Matthijs de Ligt extended Manchester United‘s unbeaten run to five games with a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer against Tottenham, moments after Richarlison looked to have handed Spurs a remarkable victory.

Having been booed by his own supporters for replacing Xavi Simons with Mathys Tel on 79 minutes, Spurs head coach Thomas Frank was vindicated when Tel cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo‘s first-half opener with an 84th-minute equalizer. And when Richarlison headed Spurs into the lead one minute into the six minutes of stoppage time, the home side appeared to have pulled off an incredible fightback to beat United for a fifth successive game.

But Spurs saw three points snatched out of their hands when De Ligt headed home from a corner in the 96th minute to claim a deserved point for United.

Despite the dropped points and restless home crowd, Spurs moved up to third place in the Premier League, while United maintain their push for a Champions League spot in seventh. — Ogden

Another tumultuous day for Frank

Spurs were booed off at half-time for the second weekend in a row. The full-time whistle was greeted with disbelief; the product of three late goals creating the ultimate roller coaster of emotions for all concerned.

When the dust settles, a draw in one sense may feel satisfactory. But on the other hand, conceding a 96th-minute equalizer from a set-piece to a team with 10 men will feel bitterly disappointing.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, Frank has to process another sign of dissent from the home supporters pointing to the undercurrent of concern that permeates this club at the moment. With Spurs 1-0 down, Frank opted to replaced Simons with Tel on 79 minutes; loud boos greeted the decision, ramping up pressure on the Tottenham boss as his team faced another afternoon bereft of creativity in front of goal.

And so in that context, for Tel to spin in the box and fire a deflected shot past Senne Lammens to equalize just five minutes later will have felt like a huge vindication for Frank. Persevering with Richarlison when many others may have taken him off also paid off, only for Spurs to throw away three points in stoppage time.

The end product is Spurs sit third in the table at full-time, yet Frank knows the job of convincing all connected to the club that he can thrive in the role is far from done. — Olley

Man United will miss Mbuemo and Amad Diallo when they go to AFCON

Mbeumo and Amad Diallo have become crucial members of Ruben Amorim’s forward line this season and their growing understanding was borne out again with Amad’s cross creating Mbeumo’s first-half goal.

Mbeumo has now scored six league goals for United since his £70 million summer transfer from Brentford and he has made the team much more threatening when going forward. Meanwhile, Amad has kicked on since last season by proving himself equally capable of playing on both flanks in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system.

But the bad news for United is that both players will head off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next month and could be away for almost six weeks. With Mbeumo representing Cameroon and Amad turning out for Ivory Coast, United can expect both players to be involved in the knockout stages, so Amorim must find a way to replace their attacking qualities at busy stage of the season.

Joshua Zirkzee has barely kicked a ball for United this season and Benjamin Sesko is still adjusting to the Premier League following his £74 million summer arrival from RB Leipzig, so Amorim has a big problem ahead unless United are prepared to add to the squad at the beginning of the January transfer window. — Ogden

Richarlison ends goal drought, but Solanke’s return is vital

This was another difficult day for Randal Kolo Muani and, for long periods, Richarlison. The Tottenham pair started together for the first time, Richarlison operating off the left with Kolo Muani through the middle in a 4-2-3-1 shape. They completed just two passes to each other and Kolo Muani left the field at half-time having touched the ball 12 times — the fewest of any player on either team.

Again, mitigation can be found in the fact that Kolo Muani arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day and has subsequently struggled for fitness due to a muscular problem. Richarlison was in a barren run of form but his first goal for club or country in 13 matches, an expertly-glanced header past Lammens, triggered a euphoric celebration containing more than a trace of catharsis.

De Ligt’s equalizer left Richarlison on his knees at full-time in recognition of a lead squandered, but he must hope his goal becomes a turning point.

And yet, the feeling remains that Frank’s fortunes would be improved significantly by the return of Dominic Solanke, who has not played since August after undergoing ankle surgery. There is hope he can play again after this month’s international break. Frank badly needs him not only to start but to get back up to speed as quickly as possible.– Olley

Sesko struggling, but Man United aren’t helping him

Sesko is struggling to prove his worth at Manchester United following his summer transfer and he limped out of this game with an injury having only entered the game as a 59th-minute substitute.

The 22-year-old center forward has registered just two goals and one assist for United this season, and Amorim admitted ahead of this game that the Slovenia international has found it tough to settle at Old Trafford. But while Sesko made a mess of a great chance after being released late on by midfielder Manuel Ugarte — Sesko seemed to injure himself when challenged by Spurs defender Micky van de Ven — United’s use of his talents is not helping the striker.

