Scottish Daily Mail

POGBA RIDES TO THE RESCUE

Sub wins penalty as Red Devils earn a precious point

- MARTIN SAMUEL

THE much-anticipate­d pairing of Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba did the trick for Manchester United — although perhaps not in the way imagined.

They didn’t start together, were not even on the field at the same time until the 62nd minute when Pogba came on as a substitute for Fred, but it was a combinatio­n of their talents that earned United a point here.

Pogba won the penalty, Fernandes converted it. And the draw was no more than United deserved. They were the better team for much of the game, and certainly the second half, and it took an exceptiona­l performanc­e from Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal to stop them winning.

And Pogba made a difference. There is no doubt of that. One ball he hit to Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute was possibly the pass of the night and, even if the penalty looked a tad soft, he won it through persistenc­e and the pressure he placed on Eric Dier.

There were ten minutes left, and Tottenham looked to have pulled through — just — when Pogba collected the ball on the right. He teased Dier, took it around him and invited the England man to do something rash — which he duly did. Was it enough to justify the fall? Possibly not. But VAR had a look an agreed with referee Jon Moss that it was a United penalty.

Fernandes stepped up and, striking the ball low to the left, sent Lloris the wrong way. It was the only error of judgement he made all night.

Fortunatel­y, a very poor call by Moss that would have given United a second penalty for another Dier foul in the final minute, was overruled in Stockley Park. It may have been the right result, but the wrong way to have achieved it,.

As for lockdown hero Rashford, the government could not resist him but Tottenham could. He should have done better from that pass by Pogba and, sadly, good deeds count for little across 90 minutes.

United had been impressive early on. There hadn’t been a truckload of chances but, the few created, had gone their way.

In the 22nd minute, a nice United move was completed by a ball from Fernandes that Davinson Sanchez dealt with poorly, almost letting in Rashford. The man of the moment hit a low shot but was thwarted by Lloris. A shot from Fred was kept out with ease, before Lloris stopped a low strike from Fernandes.

What Jose Mourinho put in Tottenham’s heaven knows, for they reconvened a changed side. In less than five minutes, they were a goal up.

It was excellent from Steven Bergwijn, aided by multiple errors from United. Lloris belted a goal kick in the direction of Luke Shaw, whose clearing header was far too lofted but should have been mopped up by Rashford.

Instead, a heavy touch sent it back into United’s half, to Bergwijn. He turned and ran, meaningful­ly, towards the United goal. Fred couldn’t catch him, and Harry Maguire looked horribly heavy-legged as he sped past.

The last error was the costliest, mind — David de Gea, getting a good hand to Bergwijn’s shot but succeeding only in diverting it into the net.

In the television studio at halftime, Roy Keane was scathing. Shaw, De Gea, Maguire, no one was spared. ‘I’m sick to death of this goalkeeper,’ he fumed.

There may come a time when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is too. If Chris Wilder thinks he is going to get Dean Henderson on loan for another season at Sheffield United, he’s dreaming.

From there, the match changed. United may have swiftly forced another chance when a Fred free-kick almost found Rashford, who was put off balance by Sanchez before Lloris saved.

In the 32nd minute, Moussa Sissoko broke down the right and picked out Son Heung-min with a lovely cross, the ball sent back across goal with a powerful header which De Gea tipped over.

In the 34th minute, a low shot from Dier was casually flicked towards goal by Sanchez, an excellent opportunit­y tossed away. One imagines had it fallen to Harry Kane, he might have made it count.

Still, United were not out of it, and the half closed with a dipping curling shot from Fernandes that Lloris made look easier than it no doubt was.

In the 55th minute, Anthony Martial picked out the Portuguese once more and his low shot travelled just wide.

Pogba entered the fray, with United finally in the ascendancy.

And their second-half pressure was rewarded in the 81st minute, when Fernandes netted from the penalty spot.

Fernandes sent Lloris the wrong way with his shot into the

bottom-left corner. United then thought they had a chance to win it when another penalty was awarded again against Dier for a foul on Fernandes, only for it to overturned by VAR.

TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Lloris 7; Aurier 6, D Sanchez 6, Dier 6, Davies 7; Sissoko 7, Winks 6; Bergwijn 8 (Carvalho Fernandes 70), Lamela 7 (Lo Celso 70), Son Heung-Min 7; Kane 6. Subs not used: Alderweire­ld, Vertonghen, R Sessegnon, Gazzaniga, Ndombele, Skipp, White. Booked: None. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 4; Wan-Bissaka 5, Lindelof 5 (Matic 78), Maguire 4, Shaw 6; McTominay 6 (Bailly 89), Fred 6 (Pogba 63); James 5 (Greenwood 62), Bruno Fernandes 7, Rashford 6; Martial 6 (Ighalo 78). Subs not used: Mata, Lingard, Romero, Williams. Booked: James. Referee: Jonathan Moss. Man of the match: Steven Bergwijn.

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 ??  ?? Level best: Fernandes fires home the equaliser
Level best: Fernandes fires home the equaliser

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