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Threatened by Chelsea and Arsenal, back within a small point of second place, Manchester City absolutely had to win against their opponent of the day to breathe a little. A victory today would also allow them to reduce the gap with Liverpool, leader with 28 points, and temporarily return to two points before the trip. Reds in Southampton on Sunday. But since its victory against Southampton (1-0) on October 26, the Mancunian club has gone on a dark series of four consecutive defeats in all competitions (Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sporting, Brighton). An unprecedented situation in the career of Pep Guardiola, who is bearing the brunt of Rodri’s absence. A situation that Tottenham, in the soft underbelly of the Championship, hoped to take advantage of.
After a fairly calm start to the match, it was Erling Haaland who created the first real opportunity of the game. On a cross from Savinho, the Norwegian took over from the left, forcing the opposing goalkeeper to make a good save (11th). But it was Spurs who unlocked the counter first. Well served by Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison sent his ball to the back of the net and opened the scoring (13th, 0-1). Heung-Min Son continued his team’s good momentum and attempted a curling shot, but his ball was snatched away with his fingertips by Ederson (18th). Tottenham did not stop there. The Korean, always attentive, slipped a good ball to James Maddison, who doubled the lead from close range (20th, 0-2). Still struggling, and lacking creativity, Guardiola’s men logically ended their first half in difficulty.
Tottenham crushes destitute Sky Blues
The passage to the locker room did not bring more certainty to the Mancunians. From the 53rd minute of play, Pedro Porro and the Spurs crushed the Sky Blues (0-3). The minutes accumulated without Manchester City managing to turn the tide. The team seemed completely helpless in the face of the match imposed by their opponent. Still feverish, Haaland failed to reduce the gap despite an attempt from the area. His shot only grazed the crossbar (60th). Guglielmo Vicario, imperial this evening, frustrated Bernardo Silva’s teammates with two superb saves at the end of the match (77th, 80th), preventing the locals from reducing the gap. During added time, Brennan Johnson finished knocking out his opponents with a fourth goal (90th + 3, 0-4).
Sad performance from Manchester City today, which continues its poor streak. Despite a few attempts in the second half, the club was never able to regain control of the match and conceded a deserved defeat. Tottenham, solid and opportunistic, controlled their subject from start to finish, leaving the Sky Blues few chances. Thanks to their victory, Spurs move up to 6th place in the Premier League standings with 19 points. For their part, City remains the runner-up to Liverpool with 23 points, but sees their gap with the leader widening.