Rather than deliver crosses into the penalty area for the 6-foot-5 forward, United constantly forced Sesko out wide where his lack of pace and mobility saw him repeatedly lose the ball.

Sesko has his strengths and weaknesses, but United are playing to his weaknesses right now. They need to find a way to keep him playing through the middle and leave the wide areas to players who can make use of the ball — ideally those who can cross for Sesko to convert crosses into the net.

However, as Sesko limped off in the 88th minute, leaving United with just 10 players after using all of their substitutes, he cut a disconsolate figure. He clearly needs to do better, but United must also raise their game to help him. — Ogden

Is United’s youth record still valid?

Jack Fletcher’s selection as a substitute for Manchester United ensured that Amorim kept alive an incredible 88-year club record by having an academy player in the matchday squad for the 4,333rd consecutive game. An injury to Kobbie Mainoo had put the record in jeopardy until Amorim selected 18-year-old Fletcher for a place on the bench.

United have a proud history of producing their own players, from the “Busby Babes” in the 1950s to the “Class of 92” of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville. Others including Danny Welbeck, Marcus Rashford and Fletcher’s father, Darren, have helped United maintain their record over the years.

But while Fletcher is a legitimate academy graduate having played for the youth team over the past two years, he actually joined United as a 16-year-old, alongside twin brother Tyler, in a £1.25 million transfer in 2023 after spending nine years in Manchester City‘s academy.

So while United have kept their record intact, it is beginning to seem tenuous and Amorim admitted before the game that Fletcher was only selected because he wanted to keep the historical run going. When it is a record based on merit, that’s fine. But have United now reached the stage of tokenism in order to keep their record alive? — Ogden

Chelsea moved to second in the Premier League table on Saturday evening as they secured a 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues made a bright start to the match with Enzo Fernández troubling Sam Johnstone with a free kick early on, before the Argentina international soon played in his compatriot Alejandro Garnacho, who should have done better with the chance. It was a straightforward opening 45 minutes for Chelsea as they maintained control of the game, with the visitors not recording a single shot in the first half, though that didn’t stop some sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd booing their side off at half time with the score locked at 0-0.

The hosts were rewarded for their positive start after the replay as they broke the deadlock through Malo Gusto, heading past Johnstone in the six-yard box after a pinpoint cross from Garnacho. After Estêvão was introduced for Liam Delap in the 64th minute, it took just 68 seconds before he made an impact with a low cross that was diverted into the path of João Pedro to double Chelsea’s advantage.

Garnacho was involved again as he showed his pace down the left flank before cutting the ball across to Pedro Neto, for an easy finish against his former club. That’s now two wins in a row for Chelsea, with a trip to Burnley ahead after the international break.

Positives

A dominant display from Chelsea saw them create regular chances without coming under threat from Wolves. The victory also takes them to second in the Premier League table.

Negatives

The Blues’ could have been more clinical with their finishing in the first half, but the boos from the fans seemed a little harsh given they were in complete control.

Manager rating out of 10

Enzo Maresca, 7 — A well-timed introduction of Estevao saw the Brazil international double Chelsea’s lead almost immediately after Maresca put him on.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Robert Sánchez, 6 — Without a shot to deal with in the first half and an off-target effort from Marc Munetsi in the second, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was mainly a spectator.

DF Malo Gusto, 7 — A well-timed run and header from Garnacho’s cross in the 52nd minute saw Malo Gusto finally score his first Chelsea goal after 98 appearances!

DF Wesley Fofana, 7 — The 24-year-old helped Chelsea transition play by stepping up in possession, while he also impressed when dealing with set pieces into the box. He could have done better with a chance in the first half from Pedro Neto’s pass but he couldn’t get a strong connection.

DF Trevoh Chalobah, 6 — He was quick to anticipate danger and positioned himself astutely to put an end to Wolves’ limited amount of attacks.

DF Marc Cucurella, 6 — The Spain international created overloads in midfield when inverting from full-back, while keeping the majority of his work simple. Positioned himself intelligently to allow Alejandro Garnacho to isolate his marker.

DM Enzo Fernandez, 8 — Chelsea’s number eight was at the heart of all of the Blues’ best play, creating a big chance early on with an excellent scooped ball for Garnacho, and he almost caught the goalkeeper out on a couple of occasions with dangerous set-piece deliveries.

DM Moisés Caicedo, 7 — Caicedo was at his best as normal when pressing high to win back possession, but he did sometimes mistime his challenges, committing several fouls and picking up a booking.

