Troubled Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday rescued a 1-1 draw at Liverpool thanks to Richarlison’s late leveler, while Manchester United bolstered their bid to qualify for the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 win against Aston Villa.
Igor Tudor’s relegation-haunted side trailed to Dominic Szoboszlai’s first-half free-kick at Anfield.
However, Brazil striker Richarlison netted in the 90th minute to spare Tottenham from a sixth successive English Premier League defeat.
Photo: Reuters
In grave danger of playing into the second tier for the first time since 1977-1978, Tottenham are without a victory in their past 12 league matches — their worst winless run for 91 years.
However, their first point under interim boss Tudor, who had lost his four previous matches in all competitions since replacing the sacked Thomas Frank, offered a glimmer of hope in their desperate fight for survival.
Tottenham arrived on Merseyside in crisis after suffering an embarrassing 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg in midweek.
Tudor had substituted goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after just 17 minutes after he made a pair of costly mistakes.
He opted against doing the same to Guglielmo Vicario after his weak attempted save allowed Szoboszlai’s free-kick to elude him in the 18th minute.
Tottenham could have crumbled after that, but to their credit they hit back in a spirited second half.
Richarlison ensured they did not finish empty-handed when he steered a close-range finish past Alisson Becker after Andrew Robertson and Virgil van Dijk made a hash of dealing with Randal Kolo Muani’s flick from Vicario’s long punt.
With eight games left to save themselves, Tottenham remain in 16th place, one point above both fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest and third-bottom West Ham United.
They face a crucial clash with Forest in north London in a week’s time.
“It is an amazing, incredible point we take here. The team spirit was amazing. This was the main demand,” Tudor said. “The quality is there. Every point is crucial, we are just going game by game. We hope today is a turning point.”
Lackluster Liverpool were booed off at the final whistle after a result that left them in fifth place, likely to be the final Champions League slot, two points behind fourth-placed Villa.
“They have experienced these late goals far too many times, and it is completely normal that they show their frustration. The frustration is felt by me,” Slot said of the jeers.
At Old Trafford, United took the lead through Casemiro’s 53rd-minute header before Ross Barkley hauled Villa level in the 64th minute.
Michael Carrick’s side finished strongly, with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko scoring in the closing stages to seal Carrick’s seventh win in nine games since taking over as interim boss.
Sitting third in the Premier League, United are three points clear of top-four rivals Villa.
United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe last week praised Carrick’s “excellent” work, but stopped short of committing to the former Old Trafford star on a long-term basis.
However, Carrick is making a strong case to earn the job on a permanent basis after stabilizing United, who lost at Newcastle United last week, following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
“We looked a good team. It was a big game coming off the defeat,” Carrick said. “The boys reacted incredibly well. We are in a good position at the moment.”
Bruno Fernandes now has 16 Premier League assists this term, moving the United captain past David Beckham’s previous club record of 15 in 1999-2000.
He has 100 assists for United in all competitions since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.
Spluttering Villa have lost their last three league games, leaving them three points above sixth-placed Chelsea.
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