Bergwijn matches Van der Vaart mark while continuing blistering Spurs start

The Dutch forward matched the achievement of his compatriot with a fine opener at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Steven Bergwijn wrote himself into the Tottenham history books after his strike against Manchester United on Friday ensured he continued his flying start to life in north London.

Bergwijn skipped past two Red Devils defenders before powering a shot past David De Gea to put Tottenham ahead in the 27th minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It was the Netherlands forward’s third goal for Tottenham in three home Premier League appearances since his £25 million ($33m) move from PSV in January, following strikes in the victory over Manchester City and defeat to Wolves.

In doing so Bergwijn became just the second player to score in each of their first three Premier League home games for the club after his compatriot Rafael van der Vaart, who notched in games against Wolves, Aston Villa and Everton in the autumn of 2010 following his summer move from Real Madrid.

Van der Vaart would go on to score 15 goals in 35 appearances in his debut season in north London, with the club finishing fifth in the Premier League and reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The assist was credited to Serge Aurier, his eighth of the season. Only Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold has more assists in all competitions among Premier League defenders than the Ivorian with 14.

The goal was not enough to earn Tottenham all three points, however. Bruno Fernandes, who like Bergwijn moved to the Premier League in January, converted a penalty with nine minutes remaining after substitute Paul Pogba had been fouled by Eric Dier in the area to earn Manchester United a point.

It was Fernandes’ fourth goal in 11 appearances for the Red Devils since his move from Sporting during the winter window.

The Portuguese thought he had the chance to double his tally and secure all three points when referee Jon Moss pointed to the spot again after the midfielder went down under a challenge by Dier. But replays showed there was no contact between the two players, with the VAR official overuling the decision.

The draw meant Manchester United missed the chance to overtake Chelsea and move into fourth place. Tottenham meanwhile stay eighth and are now without a win in six games in all competitions.

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