David Moyes stood in a pose not dissimilar to that of the Sir Alex Ferguson statue at Old Trafford, with arms folded and an intense scowl as the champions twice fell behind and twice recovered.

A few yards to his left was Andre Villas-Boas: restless, pacing, sitting down, standing up, in the ear of the fourth official, whistling, cajoling his players, relaying instructions. Only a point separates them in the Barclays Premier League but here are two very different men in charge of very different clubs.

Moyes cannot be content with Manchester United drifting nine points behind leaders Arsenal but he retains the serenity of a boss confident his club are firmly behind him and will allow the time and support to work out any problems. United twice slipped behind and lack the swagger of champions but Wayne Rooney continues in majestic form and two more goals took his club tally to 10 for the season.

Then there is Villas-Boas. Immune to criticism, he insists, and yet spoiling for fights with all who offend him, including hairdressers ejected from the stands in Tromso, former Tottenham chairman Lord Sugar and inquisitors in a tetchy post-match press conference. At the end, the Spurs boss stood by the touchline and greeted each of his players as they left the pitch with a handshake. Few responded with any warmth, seemingly deflated having led twice through long-range goals from Kyle Walker and Sandro and been left with only a point for their efforts.

Twice they conceded tamely soon after scoring. Walker gifted Rooney his first while United’s second was a penalty after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris dashed from his goal and fouled Danny Welbeck.

For Spurs, the draw meant two points from four games and further ground conceded to the top four. Yet they had performed reasonably well against a strong team and this point came with an element of relief at the end of a traumatic week.

The heat was on Villas-Boas, following a 6-0 thrashing at Manchester City and the idea that the board had lost faith in his style. Not only have Tottenham slipped down the table, they have also lost their flair and sense of adventure. Gareth Bale’s hat-trick on Saturday did not help any argument that Spurs are better off with the seven they signed with the £86million Real Madrid paid for him.

At least there was a Spurs goal to cheer, a first in the league since October. It came from an unlikely source, a free-kick driven low by Walker which went under United’s defensive wall.

It was his first goal for 20 months but the warm glow did not last as the England full back casually flicked out his right boot and diverted an innocuous cross from Phil Jones to Rooney’s feet. Rooney made no mistake from close range.

Spurs led for 13 first-half minutes and during that time missed some glorious opportunities. Rooney blocked from Michael Dawson and Roberto Soldado sliced wide after a slick counter-attack involving Vlad Chiriches, Jan Vertonghen and a smart pass from Paulinho.

David de Gea saved well from Aaron Lennon and there were two penalty appeals for handball in quick succession with Villas-Boas grabbing the arm of fourth official John Moss. His coaching staff tried to lift the fans, gesticulating at them to get behind the team, and there was a brief chorus of support for AVB.

He is not wholly unpopular, but this chant did not take hold. Both sides produced quality but it usually ended in disappointment. Antonio Valencia was a prime example. Valencia, on United’s right, tormented Vertonghen and Chiriches, including one occasion when he twice dummied Chiriches and left the Romanian on the floor, only to cross poorly.

Spurs also ruined flashes of slick football with a weak final pass. Sandro fired Tottenham back in front nine minutes into the second half. Driving forward, the Brazilian cut past Tom Cleverley and struck a terrific right-footed shot into the top corner from 25 yards

It was his first goal since the same date last year but this time the lead lasted only a couple of minutes as Welbeck beat Lloris in a race, touched the ball past the keeper and waited for inevitable contact.

Villas-Boas claimed referee Mike Dean was not in a good position but Rooney slammed the penalty into the centre of the net as Lloris dived left. The game loosened up during the final half-hour and there were promising attacking situations for both teams but few clear chances. Any early backing for Villas-Boas had waned and by the time he replaced Lennon with Andros Townsend, the home fans booed noisily. ‘No problem,’ said AVB.

Lennon had performed well, and so had Paulinho but there would be no late winner and a draw did not fully satisfy either manager. After two points from two away games, Moyes will be back at Old Trafford on Wednesday to face Everton for the first time since he left Goodison Park in the summer.

The United boss can delight in the form of Rooney and the fighting qualities of a team which can still point to its title-winning nous and reputation for gathering momentum after the New Year.

Villas-Boas, meanwhile, crosses the capital to Fulham. With stories swirling that the Tottenham board are busy trying to identify his successor as he takes on a club who on Sunday sacked Martin Jol, also once a popular Spurs boss.

—Daily Mail