Man Utd lacked ´control´ in Tottenham draw, acknowledges Eriksen

Manchester United allowed themselves to lose “control” of their Premier League clash with Tottenham, acknowledges Christian Eriksen after their 2-2 draw.

First-half goals for Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford had helped Erik ten Hag’s side carve out a commanding lead in north London.

But an inability to build on their advantage allowed Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min to rescue a point in interim boss Ryan Mason’s first game in charge.

It is not the first time this season United have allowed themselves to be overrun by an opponent chasing the game, with Eriksen conceding they failed to command the game.

“I think we took a bit of the gas off,” he told BT Sport. “That was our problem. I think it has been [like] that for a few games, where we are sharp and [have not] kept it going.

“I think we lost a bit of energy, a bit of control, and they got belief, and it went the other way. That’s how it goes normally. When you are 2-0 down, anything can change quickly.

“We didn’t have the control to finish them off, [and we] gave them the chance to score the first goal. That gave [them] belief.”

The points are shared in north London.#MUFC || #TOTMUN

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 27, 2023

The result leaves United two points off third-place Newcastle United, albeit with two games in hand on the Magpies, and six points ahead of fifth-place Spurs.

That cushion will likely help them consolidate their top-four spot before too long, but Eriksen cautioned the task must still be completed before it can be celebrated.

“There’s still a few games to go,” he added. “We need to keep going and get the belief back to finish it off. We need to get it over the line.”

Manager Ten Hag echoed the midfielder’s comments, though he refused to apportion blame on Bruno Fernandes for a glaring second-half miss.

The Portuguese, who captained the side in Harry Maguire’s absence through injury, hit the crossbar in a one-on-one situation with Fraser Forster shortly after Porro had pulled one back.

“[We] don’t blame it on one player,” Ten Hag added. “We weren’t clinical enough, and I think we had to score more. The goals we conceded were too easy, and we could have avoided them.”