AM Pedro Neto, 7 — The 25-year-old Portugal international stepped things up in the second half and had much more intent to his play, looking to beat his marker and get balls into the box every time he had possession. Neto then scored against his former club with a simple finish following bright work from Garnacho on the left.

AM Joao Pedro, 6 — Joao Pedro drifted in and out of the game in the first half, and after scuffing his first chance wide, he made no mistake in the second half, hitting with power past Johnstone to double Chelsea’s lead from Estevao’s deflected cross.

AM Alejandro Garnacho, 8 — The Chelsea winger should have done better with his chance after being played in by Fernandez, but he made amends after the break with a swift cut-back and perfectly delivered cross for Gusto’s opener. The former Man United star wrapped the game up with a cut back for Pedro Neto to score the Blues’ third goal.

FW Liam Delap, 5 — It was difficult to find space for the former Man City forward in the first half against Wolves’ back five, but he got more involved in the game after the first goal, and was unlucky not to have been found by Garnacho after he found space in the 63rd minute. Replaced by Estevao shortly after.

Substitutes

FW Estevao (on for Delap, 64″) 7 — Made an instant impact! Just 68 seconds passed before Estevao pushed the ball down the flank and produced an accurate low cross that found a way to Joao Pedro, who doubled Chelsea’s lead.

DF/MF Reece James (on for Gusto, 77″) N/R — Introduced to a rendition of “Reece James, he’s one of our own,” from the Chelsea crowd.

FW Marc Guiu (on for Neto, 77″) N/R — The young forward picked up intelligent positions when the ball was out wide, getting a touch to a powerful cross from Estevao that was directed off target in the 83rd minute.

MF Jamie Gittens (on for Pedro, 83″) N/R — The game had become a training exercise by the time Gittens came on, as he kept things simple from the right-flank, drifting in to find Garnacho that led to a blocked effort in the 91st minute.

MF Andrey Santos (on for Fernandez, 83″) N/R — There was not much for him to do as Chelsea maintained control with their 3-0 lead, as he came on in the same role as Enzo Fernandez and looked to provide options to recycle possession.

The Arizona Cardinals made a big decision this week regarding Kyler Murray. Now another decision awaits — one that impacts the future of both the quarterback and the franchise.

The Cardinals must decide by this offseason whether to try to trade Murray, release him or pay another $19.5 million in guaranteed money that becomes due on the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March.

Arizona and Murray are expected to have extensive discussions to help determine whether to move forward together or go their own ways. Many sources believe the latter is the likely outcome, with one source saying this week that “a separation is imminent.”

But there is plenty of time, and much to play and figure out, before either side gets to that spot. For starters, Murray was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a midfoot sprain, which ensures that he will miss at least four games while Arizona starts Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.

It is another opportunity for Brissett, who some around the league believe has run the Cardinals’ offense at a higher and more efficient level than Murray.

With Brissett starting at quarterback this season, the Cardinals have gone 1-2, averaging 25.7 points and 357 yards per game. With Murray starting, the Cardinals have gone 2-3, averaging 18.8 points and 288 yards per game.

Those, of course, are only some of the numbers; financial ones also are likely to impact this situation. As of now, Murray is guaranteed $36.8 million next year — his 2026 base salary and a large part of his roster bonus.

A key trigger date looms on the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March, when $19.5 million of Murray’s 2027 base salary would become guaranteed if he still is on the roster.

If the Cardinals release him before June 1, they would take on a $57.7 million dead cap hit. If they release him after June 1, that dead money would be split into $50.5 million in 2026 and $7.2 million in 2027.

If the Cardinals were to trade Murray, they would create $35.3 million in cap savings while leaving behind $17.9 million in dead money.

Another point that some around the NFL also believe is pertinent is that neither general manager Monti Ossenfort nor coach Jonathan Gannon were a part of the organization when Murray was drafted or signed his contract extension.

But some around the league also wonder if it could be that Murray is turning into this year’s version of Russell Wilson and Daniel Jones, on a team that does not want to expose itself to having its quarterback get injured and locking in future guaranteed money.

During his last media session Oct. 1, Murray was asked about the Cardinals’ new training facility that is slated to open in 2028.

“I hope I’m here to see it,” he said.

Murray is eligible to return in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 7. Gannon said placing Murray on injured reserve was a collective decision between the Cardinals and the quarterback, along with his representatives, adding it was the best thing to do for both the player and team.

“He’s fully committed,” Gannon said Wednesday. “Right now, what he’s going to concentrate on is getting healthy. He’s not healthy enough to play. He needs to get healthy so he can get back to playing football.”