Manchester United's miserable start to the season continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Tottenham at Old Trafford, with Dominic Solanke's stoppage-time equaliser compounding a difficult afternoon for Michael Carrick's side.
The result leaves United with just six points from six Premier League matches, their worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1986, while Tottenham remain winless but move off the bottom of the table despite finishing the contest a man short.
Roberto De Zerbi's visitors began the brighter of the two sides, with captain Solanke forcing an early save from Senne Lammens after the goalkeeper's loose pass was intercepted. Mohammed Kudus then fired narrowly wide after being set up by a Savio cutback, as United struggled to find any rhythm in a first half that drew jeers from the home crowd at the interval.
United's best opportunity of the opening period fell to Amad Diallo, making his first appearance of the season, but he was denied by Antonin Kinsky as the hosts continued to look disjointed. At the other end, Conor Gallagher spurned a presentable chance created by shaky United defending, summing up a scrappy first 45 minutes.
The pattern continued after the break, with Solanke turning a Savio delivery over the bar from close range and Kobbie Mainoo producing a crucial block to deny the Brazilian winger. A Youri Tielemans effort for United was also ruled out following a Matheus Cunha intervention after the ball had gone out of play.
Both managers turned to their benches in search of a breakthrough, and it was United who found one. In the 73rd minute, Cunha slipped a pass through to Bryan Mbeumo, who spun sharply and drilled a low finish past Kinsky in front of the Stretford End to put the hosts ahead.
The lead lasted only five minutes. Rodrigo Bentancur was shown a straight red card after a scissors-style challenge on Luke Shaw sparked a confrontation, with the Uruguayan head-butting the United left-back as tempers flared on the touchline. Shaw and Tottenham's Jan Paul van Hecke were both booked as the benches became involved.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Tottenham pushed for an equaliser and got their reward deep into stoppage time. Sandro Tonali swung in a cross that Lisandro Martinez failed to deal with, allowing Solanke to apply the decisive touch and send the away end into celebration, much to the visible frustration of the Argentine defender.
The final whistle was met with boos from the home supporters, extending United's wait for a Premier League win on home soil to four matches.
Speaking afterwards, Carrick did not hide his frustration. "I am massively disappointed with the result, for sure. A mixed performance. I'm not happy with the amount of points that we've had so far. There's no hiding from that," he said. "I think it could have been different for a couple of little things here or there, but the reality is the reality, we've got to accept it. We need to put things in a positive direction quite quickly, that's pretty plain."
Asked whether he felt let down by his squad, Carrick added: "I don't feel let down, because you can make mistakes. Things go against you. We've all got standards, the players have got levels and standards, and they hold their hands up at times when something goes against them."
De Zerbi, meanwhile, praised his players' response after going down to 10 men, despite criticising Bentancur's reaction. "It is clear it is a mistake from Rodrigo, it is not the right reaction in football, but in that moment, maybe with 10 players, we played with more courage, more energy," the Spurs boss said. "Today has been the game where for the first time this season we showed we are a team, we played for the teammates, we played together."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport, Standard Football, and Guardian Football.