus combined for seven take-ons on the wings (Premier League). FotMob match page · Premier League: what we learned from Saturday's matches · FotMob report · Sky Sports stats · Sky Sports report
After half-time United pushed their line higher and stopped forcing short passes into Tottenham's press. Longer balls found Zirkzee and Mbeumo, and the attacks went down the left through Shaw and Cunha, the route to the goal at 73'.
Evidence: United had 1 shot and 0.05 xG in the first half and 11 shots after it, with 59% of the ball; they completed 1 of 20 long balls before the break and 14 of 24 after (Sofascore). Sofascore report · NBC Sports live report
Recreate it in FM26
Tottenham Hotspur · De Zerbi's high press on United's build-up · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
De Zerbi's high press on United's build-up
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Kinský | Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Gray | Inverted Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RCB | van Hecke | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Senesi | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Udogie | Wing-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RDM | Bergvall | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Tonali | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Kudus | Winger | Winger |
| AM | Gallagher | Attacking Midfielder | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Sávio | Winger | Winger |
| ST | Solanke | Deep-Lying Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Build-Up StrategyPlay Through Press
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Attacking WidthWider
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
- Defensive LineHigher
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
The idea: Solanke and Gallagher jump onto the centre-backs, Bergvall steps onto the first pass into midfield, and Kudus and Sávio stay wide to pin the full-backs. It won the ball in United's third five times in the first half. You need a tireless No 10 and midfielders who sprint.
What FM26 can't copy: This card is Tottenham's first hour. FM26 can't reproduce the red card or the all-out attack with ten men that brought the equaliser.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Direct, Baleba on at 46' not 59' (for Tielemans), Zirkzee on at 46' not 59' (for Amad). Make the 59' changes at half-time and go longer earlier, past the press and into Zirkzee and Mbeumo. It trims Tottenham's chances and makes it an even game, not a comfortable win. It moves Manchester United's win chance from 18% to 32% (xG 0.80–1.62 becomes 1.10–1.27). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Manchester United needed
Carlos Baleba
Tottenham's press beat United's midfield for an hour, with four errors leading to shots. Baleba completed 16 of 18 passes in half an hour and made as many chances as Fernandes did all game (Sky Sports). Starting him next to Mainoo gives United a midfielder who can take the ball under pressure and win it back from Tonali and Bergvall.
Elliot Anderson
United's midfield was overrun (Spurs had seven shots to one before the break) and couldn't carry the ball out of the press. Anderson's game is exactly that: receiving on the half-turn under pressure and driving forward with the ball, with the legs to track runners like Gallagher and Bergvall.
What the analysts said
“We couldn't find a way to get ourselves into the game. With the ball, without the ball, we were off it.”Michael Carrick (Sky Sports)
“If we're ahead in the game, we have to see it out.”Michael Carrick (Sky Sports)
“They were the better team by far.”Gary Neville (Sky Sports)
“I like the situation we were in with the red card. We need this situation.”Roberto De Zerbi (beIN SPORTS)
Spurs were better for an hour, and United still nearly won it.
What's happening. United drew 1–1 with Tottenham, who started the day bottom of the league. Spurs were the better side for an hour. United went ahead late through Mbeumo, then conceded in stoppage time to ten men. Six points from six games is United's worst league start in 40 years.
How it works. Tottenham pressed United's goalkeeper and centre-backs high and early, so the first pass was always under pressure. A team that can't make that pass safely never settles into its shape, and gives the ball away near its own goal. United got better when they stopped trying to play through the press: after the break they pushed higher, went down the left and played longer passes forward, with Zirkzee there to hold them up.
What the shots say. Over 90 minutes Spurs made about twice United's xG and had four big chances to one, so a point was kind to United. The second half reads the other way: United took almost all the shots after the break, and a lead against ten men should be seen out. Both readings point to the same weak spot: the first hour.