Jenas Salvages Spurs Point

Draw With Spurs
By David Hobbs
November 8 2005

Jermaine Jenas's second-half free-kick earned Tottenham Hotspur a well deserved Premiership point at Old Trafford this afternoon. Mikael Silvestre gave United a lead in the first-half.

Jenas Salvages Spurs Point

Manchester United 1
Mikael Silvestre 7

Tottenham Hotspur 1
Jermaine Jenas 72

Jermaine Jenas's second-half free-kick earned Tottenham Hotspur a well deserved Premiership point at Old Trafford this afternoon.

Mikael Silvestre had given the Red Devils an early lead after the Frenchman, looking to earn a new contract, stabbed home Ruud van Nistelrooy's header.

The visitors will feel they deserved more out of the game and Edgar Davids, Martin Jol and a number of other Spurs staff surrounded referee Uriah Rennie after the game questioning the number of penalty decisions turned down.

United were without several key players, prompting Ji-Sung Park for a return to the starting XI. Park was also re-united with former PSV team-mate and fellow South Korean international Young-Pyo Lee.

Cristiano Ronaldo featured in the second-half despite a bad week off the field.

United were gifted the first goal by Spurs keeper Paul Robinson, who should have dealt with Paul Scholes' free-kick and Ruud van Nistelrooy's consequent header. Van Nisterlrooy's header was met by Mikael Silvestre, who broke the deadlock.

Spurs went on to have two decent penalty shouts when Bardsley brought down Lee and Rio Ferdinand was adjudged to have handled in the box. Rennie dismissed both.

Jermain Defoe could have leveled just before the interval but had his shot well-saved by Edwin van der Sar.

After the break, Spurs claimed a third penalty shout when John O'Shea supposedly handled in the area. Michael Dawson saved Spurs' blushes afterwards when he tracked back to deny an open Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The pressure got the the visitors later in the half when Davids caught Smith with a bad tackle and was booked. Jermaine Jenas and Paul Stalteri were also cautioned.

Jermaine Jenas then popped up to lash home a stunning free-kick that earned Spurs a point.

Final Score: Manchester United 1 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur
Att: 67,856

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Bardsley (Rossi 81), Ferdinand, Silvestre, O'Shea, Fletcher (Ronaldo 75), Smith, Scholes, Rooney, van Nistelrooy, Park.
Substitutes Not Used: Howard, Miller, Pique.

Tottenham Hotspur: Robinson, Stalteri, Dawson, King, Lee, Lennon (Keane 65), Carrick, Jenas, Davids, Mido, Defoe (Pedro Mendes 84).
Substitutes Not Used: Naybet, Kelly, Cerny.

Refereed By: U Rennie