Tottenham v Man Utd

Tottenham 1

Dempsey 90′

Man Utd 1

Van Persie 25′

FT 90 +5
HT 0-1

By Ben Smith BBC Sport

Clint Dempsey scored a late equaliser for Tottenham to deny Manchester United victory at White Hart Lane.

The Spurs forward scrambled the ball over the line in time added on, to leave Sir Alex Ferguson's side only five points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

Robin van Persie had headed in his 22nd goal of the season midway through the first half to put United in control.

Spurs improved but were relieved to see Wayne Rooney's penalty claim denied.

Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas's clenched fist said it all at the final whistle. It was a reaction every bit as defiant as the performance of his players.

United have built a reputation for scoring late, but on this occasion it was Ferguson who was left to swallow the most bitter of pills.

Earning their Spurs

Tottenham's goal came from their 25th and final shot of the game. United had only five shots in the match.
United's total of five shots is their lowest in a league game since the away match at Manchester City last season.
United have scored at least once in 19 of their 21 league games at White Hart Lane.
Source: Opta Sports

For 92 minutes, United had looked on course to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the table. With Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley driving them forward, they been controlled and efficient, rather than electrifying.

Snow fell throughout, the pitch having been passed fit for play an hour before kick-off, but just when United thought they had weathered the conditions and Tottenham's second-half storm, Dempsey struck.

For most of the game, Van Persie's brilliance had once again looked as if it would gloss over any United weaknesses, with the solidity of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the defence equally impressive.

United goalkeeper David De Gea also shone, keeping his side in the game time and again during a second-half bombardment, only to fail to punch clear in the lead-up to Tottenham's equaliser.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson

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'Really poor' official angers Ferguson

And yet, despite that goal, United have more points after 23 games than all but one team in Premier League history. They remain firmly in control.

White Hart Lane had been curiously subdued for much of the opening 25 minutes when Van Persie sparked the contest in life.

The goal came after a patient build-up that gathered pace when Danny Welbeck found Cleverley in an advanced position on the right-hand side. His cross, whipped into the penalty area, was a good one, but Van Persie made it look even better, pulling away from Kyle Walker to head the ball forcefully beyond Lloris at his near post for his 10th goal in as many league games.

Tottenham were looking for their first double over United since the 1989-90 season but, with Gareth Bale struggling to impose his authority on a midfield in which United scrapped for everything, the first half flickered, rather than blazed.

Much of that was down to United's insatiable work-rate, with their players often doubling up on Tottenham's main threat - in Rafael and Phil Jones, Bale found he had unwelcome, unstinting company.

With half-time approaching, a loose ball broke for Bale on the edge of the penalty area and he was on to it in a flash, letting fly with his right foot. The ball flicked off Ferdinand but, despite being wrong-footed by the deflection, De Gea made the save with an outstretched left leg.

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Dempsey aiming for Champions League

The Spaniard was required to make another early in the second half to deny Dempsey from six yards with the goal apparently at his mercy and saved United again by tipping another goal-bound effort from the American just round his right-hand post.

With Spurs growing as an attacking threat, Ferguson responded by introducing Rooney, who almost made an immediate impression. The England striker went down in the penalty area, having been clipped by Steven Caulker only to see referee Chris Foy wave away United's claims.

Still Spurs continued to pour forward - Lennon zipped away from Patrice Evra and freed Defoe in the penalty area but at the crucial moment the England striker hesitated, allowing Ferdinand to appear from nowhere to snuff out the danger.

But with time running out, Spurs finally broke through. De Gea failed to punch Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross clear, allowing Lennon to cross for Dempsey to prod home.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas: "We dominated the whole game, played well and deserved to win. We had 60% possession against United, 15 shots against four and should have won. Champions like United have to go through moments like this but I think we deserved this last-minute goal.

"We set our targets high, we wanted to win. We understood you are not going to go two or three up but we managed to get at least a point and a deserved point."

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand: "Before the game we would have taken a point. We have a good record here over the years, but Spurs have improved so we would have taken a point, but we are disappointed. We defended well as a team.

"When you play against a team with Gareth Bale in it you have to set yourself up right. We didn't do that at Old Trafford - we were not going to make the same mistake again. They are a team who are improving under a new manager, so we leave here not too down."

Lineup, Bookings (6) & Substitutions (4)

Tottenham Hotspur

25 Lloris
16 Naughton (Assou-Ekotto - 64' )
20 Dawson Booked
28 Walker
33 Caulker
02 Dempsey Booked
07 Lennon
08 Parker (Huddlestone - 80' )
11 Bale
18 Defoe
19 Dembele

Substitutes

24 Friedel
05 Vertonghen
32 Assou-Ekotto
06 Huddlestone
22 Sigurdsson
29 Livermore
31 Townsend

Manchester United

01 De Gea
02 Rafael Booked
03 Evra Booked
04 Jones
05 Ferdinand
15 Vidic
16 Carrick Booked
23 Cleverley (Valencia - 74' )
26 Kagawa (Rooney - 62' Booked )
19 Welbeck
20 Van Persie

Substitutes

13 Lindegaard
12 Smalling
07 Valencia
08 Anderson
11 Giggs
10 Rooney
14 Hernandez

Ref: Foy

Att: 35,956

Match Stats

Possession 52 48

Shots

23 6

On target

18 4

Corners

9 4

Fouls

7 14

Live Text Commentary

90:00 +4:10 Full time

Full Time The referee blows for the end of the match.

90:00 +3:39

Foul by Antonio Valencia (Man Utd) on Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Tottenham). Free kick taken left-footed by Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) from own half, resulting in open play.

90:00 +2:05 Booking

Booking Clint Dempsey (Tottenham) booked for leaving the field of play without the referee's permission.

90:00 +2:04

Assist (cross) by Aaron Lennon (Tottenham) from right side of penalty area.

90:00 +2:04 Goal scored

Goal - Clint Dempsey - Tottenham 1 - 1 Man Utd Goal by Clint Dempsey (Tottenham) right-footed (bottom-left of goal) from centre of penalty area (12 yards).Tottenham 1-1 Man Utd.

90:00 +1:41

Shot by Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham) drilled right-footed from right channel (25 yards), blocked by Phil Jones (Man Utd).

90:00 +1:09

Danny Welbeck (Man Utd) caught offside. Free kick taken left-footed by Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) from own half, resulting in open play.