Manchester City (away) 19.02.2022

With Sergio Reguilon missing with Covid-19, Antonio Conte re-instated Ryan Sessegnon, the player who was sacrificed early in the Wolves match as well as Pierre Hojbjerg, while the manager gave a first start to Dejan Kulusevski.  With Eric Dier fit again and installed alongside Cristian Romero, it would hopefully make the back three more solid, with some of the mistakes that have cost Spurs goals being cut out.

It was in the fourth minute of the match that something unexpected happened.  Spurs moved the ball out from the back well with Davies playing it infield to Kane, who swept it to the left wing for Son to time his run to perfection behind Dias and run to the edge of the box, where he squared it into the middle to Dejan Kulusevski to side-foot home from just inside the 18 yard line, just before Ederson took Son out.  It was a stunning breakaway, but had Tottenham scored too early ?

For the next ten minutes, City had a lot of the ball, but Tottenham looked to keep them at bay and look to play on the counter-attack, with Kane spreading the ball right to Royal, but his cross was too deep for Sessegnon to hook the ball back into the middle.  Spurs were doing just enough to break up the home team’s forward moves, but Cancelo broke through into the box on their left, but his finish was well wide when he was in space 15 yards out.  He had another chance, exchanging passes with Sterling after Spurs had lost the ball at the other end, but Hugo saved his shot with the offside flag raised to pull play back anyway. Then Sterling ran into the left-hand channel and played the ball inside into Gundogan, who got through Hojbjerg’s challenge and shot against the post to Lloris’ left. When play continued, Sessegnon was adjudged to have given away a corner, which was played in for Gundogan to chest down outside the box for Cancelo to strike a half-volley that curled away from Hugo’s goal.

Son almost was put away when Kane played him through, but it was just a bit behind Heung-Min and that held play up and the move petered out. City hit back with Foden’s shot in the box well blocked by Dier and then de Bruyne’s cross that was too far beyond Foden sparked a Spurs break with Son playing a cross-field pass to Royal.  The Brazilian strode forward and with nobody coming out to him, he hit a 20-yard shot but it was always too high and cleared the bar by a couple of feet.  City had been forcing play down their left and when Sterling’s ball in saw de Bruyne run across Lloris, the Spurs captain failed to gather the ball inside his six-yard box and the ball ran out to Gundogan, who fired into the net from ten yards past Davies on the line. The City crowd had come to life after being silent for the best part of half an hour.

City were now a different side and Emerson did well to block Sterling’s shot when Walker pulled the ball across the box from the other side. Tottenham were unable to hold the ball up front and it kept coming back, with the back ten working hard to stop the City players getting through and they held firm to see the game out to half-time at 1-1.

At the start of the second half, Cancelo went down under pressure and got a free-kick which Taylor had failed to give free-kicks for in the first half. Unfortunately, the referee was unable to interpret what was and what wasn’t a foul, which is why Harry Kane was unhappy about Sessegnon being nudged off the ball in what became the build-up to City’s equalising goal. When the free-kick was taken, the ball was worked to Dias, who tried to pick out Walker, running in behind Sessegnon, but he couldn’t do much more than keep it in. Two quick City corners were won, but Tottenham dealt with them. A third soon after was delayed while Taylor lectured all and sundry about jostling in the box and de Bruyne curled it to the near post where Dias hooked it across goal and fortunately for Spurs, there was no light blue shirt there to take advantage.

There were still opportunities to break and Kane again played Son through, but Walker got back to hold him up and force a weak low curling left-foot shot that Ederson got behind with comfort. Some intricate passing in the box almost got City an opening, but Sterling’s pass was behind Foden.  Spurs were sitting deep as City were dominating possession, so when they did try to get behind the City back four, it was from a much deeper position.  There was always a danger with no out ball from the back and Bentancur got caught dwelling on the ball just outside the Spurs area, but Sterling’s ball was too far over any one of his team-mates in the area.

Just before the hour, Spurs played the ball out from the back, moving it accurately.  It reached Kane, who played another cross-field pass and although it was headed out to Sessegnon, he passed to Son on the left wing.  His cross was well flighted and was met by Kane running in behind the static Laporte to half-volley the ball into the roof of the net from six yards out, sending the Spurs fans into raptures. It was scored with still a half an hour left, so City would press hard to come back, but it would always be in the back of their mind that they can be caught out.

