Wayne Rooney equalised twice as Manchester United stretched its unbeaten run to 12 matches with a lively 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. PHOTO: AFP
Spurs led twice, through a Kyle Walker free-kick and then a stunning strike from Sandro, but Rooney hit back on each occasion to extend United’s unbeaten record to 12 games in all competitions.
David Moyes’s side were thankful to leave White Hart Lane with a point, but having also drawn 2-2 at Cardiff City last weekend, this was another missed opportunity to gain ground on the top four.
Following the euphoria of the 5-0 mid-week thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, it was a reality check for the champions, who remain in eighth place, nine points behind leaders Arsenal.
“We had a great win in mid-week and, but for a minute at Cardiff near the end, you’d have been saying Manchester United have had a really good week,” said United manager Moyes.
“But United have to win. That’s why at the end we were still trying to get a way of getting the third goal, but we couldn’t quite get it.”
Moyes conceded that his side had squandered an opportunity to make up ground on the teams above them, but he backed his team to close the gap in the months ahead.
“We’re concerned that we’re not as close as we’d like to be, but it’s a long season,” he said.
“I think we’ve still got room to progress and get better, that’s undoubtedly. Hopefully we’ll be there or thereabouts.
It is now 13 games since Spurs last beat United at home, but they were unrecognisable from the team which was thrashed 6-0 at Manchester City last weekend and continue to trail United by only a point.
“Obviously it was not a bad result, because against Manchester United it is always difficult,” said Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas. “But I think, due to fact that we took a heavy defeat against Manchester City, this was a great response from the players.”
United welcomed back captain Nemanja Vidic following concussion, but Robin van Persie was once again unavailable due to a groin injury.
Spurs made six changes to the team that won 2-0 at Tromso in the Europa League on Thursday, with Villas-Boas electing to deploy Sandro, Paulinho and Mousa Dembele in a three-man midfield.
Ramsey thanks Cardiff fans after punishing former club
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey praised Cardiff City’s supporters after they applauded the Welshman for not celebrating as he scored two goals in the 3-0 win over the Bluebirds on Saturday.
“It was an exciting time for me and my family to come back here and play,” Ramsey told the BBC.
The 22-year-old did not celebrate his first effort – a glancing header in the 29th minute – and in return the home fans showed their appreciation to their former player.
“I’m really pleased with the way the fans reacted,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for them. This is where I started off in my career and they realised I needed to make the next step. They were really respectful and I gave them my respect too by not celebrating.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2013.
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