Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Manchester City: Three Things We Learned

Tottenham Hotspur moved into top spot in the Premier League with a highly-impressive 2-0 victory against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.

Heung-Min Son gave the hosts the lead early in the first half as he latched onto Tanguy Ndombele’s excellent ball and finished underneath the advanced Ederson. Giovani Lo Celso came off the bench in the second period and scored with a clinical finish to seal a memorable victory for Jose Mourinho and his troops.

Here are three things we learnt from the match in North London:

Son shines against City again

Manchester City really must be sick of the sight of Tottenham forward Son. Prior to Saturday’s game, the South Korean had scored four times in as many matches against Pep Guardiola’s men and considering his form thus far throughout the current campaign, he was an excellent bet to find the net again.

He did exactly that early on by managing to get on the end of a fantastic ball from Ndombele and guiding a low shot straight through the legs of Ederson. It was not only his goal that impressed though – his general performance was also very accomplished and he led the line very well, troubling an expensively-assembled City backline.

Hojbjerg pivotal as a pivot

Son wasn’t just the only Spurs player that stood out throughout the evening however. Hojbjerg, who may not get considerable credit, was key in Spurs claiming three points.

The Dane, signed from Southampton in the summer, was deployed in a double-pivot alongside fellow midfielder Moussa Sissoko and proved to be key. He provided an effective shield in front of the Spurs backline, ensuring that any City attacks were snuffed out. He also provided numerous blocks, tackles and interceptions as the visitors aimed to find a route back into the match.

It wasn’t just Hojbjerg’s defensive interventions that saw Spurs run out winners however. His composure on the ball, as well as an awareness to also make himself available for a pass at all times, allowed the hosts to stay in control of the match, even if City did hold the majority of the possession. Hojbjerg’s display on Saturday was arguably his best in a Tottenham shirt.

Tottenham up for title challenge as City flounder

In beating City, Tottenham reclaimed top spot from Chelsea, who themselves had claimed first earlier in the day with a 2-0 success against Newcastle. It will not just be the fact that Spurs have the most points that will encourage supporters but the way in which they dispatched of Manchester City. Mourinho’s men managed to go head to head with City and if they can replicate those sorts of performances elsewhere then they could conceivably challenge for the title. Spurs can be backed at odds of 7/1 with William Hill to lift the trophy come May.

Whilst Spurs are flying high, the story is completely different for City. Guardiola’s men have already had a number of really poor results having only won three out of their opening eight matches of the campaign. As a matter of fact, it is the worst start to a season that Guardiola has ever experienced throughout his managerial career. The visitors certainly need to improve and quickly if they have any aspirations of reclaiming their title. Despite that, they still sit at a price of 13/8 to win another Premier League trophy at the end of the season.

Match Report

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris (7); Reguilon (7), Dier (6), Alderweireld (7) (Rodon (N/A), 81′), Aurier (6); Hojbjerg (7), Sissoko (7), Ndombele (7) (Lo Celso (7), 65′); Bergwijn (6) (Moura (6), 73′), Son (7), Kane (8).

Manchester City: Ederson (5); Cancelo (5), Dias (5), Laporte (5), Walker (5); Rodri (5), De Bruyne (6), Silva (6) (Foden (5), 72′), Torres (6), Mahrez (5) (Sterling (6), 72′), Jesus (5).

Goals: Son (5′), Lo Celso (65′)

Referee: Mike Dean

Yellow Cards: Sissoko (42′), Dias (87′), Torres (88′), Kane (90′)

Red Cards: N/A