Manchester City dropped more points in the title race as they lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. It was a game the Premier League champions were second best in and failed to create sufficient chances against a well-organised Spurs side.
But City did dominate possession in the opening 15 minutes without creating many chances of note, and Julian Alvarez’s blocked effort was the best opportunity early on. Yet it was Spurs who grabbed an early goal via Harry Kane.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg intercepted a pass from Rodri at the edge of the City box and slipped the ball to Kane, who finished first time past Ederson, a goal that saw him become Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer.
From there, Tottenham were compact and organised, limiting Pep Guardiola’s men to shots from distance via Bernardo Silva and Rodri, both of which were comfortably held by Hugo Lloris. Meanwhile, Spurs weren’t creating much at the other end, with Kane and Eric Dier seeing shots blocked in a goalmouth scramble that posed a rare threat to the away goal.
Just on the stroke of half-time, Riyad Mahrez went close when he took a touch inside the box and then fired an effort towards the top corner, but it smashed off the crossbar to the Algerian’s frustration.
After the break, Ben Davies’ near-post flick from a corner went just wide, while Julian Alvarez twice had attempts which failed to hit the target, either side of a Kevin De Bruyne shot that sailed wide.
City were seeing a lot of the ball but Tottenham carried a threat on the break, with Kane having two good efforts, and the latter forced Ederson to fly out and smother the shot. Heung-min Son also forced the Brazilian keeper to poke a strike wide before Hojbjerg smashed a shot off target.
The visitors did push to find a late equaliser but Rodri’s header, Kyle Walker’s strike from distance and De Bruyne’s free-kick all failed to seriously test Lloris. Cristian Romero was shown a deserved red card on 87 minutes after a challenge on Jack Grealish saw him pick up a second booking.
Yet the man advantage did little for City, who failed to create any chances during injury-time. Here’s how we rated the players…
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg intercepted a pass from Rodri at the edge of the City box and slipped the ball to Kane, who finished first time past Ederson, a goal that saw him become Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer.
5. Rico Lewis- 4
Always an out-ball for City players but didn’t impress from a defensive point of view.
6. Rodri- 4
The Spaniard’s passing was far below his usually excellent standards, and Rodri gifted Spurs their goal with a sloppy ball to Rico Lewis.
7. Bernardo Silva- 4 (off 85)
Played too safe and his passes lacked penetration against an organised Spurs midfield.
8. Julian Alvarez- 6
Had a few dangerous moments and went close with three shots. However, Alvarez didn’t help link the play particularly well.