Mancashter City (Home) 05.02.2023

Despite completing the final day signing of Pedro Porro, the Spanish wing back started on the bench and it was the familiar line-up that started for Spurs, with Emerson Royal keeping his place after a good display against Preston.  This would be a different proposition, but Royal dealt with Grealish so well that the City man was restricted to constant whingeing and the best run of the match he made was after the final whistle when he made it across the pitch to the referee, earning a yellow card for his dissent.

The early play was all City’s, with lots of possession, but Tottenham’s shape restricted them to one shot from Alvarez that was blocked before he pulled back Son as our number 7 looked to break away, with the referee letting it go.  Ake headed a corner back across goal from the far post, but it only led to a weak header at goal that Hugo took easily.  Haaland was dropping deep to try and lose his marker, but either Romero or Dier went with him and that prevented the playing of balls over the top, which had been our undoing at the Etihad.  Walker put in a quick cross and Royal got to the ball to head it out before Grealish clattered into him.

The opening goal of the game came from City’s insistence in trying to play the ball out from the back.  Rodri played a pass to Lewis, who was on his heels and Pierre Hojbjerg darted in to take the ball before it reached him and then moved into the box, laying the ball off to his right despite being bumped by Lewis and Harry Kane did the rest.  Taking the ball first time, to the right of the goal, he dug his shot into the ground to put it across Ederson to hit the bottom corner of the net to put Tottenham 1-0 up and to secure his place as the record goal-scorer for the club with his 267th goal for Spurs and it was also his 200th Premier League goal.  The way Harry took the goal was what we have come to expect from him and showed just why he has overtaken Jimmy Greaves, with a lot of credit going to Hojbjerg for winning the ball just outside the City box.

Bernardo Silva sent Dier the wrong way 25 yards out, but the Spurs defender got back at him to force him into a weak shot straight at Lloris.  Grealish shoved Kane in the back as he broke away on the halfway line, but again the person in charge (nominally) failed to see it as a bookable offence.  However, he did allow Bentancur to pick up a yellow card for a foul on Lewis.  Consistency is a word that is absent from the referee’s dictionary.  Not that he ever had a grip on the game, but shortly after when Hojbjerg won the ball off Rodri, he was held by the City player until a team-mate came and took the ball off the Dane.  No free-kick given and it was right in front of him.  Romero did get booked with a sliding tackle from behind on Haaland after the Norwegian had laid the ball off.  The best was to come as to demonstrate the match official’s failure to understand the laws of the game when Lewis was tackled by Hojbjerg and fell to the floor trapping the ball between his legs.  While Hojbjerg and Bentancur tried to get to the ball, but couldn’t because the City player was obstructing play, the official blew his whistle to stop play.  Obstruction is punishable with an indirect free-kick to the opposing side.  Well it is in the mind of many right thinking people, but this person in the middle gave City possession with a drop ball !!  You couldn’t make it up !!

The Spurs press was forcing City into hurried passing that lost possession and they thought they could get away with anything, which was proving about right.  Alvarez pushed Davies over for his second cynical foul, but only a free-kick resulted.  Spurs were the more attacking side during the middle section of the first half, as City couldn’t cope with the breaks we were making, but there weren’t really any more dangerous efforts on goal, with most shots being blocked.  With the tactic of using Lewis to push up from his defensive position into midfield, it was leaving space for Tottenham to make use of and it left the visitors light at the back.  More leniency went City’s way when Spurs looked to break after Lewis lost the ball and he then tried to nudge Royal over before kicking out at him.  It is unfair to say that the referee was biased, but his view of what is a foul for one team and what isn’t for another was certainly skewed.

Five minutes before half-time, Silva played a square ball in from the right to Rodri, who struck it first time, but weakly to Lloris’ left and it allowed the keeper to fall with his body behind it.  Haaland played the ball left to Grealish, who tried to curl into into the far top corner, but it flew over the angle.  Lewis then abused the linesman who gave Spurs a corner (rightly) that produced a second phase attack with Kane and Dier twice having shots blocked in the six-yard box.  Right at the end of the first half, Davies headed away a Grealish cross, but only to Mahrez at the back of the penalty area.  He took a touch before hitting a shot that came out off the underside of the crossbar.  From the next phase of play Hojbjerg won the ball and tried a pass that went off a City player to Bentancur, but his pass out to the left was too long for Kane.  It could have been a threatening position had it found it’s target, as Spurs were four on two.

