Solanke's late equaliser for 10-man Spurs leaves Carrick's United 13th and under mounting pressure

Dominic Solanke’s stoppage-time equaliser earned ten-man Tottenham Hotspur a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday, compounding the pressure on Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and leaving the club 13th in the Premier League table.

United had looked set to claim all three points after Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock with less than 20 minutes remaining, and Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card moments later appeared to have sealed the result in the hosts’ favour. Solanke’s late intervention denied United what would have been a badly needed victory.

The result was all the more damaging given the context of the afternoon. Tottenham arrived at Old Trafford without a Premier League win to their name this season, yet dominated large spells of the first half and were unfortunate not to lead at the break. United’s goal came against the run of play.

A reader poll conducted by MEN Sport after the final whistle underlined the scale of supporter disillusionment. Of 1,628 responses to the question of whether fans had seen enough to believe United would turn a corner soon, 87 per cent voted ‘No’, six per cent were ‘Unsure’, and just seven per cent voted ‘Yes’.

Carrick, speaking to the media after the match, acknowledged the difficult start but said he was pleased with how his side responded after the opening period. It was a measured attempt to find a positive in a performance that offered precious few.

The draw sets up a defining stretch of fixtures. United travel to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting fierce rivals Leeds United the following Sunday. Carrick’s side cannot afford to lose either game and, realistically, need wins from both to meaningfully ease the pressure building around the manager’s position.