The Manchester United manager made a series of bizarre substitutions which played into Tottenham's hands in Thursday's 2-2 draw
For the second time in a month Manchester United squandered a two-goal lead in a crucial game after Erik ten Hag made questionable substitutions.
Two weeks ago it was Sevilla and here it was Tottenham, who fought back in the second half to draw 2-2, with Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min netting to cancel out goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Ten Hag's most surprising decision was to take off a resurgent Sancho, who had run Tottenham ragged in the first half and could have had a second goal.
But he also took off Christian Eriksen, whose passing was helping United control the game, and Fred was a serious downgrade.
But credit to Tottenham, who bounced back from their 6-1 thrashing by Newcastle to grab a valuable point and lift their downbeat supporters.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…
GettyLOSER: Erik ten Hag
The United manager has a habit of making too many changes and making them too early and this was not the only time his substitutions came back to bite him.
Tottenham's second-half comeback brought memories of the last-gasp capitulation at home to Sevilla flooding back.
But while Ten Hag had his reasons for making those changes against Sevilla, such as Bruno Fernandes and Antony being on yellow cards, most of his substitutions here made very little sense, apart from to rest players against Aston Villa.
Jadon Sancho was enjoying his best performance of the season and while Antony was not causing much of a threat, he was still keeping Tottenham on their toes and linking up well with Rashford.
Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst, the front men brought on, were toothless in attack and the lack of threat encouraged Tottenham to pour forward.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was on a yellow card and that might have been why he too was taken off but bringing on Malacia, who been flimsy against Sevilla, was as risky as leaving the right-back on.
From an ideal position, United contrived to drop two points and are now under extra pressure to beat an in-form Aston Villa side who have won eight of their last 10 matches.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Tottenham's team spirit
For much of the first half this felt like an arduous exercise for Tottenham fans, who were lashing out at their team and raging against chairman Daniel Levy.
Their humiliating 6-1 defeat to Newcastle was obviously fresh on fans' minds and the players also looked to still be reeling from the result.
So for them to come out fighting as they did in the first half said a lot about the team's spirit and caretaker manager Ryan Mason's capacity to get them to believe in themselves, something his predecessors Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini lacked.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Tyrell Malacia
This may be the Dutchman's first season at Manchester United but his recent showings cast doubt on his suitability to play for the club.
When the team needed someone reliable to weather the storm, he again lost concentration, straying out of position and being beaten by Harry Kane to the loose ball.
He is making a worrying habit of switching off in crucial matches.
His lack of awareness against Sevilla to leave the ball and let it drop to Jesus Navas ended up paving the way for the Spaniard's fightback and to United's eventual elimination from the Europa League.
And here his poor positioning cost United two crucial points.
These are huge mistakes to make and unless he can deliver some big performances, his season will be tarnished by them.
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(C)Getty ImagesWINNER: Luke Shaw
Harry Maguire's FA Cup semi-final suspension has been a blessing in disguise as it has allowed Shaw another run at centre-back.
He was impressive against Brighton and even better here, even given what happened in the second half.
He was on top of every Spurs attack, making a a number of important blocks and interceptions, such as when he chased down Son Heung-min and cleanly swiped the ball from his feet, halting a dangerous counter.
His passing was impeccable too, and United looked far more confident in possession than with Maguire.
The club captain was absent from the squad and the sad truth for him was United were better without him, even while playing a key player out of position.