With Kevin de Bruyne on the bench, you would have thought that Guardiola would have shaken things up, with Mahrez annoying Walker by not making runs to receive the ball.  There was little creation from them and their front three were getting little change from the Spurs defence.

The second half started with Tottenham playing at a higher tempo and looked to run at the City midfield and defence.  It left City complaining about throw-ins now and Lewis was clearly rattled as he headed a long ball straight to Royal and his low cross was intended for Kane in the middle, with Harry, for once, missing the ball completely.  Grealish again knocked Royal over, probably trying to get a reaction, but there was none, just as there was none from the referee, who failed to punish a fourth foul by the England international, who bought a free-kick off Royal and then moaned about it a minute later.  City’s build-up was so slow and laboured that there was little opportunity for them to catch Spurs on the turn.  So frustrated was their manager that at one point he made it 12 men on the pitch for them, as he tried some coaching from over the side-line.

A lot of crosses into the Spurs box were dealt with by our back three and at the other end, Davies popped up at the near post to head Perisic’s corner just over the angle at the near post.  it was in the 59th minute that de Bruyne replaced Mahrez, but he got fouled by Dier straight away, which was Dier’s second foul in a minute, with the referee showing some consistency there by not booking the Spurs man.  Grealish fouled Royal again before de Bruyne’s pass looking to set Haaland clear was too long.  Spurs put together a much better move, passing out from the back, through a Perisic flick inside only for Rodri to take out Davies, but he managed to poke the ball through to Son and play went on.  It was passed through to Hojbjerg, with Royal and Kulusevski to his right, but his pass for Emerson didn’t have enough weight and Ake got a tackle in that won a goal-kick. 

There was then a period of reflection by the players, who were trying to teach the laws to the referee, but he refused to take it on board and the City players were soon surrounding the man in the middle when a de Bruyne corner was pulled back low to the edge of the box for Alvarez to hit, but Dier deflected it over the bar.  They all wanted a penalty, but anatomy is obviously not their strong point as it was clear from the other end of the stadium that his hands were behind his back and it came off his thigh.  They were in his face again when Davies put a weak header straight to Akanji from a cross and then Romero slid in to block it, with the ball hitting his arm as it went down to support himself and then de Bruyne dragged a shot wide.  It is widely known outside of Manchester that this would not result in a penalty, but it took VAR to say so.  Romero was involved again as he won the ball off Grealish and sent Son away, running through the middle of the pitch before laying it left to Perisic, whose ball slid across the face of goal with Kane a couple of feet away from sliding it in at the far post.

Alvarez struck a fierce effort that rose over the angle, with Spurs then moving forward after Bentancur took the ball off de Bruyne and it ended with Kane pulling a shot across goal from the right.  It was a similar move when Hojbjerg won the ball to free Son, who glided past a lumbering Rodri to pass to Harry, who got between Akanji and Rodri before Ederson’s rush out denied him with 20 minutes to go.  Grealish won a free-kick as Kulusevski came in by tripping over the turf and then the same City player dived into Romero as he laid the ball off.  He really is a detestable character and why referees take the continual carping that he gives them, I don’t know.  It is therefore unsurprising that they get little respect.  Especially when he booked Perisic for bringing down Silva when he had allowed so many similar City fouls to go without a booking.  At this point Spurs were on three bookings and City on none.  Rodri was soon at the referee again when Ake played a ball back into the area at the far post after a right wing cross and the City players swarmed around the man in green wanting a penalty.  Royal had blocked the ball with his hip and his hand was behind his body again, so VAR waved away the review, but City’s players were certainly harassing the ref in away that was supposed to be outlawed. 

Anyway, from the corner, Walker had a shot that was charged down and Lloris took the ball comfortably before launching it upfield to Son in the centre circle, but de Bruyne got there first, although he let the ball get behind him.  Taking the ball forward, he had a shot from outside the box that Ederson could only push to his right, where Kane got to it, but had to turn away from goal.  Harry managed to pick out Hojbjerg on the edge of the box, but his shot was pulled wide to the right of the City goal.  

