Tottenham 1 Man Utd 1
Manchester United earned a vital point deep in injury time against Tottenham but still lost top place in the Barclays Premier League following the 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.
Carlos Tevez celebrated the equaliser with the last move of the game, even though the ball appeared to come off Michael Dawson.
Earlier, United players were furious at Dimitar Berbatov's opener for Tottenham as they felt Jermaine Jenas handled in the build-up before Aaron Lennon eventually crossed.
Edwin van der Sar vented his frustration at assistant referee Mo Matadar and earned a booking, one of six yellow cards for United which means they could face action from the Football Association.
• Fergie fumes after seven booked
With Arsenal winning earlier in the day, Sir Alex Ferguson's men knew only victory would take them back to the summit, but their loss of discipline reflected a frustration at failing to break down Spurs until the death.
'These games against Sir Alex Ferguson's side are a perfect barometer of our progress,' wrote Juande Ramos in his programme notes.
The signs are positive for the Spaniard, even if they were defeated at Old Trafford last week in the FA Cup and dropped two points here.
They had a new-look defence for this clash, with Alan Hutton making his debut against a team he was linked with before his move to Spurs from Rangers.
Jonathan Woodgate, on his first home appearance, brought a calmness to the defence and Pascal Chimbonda was shifted across to left-back to look after Cristiano Ronaldo, although it was a team effort to keep the in-form winger quiet.
Ronaldo drifted into the centre to help create the opening chance, in the seventh minute, with Wes Brown eventually firing over from the edge of the penalty area - but Spurs then started to build momentum.
Their first glimpse of goal came from the left flank after a quarter of an hour when Berbatov skipped around Rio Ferdinand, but Owen Hargreaves cleared the low cross.
Tom Huddlestone then tried to play Robbie Keane behind the United defence, but Nemanja Vidic slid in to clear for a corner.
However, they were not made to wait long for the opener.
Huddlestone started a counter-attack, Keane played Jenas through and his surging run was halted in the area by Hargreaves.
The ball brushed his hand as he fell, with Lennon then taking the ball into the box and Berbatov tapping in after Van der Sar had parried the cross.
Ronaldo was also booked just before the half-hour mark for his reaction to being penalised for handball, with Mark Clattenburg showing zero-tolerance on dissent.
Lennon's corners were causing United problems, Dawson almost getting on the end of one, only for Vidic to clear, and Berbatov heading wide from another.
Berbatov also volleyed over when he met a Lennon cross first time after Huddlestone's vision had created the attack.
United were looking to move through the gears and Ronaldo headed wide when found free from a Wayne Rooney cross. Their frustration was illustrated by Brown's booking for a late tackle on Chimbonda.
Patrice Evra wanted a penalty in the final stages of the half when challenged by Lennon, but Clattenburg awarded a corner. Hargreaves was booked for handling as Spurs broke when the set-piece broke down.
Ryan Giggs got on the end of a Ronaldo free-kick before the break, but Radek Cerny did not have to move to make the save.
After the break Cerny was also required to cut out a dangerous Ronaldo cross as Tevez looked to pounce, and Vidic headed over after Spurs failed to clear a corner.
At the other end Huddlestone's long-range effort dipped wide.
Keane was also sent through by Berbatov, but his finish lacked power and Van der Sar claimed.
Ferguson responded by taking off his veterans, Paul Scholes and Giggs, for his youngsters signed in the summer. Nani and Anderson came on as United went for all-out attack.
Steed Malbranque had a shot straight at Van der Sar and Spurs also had a penalty shout when they felt Evra handled.
Cerny palmed Anderson's drive around the post, while Rooney was booked for diving.
Deep in injury-time, United rescued a point when Dawson appeared to bundle the ball into his own net from a corner under pressure from Tevez.
Fergie fumes after seven booked
Sir Alex Ferguson rounded on referee Mark Clattenburg after Manchester United lost their place at the summit of the Barclays Premier League with a draw at Tottenham.
United face a Football Association fine for having seven players booked, including Carlos Tevez for taking his shirt off while celebrating his part in the leveller.
'For Manchester United it's not right,' said Ferguson. 'There is something wrong when Manchester United get seven bookings.'
The United boss also felt Jermaine Jenas should have been dismissed for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo midway through the first half.
'For me, the first foul the referee should have acted on, Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half, he was hacked down and for me it was a red card,' Ferguson said.
'He's kicked him from the back. He spent 30 seconds talking to Jenas. Up to that point, up to half-time, I thought the whole game was looking like it was going to go to pieces as a football spectacle.
'The referee settled down in the second half but nonetheless, for us to get seven bookings something is wrong.'
On Rooney's caution, Ferguson added: 'If he dived and the referee deems it, he's right to book. But a few minutes later Huddlestone dived, he's already been booked, and he did nothing.
'He told the player to get up on his feet and did nothing about it. You have got to say 'is that fair?'
'Has he been fair to both teams? No he's not, because that was a dive. If Rooney's booked for it, he should be booked for it.'
'It [the point] could be massive,' Ferguson added.
'We don't stop trying and in the last 25 minutes we absolutely battered them. I think we deserved a point.
'The commentator said we've dropped two points but maybe we've gained a point.'
Despite Spurs coming so close to a first win over United since 2001, head coach Juande Ramos remained pleased, particularly with Alan Hutton's debut and Jonathan Woodgate bringing a calmness to the defence.
'When you are playing against a team as good as United, it cannot be two points dropped,' said the Spaniard.
'We were close but the game isn't over until the end: we were unlucky but that's the way it is. We've seen that it is an own goal and Michael has said that it is an own goal.
'It was a good game for Hutton, considering he had only trained for two days and he doesn't know his team-mates well. It will see him improve and he will get better as he gets to know his team-mates.
