Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City (Haaland 12′)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM — Erling Haaland’s 20th goal of the season gave Manchester City a precious away win in the race for Champions League football next season as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0.
The victory, only City’s fourth away win in the league since the end of August, moved Pep Guardiola’s men back ahead of Chelsea and three points clear of Newcastle United.
Spurs brought on the cavalry in the second half and Son Heung-Min came closest to an equaliser, while Pape Matar Sarr headed over from five yards with virtually the last touch of the game.
Haaland had celebrated a second goal deep into stoppage time, but referee Jarred Gillett and VAR Graham Scott combined to rule it out for handball.
Spurs still have a full back four of defenders sitting out through injury, with Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin all missing.
But Ange Postocoglou did also choose to name Son and Dejan Kulusevski on the bench, suggesting the Australian has more than one eye on next Thursday’s Europa League last-16 first leg against AZ Alkmaar.
The Spurs boss did at least bring Pedro Porro, who has played more than any Tottenham defender this season, back into his team to try and deal with the threat of Jeremy Doku.
But it felt like Postocoglou could have named two right-backs or even three and it might not have been enough, given the space afforded to the Belgian on the left flank.
And he needed no second invitation to run at Porro when Omar Marmoush injected pace into the counter-attack and Doku was able to pull it back to Haaland, whom Destiny Udogie had allowed to ghost into the box. The Norwegian had scored six in his last seven games but Udogie seemed happy to let him run freely towards the six-yard box and, even off-balance, turn the ball into the net in the 12th minute.
Back with a bang
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 26, 2025
Erling Haaland returns to the Manchester City team to sweep home to put his side ahead 1-0 in the capital
@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/m6vvj6TJOX
He has now scored at least 20 league goals in five straight seasons, and his strike was the only difference between the sides at half-time, although an animated Guardiola could not quite believe how: first Savinho was left completely unmarked by Udogie, who else, and somehow slipped and scuffed his shot from close range; and then Haaland should have doubled his tally when Doku, who else, was allowed to get to the byline unattended and squared to City’s No 9, who had no excuse for hitting his shot from seven yards into Guglielmo Vicario’s legs.
Haaland, who missed defeats to Liverpool and Real Madrid due to a knee problem, was clearly angry with his teammates as City were frustrated as much by their own profligacy against what has become their bogey team: this side has lost nine times to Spurs during Guardiola’s time in charge, more than any other outfit.
And they were almost punished for their wastefulness 10 minutes into the second half when Porro, pinned in his own half for much of the first 45 minutes, produced a fine cross into the penalty box and Wilson Odobert, on his first league start since September 1, could not quite stretch far enough to direct the ball the right side of the post for the South Stand’s liking.
But they were lifted and with good reason, as Spurs produced their best spell of the game, City completely losing control of a game they utterly dominated before the break.
Player of the Match
Jeremy Doku: Terrorised Porro from the first minute and was unlucky to end up with only one assist.
And Spurs should have been level after 69 minutes when Djed Spence, a second-half replacement for the dismal Udogie just two minutes earlier, surged past Matheus Nunes and found fellow substitute Sarr with the goal beckoning but his shot was well blocked.
On the touchline, Guardiola cut an increasingly frustrated figure, knowing victory would take his team back into fourth place in the Premier League, a point clear of Chelsea and three ahead of Newcastle.
He was right to be worried too as perhaps Tottenham’s best chance of the match came six minutes from time, the otherwise quiet Brennan Johnson setting up Son, but Ederson was equal to the shot with a strong save low to his left.
What a save from Ederson
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 26, 2025
The Brazilian does fantastically to get down and keep substitute Son at bay, and protect his clean sheet
It looked like a lengthy delay to rule out, correctly, Haaland’s second goal for his own handball had seen out stoppage time, but resurgent Spurs had one last chance.
It was typical of their night that Porro’s cross came off Son’s back and as a result, all Sarr could do was head it over.
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