Sesko injury, Kudus latest + Mbeumo scores goals in new role

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A thrilling climax to a dull match saw Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United share the points in north London.

Spurs came from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 in the final stages of the match, but the Red Devils were able to equalize in the final minutes.

Here are our Scout Notes from north London.

TWO SIDES WITH STILL A WAY TO GO

From what we’ve seen in the first 11 Gameweeks, these two teams are slightly better than last season (not difficult…) but still far from being tough opponents.

Saturday’s game highlighted the shortcomings that still exist.

Spurs, in particular, performed poorly. And again, poor at home. After the midweek win over Copenhagen, which Thomas Frank called “a step forward”, we wrote about the inevitability of the Lilywhites getting a double back this weekend. Evidently, the hosts lost badly against United.

Frank’s side rank a poor 15th for minutes per xG and xG conceded in the 2025/26 season, highlighting the enormity of the task at hand. Most worrying is the home record:

Above: Teams ranked by worst ‘minutes per xG’ record in home games this season

Attack is the biggest problem at the moment, with the ever-tinkering Frank yet to really find a winning combination. Muhammad Jerusalem (£6.6m) missed out here, with Xavi Simons (£6.7m) the only bright spark from the starting XI. His second-half withdrawal was booed.

“We were looking for the right balance up front. I think when we look back at the game, I think there are positive things for the future as well from that game.

“We are constantly working on the relationship and trying to improve it with the players and trying to find the right mix, but I think there are small steps in the right direction.” – Thomas Frank

Two substitutes made the difference, with Call Mathys (£6.3m) raised the bar before much fanfare Wilson OdobertHis shot (£5.3m) was deflected in Richarlison (£6.4 million). Previously, Spurs’ closest chances were two set-piece attempts Christian Romero (£5.0 million) and Micky van de Ven (£4.8 million). Set play is definitely one area that Frank has improved.

As for United, they are not good either. However, they can point to the fact that they were 1-0 up from the 32nd minute, so they were not liable to throw attacks forward, and they were feeling comfortable until Tel suddenly attacked. Another extenuating circumstance was a triple injury blow (more on that below), the last of which saw United go down to 10 men with the score at 1-1.

“If you look at the game and if you feel the environment, we have a lot to improve as a team, because today was our day to win this game.

“I think what we need to do is look at ourselves. We didn’t press with the same intensity, because we felt comfortable. We need to understand that but also feel that if we had a little more courage, we could have finished the game.” – Ruben Amorim

NEW ROLE FOR MBEUMO – BUT THE RESULT IS THE SAME

There was always a strong possibility that Ruben Amorim would leave without him Benjamin Sesko (£7.3m) for this match but what we didn’t expect was the result Amad Diallo (£6.3m) to play as the right-sided ’10’ and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.4m) to move left.

No problem: Mbeumo scored from that position after half an hour, registering his first goal-Once towards a Premier League goal. Amad provided the assist.

Mbeumo is a class apart at the moment. Not only is United’s most dangerous striker, he is the FPL’s leading midfielder for non-penalty expected goal involvements (NPxGI). That’s four goals in as many games for the Cameroonian international now.

Bruno Fernandes (£8.9 million) and Matheus Cunha (£7.9m) is weaker by comparison. But why do we have Bruno? Two main reasons: multiple routes to the point and 90 minute human status. Both were standouts on Saturday, as he was still there in second-half stoppage time to provide an assist Mathijs de Ligt (£5.0m) from a corner.

Incidentally, the much improved de Ligt has played every minute for United this season. He, along with Casemiro (£5.5m), collecting DefCon points for the fourth time in 2025/26. Just one clean sheet in 11 Gameweeks is still the benchmark for beating him.

KNITTING FROM LATEST

On injuries, and what are the chances of Kudus being fit for the north London derby? Very good, according to Frank – although he tends to be overconfident about the initial prognosis. At least this one is just a knock.

“His knock, too short a turnaround. Ruled him out for Tuesday’s game and this game. Very confident that he will be available for the next game.” – Thomas Frank on Mohammed Kudus, via The Standard

Frank, meanwhile, insisted that Romero was “fine” despite his late resignation.

SESKO’S INJURY + THREE OTHER PROBLEMS

United may have bigger concerns for Gameweek 12.

Kobbie Mainoo (£4.7m) failed due to a “knock”, while Amorim later said he “had to beat” Casemiro and Harry Maguire (£4.4 million). The latter seemed to be clutching his hamstring.

But Amorim’s main worry was Sesko, who appeared as a substitute for 30 minutes before he came off.

“We have to check him out. There’s something in his knee. Let’s take a look.” – Ruben Amorim about Benjamin Sesko

“I don’t know [about the injured players]I’ll have to check it out. My biggest worry is for Ben. Not because [he is any more important]…to me, it’s all the same but it seems like we need to understand what happened.” – Ruben Amorim

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