Marcus Rashford takes a knee and raises his fist as he pulls out Manchester United
A late penalty kick by Bruno Fernandes saved the point for United after Steven Bergwijn put the hosts in the lead.
There were powerful images before the ball was thrown into the rainy Tottenham Hotspur stadium with players watching the minute applause to those who died during the coronavirus pandemic.
Additional sharpness was provided by personalized T-shirts pulled over the seats of season ticket holders in Tottenham, who have lost their lives in recent months.
Players also knelt before the game began in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has become significant since the death of Geroge Floyd.
In addition to taking his knee, Rashford raised his fist, recognizing the symbol of black protest and liberation. Significantly, Olympic medalists John Carlos and Tommie Smith lifted their fists to the podium at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City during the U.S. national anthem.
Since then, the gesture has been adopted several times, and many raised their fists during the Black Lives Matter protests after Floyd’s death.
The individual names on the back of the players’ jerseys have also been replaced by the words “Black Life Matter”.
Tottenham’s new stadium usually has an atmosphere of cacophony, but for now fans are not allowed in Premier League matches as it seemed it would take some time for Jose Mourinho to get used to the empty stands.
United started at the top as Rashford was denied the opening goal by a foot by Hugo Lloris.
It was then left for Bergwijn to open the scoring for Tottenham after the 22-year-old’s beautiful run, although United goalkeeper David de Gea was probably to blame for the goal.
The chances were few and far between the second half, as the players still looked like they were throwing away the rust after a long period out of action.
It was the introduction of Paul Pogba from the bench that gave United an intensified much-needed boost, and the Frenchman’s clever play resulted in his side being rewarded with a penalty after Eric Dier’s clumsy challenge.
Fernandes made no mistake from the penalty spot as he continues an impressive start to his career at Old Trafford.
The visitors almost had a chance to score all three points, but VAR rightly canceled another penalty awarded to United in the final stages after Fernandes fell. Those were nervous moments for Dier, considering that at the beginning he thought that he had violated Fernandez.
Eyes on Rashford
All eyes were on Rashford before the game after a very week for the talented striker.
Very few have used their platform with such success, using their free time to focus on trying to help their community.
His school meal campaign allowed him to dominate the news and ensured that some of the poorest families in England would get extra support during the summer holidays.
The Manchester-born star has also raised millions in donations, in addition to the FareShare charity food, launched a poetry contest for deaf children and learned sign language.
It’s a job that caught the eye of Rashford club boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who praised the talented youngster ahead of Friday.
“As his manager, it’s fantastic to follow Marcus during the lock-up period,” he said at a virtual news conference on Thursday.
“It’s not just that he received the prime minister to change his mind, but also what he has done in the last few months.
“He’s changed the lives of so many kids this summer. It’s more important than any football game he’s probably ever played. I hope he manages to keep both sides as he is now.”
However, the striker failed to really influence the match, as United only really started in the second half.
There were moments in the second half when Pogba’s revolted dog picked Rashford brilliantly, but the United striker failed to take a chance.
In an early game on Friday, Southampton gave up on Norwich 3-0 on Carrow Road and at the end of the relegation went back to the second division.
After a shaky start, the Saints dominated most of the action and took advantage of the mild defense of their hosts.
Huge audience
The Premier League returned on Wednesday after a 100-day break, and fans were clearly enjoying the football program, and Sky Sports television reported on near-record numbers of viewers.
Manchester City’s win over Arsenal attracted a top audience of 3.4 million, an increase of 94% on average this season.
Meanwhile, the initial restart game between Aston Villa and Sheffield United led to a peak of 2.7 million people, averaging 43%.
Viewers can now look forward to a weekend full of action with Liverpool’s trip to local rival Everton, who is Sunday’s most important.
The Reds can qualify for one Champions League win by winning the derby within 30 years.
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