Lost possession 13 times, zero successful dribbles: United talisman had an off day against Spurs but still proved decisive

Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in north London. United took the lead in the 32nd minute through Bryan Mbeumo. The home side battled for long periods before finally getting the equaliser through Mathys Tel in the 84th minute. However, disaster struck soon after when Benjamin Sesko, who had replaced Matheus Cunha in the second half, picked up a knock and was unable to continue. As Ruben Amorim had used all his substitutions, the Red Devils were forced to play the final minutes with ten men. Things went from bad to worse when Richarlison put Spurs ahead in the first minute of injury time to send the home fans into a frenzy. Just when it looked like United’s unbeaten run was about to come to an end, up popped Matthijs de Ligt to head home from a Bruno Fernandes corner and secure a point for Amorim’s side. While the Dutchman rightly lapped up all the attention, Mbeumo once again proved decisive for the Red Devils, even on an off day. Mbeumo continues his golden run Mbeumo came into the game on the back of three goals in his previous three games. The Cameroonian has been indispensable for United since arriving in the summer, and has started every Premier League fixture this season. The 26 year old, however, wasn’t at his best against his former manager, Thomas Frank, who took charge in north London this summer. Mbeumo operated in the left-forward role against Spurs, and registered two shots, one of which was on target. The Cameroonian had 44 touches of the ball and attempted 28 passes with an 82% success rate. He lost possession 13 times and failed to complete either of his two attempted dribbles. However, Mbeumo recovered possession four times and provided an outlet for United whenever they were under pressure. United’s new talisman In recent years, United have often relied on Bruno Fernandes to bail them out in games. However, things have been different this season, with Mbeumo helping to lift the burden from the Portuguese Magnifico’s shoulders. The Red Devils appear to have struck gold with the Cameroonian, who now has six goals and one assist from 12 games across competitions this season. Bryan Mbeumo stats vs Tottenham Hotspur StatisticValue Goals1 Expected goals (xG)0.23 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0.02 Total shots2 Expected goals on target (xGOT)0.44 Shots on target1 Offsides2 Touches44 Unsuccessful touches1 Dribbles (successful)2 (0) Was fouled2 Possession lost13 Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)2 (0) Accurate passes23/28 (82%) Recoveries4 Source: SofascoreThe Red Devils were not at their best this weekend, but the late turnaround against the side that beat them in the Europa League final will certainly boost morale. Amorim has now gone five games undefeated for the first time since taking charge at the Theatre of Dreams. Central to the team’s resurgence has been Mbeumo, who is fast turning into their go-to man. Since the start of last season, Bryan Mbeumo has scored as many non-penalty league goals as Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé (20). Just saying… 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/Nafv7mJYkF — Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 8, 2025 Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.