Tottenham Hotspur dropped more points on Saturday afternoon, drawing Manchester United 1-1 at Old Trafford. But even though it was disappointing to see Spurs fail to capitalize on their opportunities in the first half and continue a streak of winless games to start the 2026/27 season, a point against a team that finished third last season isn't necessarily a bad result, especially since Spurs showed grinta in equalizing in the 92nd minute after rather unfairly going down a man disadvantage.
The big moment for Spurs came courtesy of the right boot of defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali, who sent in a cross so perfectly weighted and measured to striker Dominic Solanke that he could not screw up a fourth great opportunity at goal for the Lilywhites at Old Trafford. Solanke was even falling to the ground and barely aware of the play, yet he still diverted it into the back of Senne Lammens's net, so good was the cross.
It was one of two great crosses Tonali had on the night, and even though he did little else with the ball, the assist was the master stroke moment that Tottenham Hotspur needed in order to get something out of the game.
Tottenham need more assists from Sandro Tonali
So far this season, Tonali only has that one assist as his decisive action in six Premier League starts. His underlying numbers have been positive with two tackles per game to just a half of a dribble completed allowed per match, in addition to a healthy 89 percent pass completion percentage with around 60 passes per game.
But the thing is, Tottenham can still control games even without Sandro Tonali recording tackles or accurate passes when they have the other personnel in midfield and defense around him like Rodrigo Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes, Lucas Bergvall, Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Archie Gray, Destiny Udogie, and Jan Paul van Hecke.
What Tottenham Hotspur are lacking as a whole - and what Tonali has been sorely lacking since joining the club for a hefty 100 million pounds - is that decisive end product. Against Manchester United, the Italian international was not as present with his passing or ball winning, but he was far more decisive in terms of the passes he was trying to perform in the final third, including the cross that proved to be the true decider for Spurs. And that's precisely what this team needs to see more of from their 26 year old leader in the middle of the park.
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