Igor Tudor’s relegation-haunted side trailed to Dominic Szoboszlai’s first-half free-kick at Anfield.
But Brazil striker Richarlison netted in the 90th minute to spare Tottenham from a sixth successive Premier League defeat.
In grave danger of heading into the second tier for the first time since 1977-78, Tottenham are without a victory in their last 12 league matches – their worst winless run for 91 years.
However, their first point under interim boss Tudor, who had lost his four previous matches in all competitions since replacing the sacked Thomas Frank, offered a glimmer of hope in their desperate fight for survival.
Tottenham arrived on Merseyside in crisis after suffering an embarrassing 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg in midweek.
Tudor had substituted goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after just 17 minutes after he made a pair of costly mistakes.
He opted against doing the same to Guglielmo Vicario after his weak attempted save allowed Szoboszlai’s free-kick to elude him in the 18th minute.
Tottenham could have crumbled after that, but to their credit they hit back in a spirited second half.
Richarlison ensured they didn’t finish empty-handed when he steered a close-range finish past Alisson Becker after Andrew Robertson and Virgil van Dijk made a hash of dealing with Randal Kolo Muani’s flick from Vicario’s long punt.
With eight games left to save themselves, Tottenham remain in 16th place, one point above both fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest and third-bottom West Ham.
They face a crucial clash with Forest in north London in a week’s time.
Lacklustre Liverpool were booed off at the final whistle after a result that left them in fifth place, likely to be the final Champions League slot, two points behind fourth-placed Villa.
At Old Trafford, United took the lead through Casemiro’s 53rd-minute header before Ross Barkley hauled Villa level in the 64th minute.
Michael Carrick’s side finished strongly, with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko scoring in the closing stages to seal Carrick’s seventh win in nine games since taking over as interim boss.
Sitting third in the Premier League, United are three points clear of top-four rivals Villa.
United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe this week praised Carrick’s “excellent” work, but stopped short of committing to the former Old Trafford star on a long-term basis.
But Carrick is making a strong case to earn the job on a permanent basis after stabilising United, who lost at Newcastle last week, following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
“We looked a good team. It was a big game coming off the defeat. The boys reacted incredibly well,” Carrick said.
“It’s a good feeling and something we want to keep getting used to. We are in a good position at the moment.”
Bruno Fernandes now has 16 Premier League assists this term, moving the United captain past David Beckham’s previous club record of 15 in 1999-2000.
He has 100 assists for United in all competitions since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.
“He’s proven over a period of time how impactful he is in the big moments. He’s there all the time, he puts himself forward in training and games,” Carrick said.
Spluttering Villa have lost their last three league games and have just one win in seven top-flight matches, leaving them three points above sixth-placed Chelsea with eight games left in the battle for European places.
Nottingham Forest climbed out of the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw against Fulham at the City Ground.
Still waiting for their first win under Vitor Pereira, fourth-from-bottom Forest, who have had four managers this term, are above third-from-bottom West Ham on goal difference.
Ten-man Leeds held on for a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s missed penalty and a red card for Gabriel Gudmundsson. (AFP)
Edited by Cecil Wong
