Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Sheffield United

Sheffield United have moved up to fifth place in the Premier League after holding Spurs to a 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tottenham were boosted by Harry Kane’s return from illness, while Mauricio Pochettino made three changes from last Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Everton. Eric Dier, Giovani Lo Celso and Ben Davies came in for Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen and Ryan Sessegnon.
Chris Wilder unsurprisingly named an unchanged starting XI from Sheffield United’s 3-0 win over Burnley last Saturday.
It was the high-flying Blades, looking for a first win at Tottenham since 1991, who went close in the third minute when Oliver Norwood picked up a clearance from Serge Aurier and hit a fierce strike Paulo Gazzaniga had to tip over the top.
The visitors continued to look the more likely to break the deadlock as John Fleck picked up a pass from Lys Mousset but could only hit his effort straight at Gazzaniga on 10 minutes.
Spurs responded and Kane should have put them ahead on 16 minutes but he failed to fully connect with Aurier’s cross and the ball bobbled wide.
David McGoldrick and Heung-min Son both hit wayward efforts from 25 yards at either end of the pitch before John Lundstram sent the ball inches wide of Gazzaniga’s goal off his knee on 28 minutes after good work by Enda Stevens.
Lundstram went even closer on the half-hour mark when he was teed up by Jack O’Connell and lashed a shot off the Spurs’ upright from 15 yards.
Spurs again issued a response, with Lo Celso teed up by Son and he shaved the post from just inside the area on 38 minutes.
It was the Blades who mustered up the first real opportunity of note after the interval when Mousset surged into the box and got ahead of Davinson Sanchez before he curled a shot just wide.
Son then saw an effort from a tight angle palmed away by Dean Henderson on 54 minutes but the South Korean was not to be denied the opening goal of the game four minutes later.
He pounced on a poor pass from Stevens back towards O’Connell and finished through the legs of Henderson from an angle.
Sheffield United responded on the hour as McGoldrick appeared to grab his first Premier League goal of the season when he tapped in a Stevens’ cross at the back post.
However, a lengthy four-minute break for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) resulted in the goal being chalked off for an offside as George Baldock’s big toe was deemed to be offside in the build-up.
But the visitors did get an equaliser 12 minutes from time when a cross-shot from Baldock eluded everyone and flew into the far corner of the net.
Spurs almost snatched the win in six minutes of stoppage time when Lucas Moura’s strike appeared to be heading for the back of the net but Henderson tipped it over.
The point moves Sheffield United above Arsenal into fifth, while Spurs drop down to 12th spot.