When Romero put the ball out so that Ake could get treatment, Grealish then started chuntering on at the ref as when he had gone to get a ball, a ball-boy had thrown it over his head onto the pitch.  It seemed like the whole world was against the poor City player.  When he took the throw-in to return it to Spurs City un-sportingly closed down the Spurs players on the ball.  When Spurs eventually got the ball in the opposition half, substitute Ryan Sessegnon took Walker on and played a low ball in to the near post and Kulusevski challenged Lewis for it, with the City player falling on the ball.  There were shouts for a penalty, but it was only a corner, but Ederson was moaning that the City player had been fouled and got booked for his protests.  Small beer compared to what had been let go in the match before this point.

With three minutes left, Grealish avoided a challenge from Hojbjerg, but went over an outstretched leg from Romero to win the Argentine another yellow card and a dismissal.  It was what commentators would call “a clever piece of play”, but a lot of observers would call it cheating.  Not content with getting him sent off, Grealish then was giving him the verbals with Dier having to hold him back from getting to the diving prima donna.  De Bruyne took the free-kick and hit the wall, with Hojbjerg’s head taking the impact.  When he went down the City players were furious with the referee for stopping the game because of a head injury.  They really are becoming a team who can’t accept losing, with the manager and his coaches abusing the fourth official at the same time.   

Lloris made two crucial interventions near the end.  He came and took a lobbed ball into the box and then, in the third minute of added time, he came for a cross to punch it away while being challenged by Rodri.  They were both going for the ball, but City were all over the ref wanting another penalty although it looked like a genuine incident where both players were going for the ball.  A late challenge by Grealish on Royal was given as a free-kick, with the fouler running after the ref, who just turned his back on him, instead of showing him a yellow for persistent fouling and/or dissent.  Guardiola was applauding the ref sarcastically, as the time ticked away, although not quickly enough to prevent Walker getting a booking for a crude swipe at Sessegnon.  It looks as though the speed that our former full back once had might be deserting him, as he no longer bothers chasing back.  The final whistle went with de Bruyne pulling Kane’s shirt as the ball was played towards the corner of the pitch.  

The game hadn’t ended for Grealish, who finally got his yellow card for dissent after the whistle, but the visitors went home with a fifth defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and no goals to show in any of them.  Their play was predictable and ponderous, with little imagination in their build-up.  Such a good job was done on Haaland that he was anonymous and on Grealish, who was confined to fouling Emerson Royal, who had his best game in a Spurs shirt.  Far from being the most fouled player in the Premier League, Jack Grealish should be hailed as the player who wins the most free-kicks.  It is amazing that referees have not wised up to his antics and see through them.  Lewis, who so much has been written about, looked like a little boy lost, who didn’t know where he should be playing or how to deal with players going past them, other than bringing them down.  While this win no doubt helps the Wanderers, who lost to Everton yesterday, if City play like this for the remainder of the season, the Goons won’t need any help.

However, it was a consummate team performance by Spurs, with everyone doing their bit, knowing what their role was and working for each other.  The two central midfielders – Hojbjerg and Bentancur – covered so much ground and put the pressure on City players at the back, that possession was turned over regularly.

The day eventually belonged to Harry Kane though.  A world-class goal-scorer who has to deal with opponents and VAR, who will extend the record number of goals for the club before the end of the season, but beyond that who knows.  His interview on the pitch after the match was well attended by Spurs fans and a few City fans who stopped to hurl abuse.  The joy of his team-mates who bundled him showed their affection and appreciation of the one-season wonder.

Would it be a win that turns Tottenham’s season.  Achieved without Antonio Conte, who had undergone surgery to remove his gall bladder, Cristian Stellini had done a great job.  Beating the Premier League Champions is not a bad thing to have on your CV !!

Barry Levington

• Harry Kane’s goal was his 267th for Tottenham, making him the club’s all-time record goal-scorer.
• Harry’s goal was also his 200th Premier League goal.
• Emerson Royal made his 50th start for Tottenham.