Tottenham twice pegged back Manchester United to deny Erik ten Hag’s men victory as Sir Jim Ratcliffe attended his first match since agreeing a partial takeover of the club.
The billionaire’s agreement to buy a 25 per cent stake and take control of football operations has brought some hope to a club that has fallen off the top of the English game under owners the Glazers.
But it is a long way back and fans will continue to protest the Americans’ involvement, no matter how diminished, with Ratcliffe getting a first-hand look at the challenge he is taking on in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Spurs.
The 71-year-old, who grew up supporting United, sat next to Sir Alex Ferguson in the directors’ box at Old Trafford and only had to wait three minutes to celebrate as summer signing Rasmus Hojlund hammered home.
Richarlison headed in an equaliser from a corner – his sixth goal in as many Premier League matches – but Marcus Rashford smartly put the hosts back ahead in the 40th minute.
Cristian Romero rattled the United crossbar in stoppage time and 49 seconds into the second half Rodrigo Bentancur slammed Spurs level, capitalising on some lax home defending.
Ange Postecoglou’s visitors looked most likely to win it but United avoided a 10th Premier League loss of the season in front of Ratcliffe and his INEOS team.
Things had got off to an ideal start from a United perspective.
Andre Onana – playing his final match before heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations – collected a cross and threw wide to Alejandro Garnacho, who played onto Bruno Fernandes.
The skipper put Rashford behind to drive forward and then cut inside, with Destiny Udogie’s eventual challenge taking the ball into Hojlund’s path rather than halting the counter.
The 20-year-old Dane moved the ball away from Spurs defenders, steadied himself with another touch before thundering a left-footed drive into the roof of the net.
Rashford tried to add a second when meeting a deep Christian Eriksen corner with an unorthodox volley across goal, but Spurs soon awoke from their slumber.
Pedro Porro’s pot shot may have been easily held but Jonny Evans had to be alert to stop a looping header from Spurs debutant Timo Werner causing problems.
Diogo Dalot cleared Bentancur’s header from the resulting set-piece off the line, but another corner would prove United’s undoing in the 19th minute.
Porro swung in from the left and Richarlison showed strength in a congested six-yard box to glance home, extending Spurs scoring run in the league to a club-record 33rd game.
Play settled for a while, only for United to kick on towards the break.
Garnacho’s penalty appeals against Udogie fell on deaf ears but the Spurs left-back was soon breathing a sigh of relief after heading a Rashford cross onto his own post.
United’s pressure continued and brought about a 40th-minute goal.
Rashford played a one-two with Hojlund around the edge of the 18-yard box, then followed a touch with a low snapshot into the bottom corner.
The England forward made a talking gesture with his hand as he celebrated – seemingly a message for those questioning him.
Rashford was blocked out as he attempted to add another but Spurs went close in stoppage time, with Romero launching himself to meet a corner and sending a header crashing off the bar.
Postecoglou’s side were not discouraged by that near miss and drew level moments into the second half.
Werner held the ball up on the left and played across to Bentancur, who drove into the box, past Evans and continued to slam Spurs level.
It was a gut punch Tottenham were determined to add to.
Richarlison forced a low save out of Onana and Werner hooked over as the visitors looked most likely to score, but they could not capitalise on their boatload of set-pieces.
Ten Hag made a pair of changes in quick succession to change the dynamics.
The first, Scott McTominay, drove narrowly wide from 20 yards after replacing Eriksen, before Lisandro Martinez came on for his first appearance since September.
Spurs introduced January arrival Radu Dragusin as the match wound down, with McTominay heading over at the end of five minutes stoppage time.
Rodri suggests Arsenal's mentality cost them Premier League title
Rodri has suggested Arsenal's mentality cost them the Premier League title, after Manchester City became the first team to win four straight English top-flight crowns.
City edged out Arsenal by two points on the final day of the season, their 3-1 win over West Ham ensuring the Gunners' comeback victory over Everton was immaterial.
Rodri scored the crucial third goal just before the hour mark to settle nerves at the Etihad Stadium, after Mohammed Kudus had drawn West Ham within one goal.
City finished the season with nine straight wins after playing out a 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in late March, while the Gunners dropped three points in a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in April.
Reflecting on that goalless draw, Rodri accused Arsenal of settling for a point and hinted a lack of bravery had cost them.
Asked by Optus Sport for the secret behind City's success, Rodri pointed to his head as he said: "To be honest, I think it's in here. It's the mentality.
"Arsenal, also they deserved [to win the league], they did an unbelievable season, but I think the difference was in here.
"When they came here, they faced us at the Etihad, I saw them and said, 'Ah, these guys, they don't want to beat us, they just want a draw.'
"That mentality… I don't think we would do it the same way. We caught them.
"At the end, if you give us one point, we will win the last seven, eight games even though it's so tough. So I think it comes down to mentality."
Rodri did not taste defeat in the Premier League throughout 2023-24, with all three of City's losses coming when the Spaniard was suspended.
He has now gone unbeaten through his last 50 Premier League matches, with only former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell enjoying a longer such streak (56 games between 2002 and 2004).
City's historic triumph means they have surpassed the achievements of Huddersfield Town (1923-1926), Arsenal (1932-35), Liverpool (1981-1984) and Manchester United (1998-2001 and 2006-2009), all of whom won three straight top-flight titles.
They could also become the first team to ever win back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles on Saturday, when they face Manchester United in the final of the latter competition at Wembley Stadium.
Cavalier SC clinch Jamaica Premier League title in dramatic penalty shootout victory over Mount Pleasant
Cavalier SC secured their third Jamaica Premier League title in thrilling fashion on Sunday night, defeating defending champions Mount Pleasant FA 4-3 on penalties at the National Stadium in Kingston.
After a hard-fought 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time, the match was decided by a tense penalty shootout. Cavalier SC goalkeeper Vino Barclett emerged as the hero, making two crucial saves during the shootout. Nicholas Hamilton, who entered the game late in extra time, sealed the victory with the decisive penalty.
Mount Pleasant had taken the lead in the 65th minute through Devonte Campbell, whose well-placed shot found the net. However, Cavalier SC quickly responded just two minutes later when Richard King leveled the score from close range.
Despite both teams pushing for a winner in extra time, neither could break the deadlock, leading to the drama of penalties. Initially trailing 0-2 in the shootout, Cavalier SC staged a remarkable comeback, holding their nerve to prevail 4-3.
In the playoff for third place earlier in the day, Arnett Gardens secured a convincing 4-1 victory over Waterhouse.
Cavalier SC's triumph marks a significant achievement for the club, avenging last year's final defeat to Mount Pleasant and showcasing their resilience and determination throughout the season.
Injured Ederson replaced in expanded Brazil Copa America squad
Brazil coach Dorival Junior has replaced the injured Ederson for the Copa America and called three more players up to an expanded squad.
South American governing body CONMEBOL announced that teams can now name a 26-man squad, up from the original 23 allowed at the tournament.
Dorival Junior has called upon Juventus defender Bremer, Atalanta midfielder Ederson and Porto forward Pepe as the extra players for his team.
Manchester City's Ederson will not be fit to play at the Copa America, so Sao Paolo's Rafael has been called up in his place.
The goalkeeper suffered a small fracture on his eye socket in a heavy collision with Cristian Romero against Tottenham and missed the end of their league season.
Brazil’s original 23-man squad, announced earlier this month, did not include Casemiro, Richarlison or Gabriel Jesus, though 17-year-old prodigy Endrick was included.
Selecao are nine-time winners of the Copa America and will kick off their campaign against Costa Rica in Group D on June 24.
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