Once more, Spurs cut through City with Bentancur starting the move by winning it in his own half, then getting the ball back to find Sessegnon, who moved the ball onto Son. His clever pass from the edge of the box on the left picked out Kane in the clear, but his poked shot was kept out by Ederson’s left foot, when it looked like it could have been 3-1.  Very quickly, it was the Spurs keeper who was in action making a fantastic save diving across to his left to push Gundogan’s curling shot wide and hurting his shoulder as he did so.  His footwork was excellent to allow him to reach the effort.

A ball in by Cancelo from the left flicked off Gundogan and the home support all wanted a handball as it hit Davies in the stomach and dropped for Hugo to collect.  There was no need for VAR to be involved, but in the 73rd minute Spurs made another excellent move on City.  The ball was played backwards to Davies hitting a big diagonal to Kulusevski, who came inside to try a low, curling left foot shot that took a deflection. It went to Kane, who switched the ball to his right foot and shot past Ederson from close range, but VAR ruled it out for offside against Dejan. So, City survive and you had the feeling that the last fifteen minutes was going to be like the Alamo.

Lloris was called on to make a fine low save down to his left to push Cancelo’s low shot wide to be cleared away and he came to take another cross well under pressure.  Spurs were angry that City didn’t put the ball out when Kane was hit hard in the back by Rodri, so there were some forceful tackles going on and it ended with de Bruyne fouling Emerson which should have brought him a booking … but didn’t.  Conte made changes as Lucas Moura replaced Son and Matt Doherty came on for Emerson to add fresh legs, while Kane was OK to continue after treatment. Walker fired a low ball across the face of goal with nobody on the end of it for City and then Cancelo dinked it back across but Ben Davies was there and headed it out for a corner, which came to nothing.

Hojbjerg and Dier clashed heads as they both went for the same header inside the Tottenham half, with Dier needing the physios to come on and apply the cold sponge.  When City put in a long cross from the right, Bernardo Silva got it wide of the box on the left and from a narrow angle fired the ball into the six yard box.  The ball flew up, hitting Romero on the arm as he dived in to block the ball.  It brought a lengthy VAR review and the referee going to the monitor to give a penalty, as always happens.  Technically, within the interpretation, I suppose his arm was in an unnatural position, but quite how you dive in to block the ball with your hands behind you back, I would like to know.  All this happened while the fourth official was showing seven minutes of added time to played.  Not content with being handed a penalty, City’s players were confronting the referee to ask for a second yellow card for Cristian, so desperate were they to make sure they got something more from the game.  They didn’t get that, but in the second minute of added time, Mahrez sent the ball out of Lloris’ reach to his left and into the roof of the net to secure what seemed like a point for the league leaders.

It was in the fifth minute of added time that a ball from Bentancur to Kulusevski wide on the right saw the Swede cut in onto his left foot to provide a cross that Kane got to before Walker’s elbow, which the former Spurs defender went to win the ball with rather than his head. Harry met the ball with his full forehead and he sent the ball down to the left of a flat-footed Ederson on his line.  Crazy scenes ensued in the Spurs end as the game had only a couple of minutes of added time left, but Spurs had made the most of the few chances they created and City’s defensive frailties were exposed.

A ball into the Spurs box was claimed by Lloris this time low in his six-yard box, then a late free-kick looked like it would drop dangerously in front of goal, but Sanchez made a good clearance to get the ball away. Taylor was happy to play much more than the seven added minutes, but Spurs stuck at it and kept going to take a surprise 3-2 win that helped our quest to get back among the top six and to damage City’s title effort.

While Guardiola’s comments about Tottenham’s deep and compact defending were a veiled implication that we didn’t open up for his side to romp to a win, it has happened enough to us for the boot to be on the other foot for a change.  Some of City’s actions were quite distasteful when they were frustrated by Tottenham’s tactics, but in the end, some defending as a unit and poor finishing condemned them to defeat, while Spurs were ruthless when they had the chances. The only downside of the result is that we have done Liverpool a favour, but then, we have to concentrate on our game and maybe when we play Liverpool, we can reciprocate for City.

Gary Sampson

This was the 50th Premier League match between the two clubs.

City’s first goal was their 100th of the season in all competitions.

Tottenham did the league “double” over Manchester City for the first time in 35 years.

Dejan Kulusevski scores his first Spurs goal.

Harry Kane’s first goal, created by Heung-Min Son, equalled the Premier League record of goals and assists involving the same two players.

City’s second goal was their 150th goal against Spurs on their home turf in competitive games.