'He is covering one of the weaker areas of the team and we hope with the signings of the players that we will keep improving.'
Carlos Tevez celebrated the equaliser with the last move of the game, even though the ball appeared to come off Michael Dawson.
Earlier, United players were furious at Dimitar Berbatov's opener for Tottenham as they felt Jermaine Jenas handled in the build-up before Aaron Lennon eventually crossed.
Edwin van der Sar vented his frustration at assistant referee Mo Matadar and earned a booking, one of six yellow cards for United which means they could face action from the Football Association.
• Fergie fumes after seven booked
With Arsenal winning earlier in the day, Sir Alex Ferguson's men knew only victory would take them back to the summit, but their loss of discipline reflected a frustration at failing to break down Spurs until the death.
'These games against Sir Alex Ferguson's side are a perfect barometer of our progress,' wrote Juande Ramos in his programme notes.
The signs are positive for the Spaniard, even if they were defeated at Old Trafford last week in the FA Cup and dropped two points here.
They had a new-look defence for this clash, with Alan Hutton making his debut against a team he was linked with before his move to Spurs from Rangers.
Jonathan Woodgate, on his first home appearance, brought a calmness to the defence and Pascal Chimbonda was shifted across to left-back to look after Cristiano Ronaldo, although it was a team effort to keep the in-form winger quiet.
Ronaldo drifted into the centre to help create the opening chance, in the seventh minute, with Wes Brown eventually firing over from the edge of the penalty area - but Spurs then started to build momentum.
Their first glimpse of goal came from the left flank after a quarter of an hour when Berbatov skipped around Rio Ferdinand, but Owen Hargreaves cleared the low cross.
Tom Huddlestone then tried to play Robbie Keane behind the United defence, but Nemanja Vidic slid in to clear for a corner.
However, they were not made to wait long for the opener.
Huddlestone started a counter-attack, Keane played Jenas through and his surging run was halted in the area by Hargreaves.
The ball brushed his hand as he fell, with Lennon then taking the ball into the box and Berbatov tapping in after Van der Sar had parried the cross.
Ronaldo was also booked just before the half-hour mark for his reaction to being penalised for handball, with Mark Clattenburg showing zero-tolerance on dissent.
Lennon's corners were causing United problems, Dawson almost getting on the end of one, only for Vidic to clear, and Berbatov heading wide from another.
Berbatov also volleyed over when he met a Lennon cross first time after Huddlestone's vision had created the attack.
United were looking to move through the gears and Ronaldo headed wide when found free from a Wayne Rooney cross. Their frustration was illustrated by Brown's booking for a late tackle on Chimbonda.
Patrice Evra wanted a penalty in the final stages of the half when challenged by Lennon, but Clattenburg awarded a corner. Hargreaves was booked for handling as Spurs broke when the set-piece broke down.
Ryan Giggs got on the end of a Ronaldo free-kick before the break, but Radek Cerny did not have to move to make the save.
After the break Cerny was also required to cut out a dangerous Ronaldo cross as Tevez looked to pounce, and Vidic headed over after Spurs failed to clear a corner.
At the other end Huddlestone's long-range effort dipped wide.
Keane was also sent through by Berbatov, but his finish lacked power and Van der Sar claimed.
Ferguson responded by taking off his veterans, Paul Scholes and Giggs, for his youngsters signed in the summer. Nani and Anderson came on as United went for all-out attack.
Steed Malbranque had a shot straight at Van der Sar and Spurs also had a penalty shout when they felt Evra handled.
Cerny palmed Anderson's drive around the post, while Rooney was booked for diving.
Deep in injury-time, United rescued a point when Dawson appeared to bundle the ball into his own net from a corner under pressure from Tevez.
Fergie fumes after seven booked
Sir Alex Ferguson rounded on referee Mark Clattenburg after Manchester United lost their place at the summit of the Barclays Premier League with a draw at Tottenham.
United face a Football Association fine for having seven players booked, including Carlos Tevez for taking his shirt off while celebrating his part in the leveller.
'For Manchester United it's not right,' said Ferguson. 'There is something wrong when Manchester United get seven bookings.'
The United boss also felt Jermaine Jenas should have been dismissed for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo midway through the first half.
'For me, the first foul the referee should have acted on, Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half, he was hacked down and for me it was a red card,' Ferguson said.
'He's kicked him from the back. He spent 30 seconds talking to Jenas. Up to that point, up to half-time, I thought the whole game was looking like it was going to go to pieces as a football spectacle.
'The referee settled down in the second half but nonetheless, for us to get seven bookings something is wrong.'
On Rooney's caution, Ferguson added: 'If he dived and the referee deems it, he's right to book. But a few minutes later Huddlestone dived, he's already been booked, and he did nothing.
'He told the player to get up on his feet and did nothing about it. You have got to say 'is that fair?'
'Has he been fair to both teams? No he's not, because that was a dive. If Rooney's booked for it, he should be booked for it.'
'It [the point] could be massive,' Ferguson added.
'We don't stop trying and in the last 25 minutes we absolutely battered them. I think we deserved a point.
'The commentator said we've dropped two points but maybe we've gained a point.'
Despite Spurs coming so close to a first win over United since 2001, head coach Juande Ramos remained pleased, particularly with Alan Hutton's debut and Jonathan Woodgate bringing a calmness to the defence.
'When you are playing against a team as good as United, it cannot be two points dropped,' said the Spaniard.
'We were close but the game isn't over until the end: we were unlucky but that's the way it is. We've seen that it is an own goal and Michael has said that it is an own goal.
'It was a good game for Hutton, considering he had only trained for two days and he doesn't know his team-mates well. It will see him improve and he will get better as he gets to know his team-mates.
'He is covering one of the weaker areas of the team and we hope with the signings of the players that we will keep improving.'
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