Spurs goalkeeper had a poor game at the Etihad
Exciting Match
It turned out to be quite an eventful affair at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon between Manchester City and Tottenham, after what has been a frustrating goalless draw.
Both teams pushed up their game and we saw four goals in just 45 minutes’ time for a extremely exciting match.
Here is our full match-report:
Form Guide & Team News
Things turned on their head for Manchester City following their perfect start to the season and Pep Guardiola’s men have experienced plenty of problems and setback recently, which ultimately ruled them out of the Premier League title race.
Heading into the clash against Tottenham, the Citizens were well aware that this match was the beginning of their battle to hold down a Champions League spot.
Contrary to their hosts, Tottenham Hotspur are hot on the trail of Premier League leaders Chelsea after they had enjoyed a fantastic six-match winning run. Their 2-0 triumph over Chelsea was a definite proof of the maturity and Mauricio Pochettino have truly become force to be reckoned with.
Gabriel Jesus started the game from the bench having been finally made eligible, whereas Fernandinho and Gundogan were the only two unavailable players for the hosts. An illness prevented Erik Lamela from making an appearance at the Etihad, while Jan Vertonghen was the only other Tottenham player to miss the trip to Manchester.
First Half
Manchester City started pushing strong from the off as the visitors struggled greatly to get things going in the first half. The Spurs found themselves being exposed and vulnerable and at the same time considered fortunate not to concede during the first 45 minutes.
Pablo Zabaleta had the best chance to break the deadlock when his shot got blocked by Alderweireld in front of goals, whereas Sergio Aguero also had a fine chance to put City upfront when his inside-effort went over the bar.
The same player was denied by Hugo Lloris on two consecutive occasions, when Tottenham goalkeeper thwarted his close-range header and a clever save from a tricky ange only moments later.
Pablo Zabaleta added another great effort to his account today, but his long-range effort went inches wide off the target leaving the Citizens frustrated after the first interval.
Second Half
What a contrast to the opening 45 minutes the second half turned out to be.
Few people would have expected to see such an eventful affair after the break as both teams decided to step up their efforts to make something out of the game more than a bore draw. Ultimately their efforts got undone, as the Chelsea fans will be the ones most pleased with the 2-2 scoreline.
Only four minutes into the half were enough to bring a change on the score board. A mistake from Tottenham defence was followed by a mistimed clearance from Hugo Lloris and Leroy Sane had no problems putting the ball in the back of the net.
Five minutes later and Manchester City doubled the lead through Kevin De Bruyne, who will have Hugo Lloris to thank for as the French goalkeeper made another stunning blunder in the game. Spurs goalie dropped the ball and the Belgian winger had no problems tapping it in from close range.
Tottenham were down on their knees but refused to give up and it took Spurs only four minutes to get back up and score their first of the game through Dele Alli who got on the end of a pass and in front of an empty net for a header.
The Spurs gained momentum and scored once more after 77 minutes when Heung-Min Son collected the ball after Harry Kane’s pass and unleashed a fantastic shot from the edge of the box to level the score.
Manchester City attempted to get in front once again and got agonizingly close seven minutes from time when second-half sub Gabriel Jesus scored on his debut, only to find his goal disallowed for offside.
No changes to the result until the end as Manchester City and Tottenham head to the locker rooms with a point in the bag each.
Statistical Overview
- Evenly distributed possession with 55% for City and 45% for Spurs
- Hosts had 17 goal attempts to Tottenham’s 6
- Nine of City’s 17 efforts went off target
- Tottenham drew for the first time after seven consecutive wins
- Spurs fail to keep a clean sheet after three successive matches
MANCHESTER CITY: Bravo 6 – Zabaleta 6, Otamendi 5.5, Kolarov 6.5, Clichy 5.5 (Stones 6) – Toure 6 – Sterling 6.5 (Jesus 6.5), De Bruyne 7.5, Silva 7 (Delph 6), Sane 7.5 – Aguero 7
Unused subs: Caballero, Kompany, Nolito, Fernando
TOTTENHAM: Lloris 5 – Dier 6.5, Alderweireld 6.5 (Winks 6), Wimmer 6 (Heung-Min 7.5) – Walker 7, Wanyama 6.5, Dembele 6 )Sissoko 6), Rose 7 – Eriksen 6, Alli 7.5 – Kane 5.5
Unused subs: Carter-Vickers, Davies, Trippier, Vorm
REFEREE: Andre Mariner
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