Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City | Kane ’15
Tottenham gave absent manager Antonio Conte something to cheer back home in Italy with a battling victory over Manchester City that adds a further twist to this Premier League title race.
Arsenal’s loss to Everton on Saturday meant City had the chance to cut the Gunners’ lead to two points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – but Harry Kane had other ideas.
His early goal – a cool-as-you-like, first-time finish in front of goal – proved the difference between two teams that shared six at the Etihad just a few weeks ago.
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Deep-lying defensive play, lighting-strike counter attacks, and an intensity the Italian demands.
Despite having no more than 16% of possession in the opening throes, Spurs took the lead through Kane. The striker had barely touched the ball until Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg robbed Rico Lewis and laid it off to the captain to covert his club-record 267th goal, and 200th Premier League strike.
City, never a team to panic, didn’t exactly seek an immediate response. Pep Guardiola’s team selection may well come under scrutiny after this display, in which Erling Haaland found himself isolated for large swathes – neither Jack Grealish nor Julian Alvarez were able to find the big man.
Still, City’s wealth of talent is always dangerous even on an off-day, and Riyad Mahrez’s crunching strike off the crossbar seconds before half time was a warning shot for the hosts.
Guardiola was expected to make changes early in the second half and it was Mahrez who made way for Kevin De Bruyne. Grealish tried pulling the strings and Ilkay Gundogan came on to seek a leveller, to no avail.
Cristian Romero saw red late on following another rash tackle that led to a second yellow, but Spurs held on for three big points.
Tottenham player ratings
Hugo Lloris – Had very little to do all afternoon, although Mahrez’s shot off the crossbar had him beaten. 6
Cristian Romero – Booked for very late tackle on Haaland in the first half but generally had the measure of the Norwegian striker. Sent off late on for another late challenge on Grealish. 7
Eric Dier – Like Romero marshalled the defensive line well and prevented City from playing it through to Haaland. Proved a giant when defending the set piece. 7
Ben Davies – Kept Alvarez quiet and maintained his energy throughout, always looking to trigger the home counter. 8
Emerson – Had near-total control of Spurs’ right flank in the early stages and was the reason for Grealish dropping back so deep. 8
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – His pressing caught City out for Spurs’ opener, Hojbjerg was an ever-present in midfield. His protection in the middle forced City to play out wide and effectively neglect Haaland. 8
Rodrigo Bentancur – Booked for an early foul on Lewis and did the leg work when Spurs were defending deep. Was always on the look-out to help on the counter. 7
Ivan Perisic – A little more quality from Perisic and Spurs could have put the game beyond City. Helped in the defensive duties and held his shape well. 6
Dejan Kulusevski – The quieter of Spurs’ forward three, Kulusevski had a fairly average afternoon but ran hard to join the counter attack and support Kane. 6
Son Heung-min – A typical work-heavy afternoon for Son who wasn’t rewarded with many goalscoring chances for all his effort. Still, the ball stuck to him and he barely put a foot wrong. 7
Harry Kane – Converted his record-breaking goal with typical ease and proved a handful for City’s two centre-backs. Dropped deep to muck in when required. 7
Subs:
Ryan Sessegnan – Replaced Perisic and had the legs to stretch play when Tottenham needed it. 6
Davinson Sanchez – n/a
Yves Bissouma – n/a
CROSSBAR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 5, 2023
Riyad Mahrez comes inches away from bringing Man City level on the stroke of half time pic.twitter.com/9D3cyjpLl7
Manchester City player ratings
Ederson – Like Lloris had a quiet afternoon bar picking the ball out of the net after Kane’s strike. 6
Kyle Walker – Much of Spurs’ attacking play flowed down the opposite flank, and with Mahrez and then De Bruyne in front of him, Walker had not much impact on the game. 6
Manuel Akanji – Grew into the game but was too often caught reacting to Spurs breaks, which wasn’t helped by a lack of midfield cover. 6
Nathan Ake – Couldn’t get tight to Kane all afternoon and lacked cohesion with teammate Akanji. City’s back four looked vulnerable from the off. 5
Rico Lewis – Struggled at left-back to handle Kulusevski and was caught out of position on a number of occasions. Not the younger’s best performance in a City shirt. 5
Rodri – Eked out City’s first chance of note during a sorry first half, and didn’t do much in the second. Usually the rock in the heart of City’s midfield but without support the Spurs attack bypassed him too often, too easily. 5
Bernardo Silva – Drifted out of position too often, which left Rodri isolated when the ball turned over. A forgettable display. 5
Riyad Mahrez – Hit the crossbar in the first half – a chance that came after 45 frustrating minutes for the playmaker, who struggled to influence proceedings. However, it was still a surprise when it was he who made way for De Bruyne. 6
Julian Alvarez – Barely made an impact on the game and did little more than lay the ball off for teammates. A disappointing afternoon for the Argentine. 5
Jack Grealish – Was forced back into defending despite City’s wealth of possession, as Spurs hit fast on the counter. Drew fouls and linked up well with De Bruyne, Grealish was the most forward-thinking player in the City side. 7
Erling Haaland – City’s midfield effectively ignored Haaland’s runs all afternoon, preferring instead to try and pick him out in the box. It didn’t work and the striker was left isolated, to deal with Romero. 5
Subs:
Kevin De Bruyne – Offered City hope with a little bit of spark but it wasn’t enough. Questions will be raised as to why he didn’t start. 5
Ilkay Gundogan – n/a
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