Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt scored a dramatic equaliser against Tottenham, with a little help from his teammates.
Matthijs de Ligt was Manchester United’s saviour with a goal in the sixth minute of injury time.
The headed equaliser secured a 2-2 draw, after Spurs had gone 2-1 up in the 91st minute through Richarlison.
De Ligt was voted man of the match by United supporters, with the point-saving goal topping an excellent all-round performance from the Dutchman.
Luke Shaw role in Matthijs de Ligt goal praised
Matthijs de Ligt evaded the Tottenham defence to sneak to the back post and power a header high into the goal.
It was a decisive header from an excellent corner kick from an otherwise disappointing Bruno Fernandes.
Goalkeeper Senne Lammens had gone up for the corner to try and make an impact, and while he ran to the near post, De Ligt made the impact at the back.
It was teammate Luke Shaw who was credited for making the most decisive impact to help De Ligt score his goal.
Speaking to MUTV’s postgame coverage, former academy talent Phil Bardsley praised the way Luke Shaw created the space for De Ligt to exploit.
Bardsley said: “Luke Shaw does great here. I think it’s Bentancur he just blocks and allows De Ligt to get a great header on him.
“He just blocks him, which allows him [De Ligt] to come round the back and have a free header.
“Without Luke being there he might have crept back. Luke does great there.”
Shaw did not foul Bentancur or restrict his movement with his arms, he simply stood in a position that prevented him from getting to De Ligt.
Manchester United improving from set pieces
Back in December 2024, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United struggled to get to grips with set pieces swiftly after his appointment.
Over the past year, the weakness has been turned into a strength, with United scoring from set pieces with a bit of consistency.
This season United have scored six goals from set pieces, including two in the last two games.
It is clear there has been some work put into this, with Shaw’s block on Bentancur one of the small details that went into the goal.
It is right to highlight Shaw’s contribution, while also commending the efforts from the coaching staff.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
