| Match report
For the second time in three
days, Tottenham lost to Manchester City at the Etihad, but whereas
in Wednesday's game, City were outstanding and Spurs clinical, this
game showed that the sides were not able to replicate those
characteristics, with Tottenham losing to the game's only goal.
The effort and emotion of the
Champiosn League game must have taken its toll on the players, Spurs
made five changes, while City made only In came Dier, Foyth, Davies,
Sanchez, Gazzaniga for Sissoko, Lloris, Rose, Alderweireld and
Trippier. City started Foden for only the second time, with
Stones in for Kompany, Zinchenko for Mendy. The sun shone down
and the flags were out again to try and gee the home crowd up for
this game that was a must win for their title hopes. For
Spurs, it was a must win to keep their noses clear of the pack
chasing them for a Champions League placing for next season.
While City had a lot of
possession for the first two minutes, Stones presented the ball to
Moura in midfield and Eriksen had soon put the ball into Son’s path
down the left. He shimmied past Stoned and rasped a shot at
Ederson’s near post that the keeper had to beat out. Spurs held out
for at least a little longer than on Wednesday, but when Bernardo
Silva floated a ball to the far post from the right, Aguero headed
back across goal for Foden to dive in and head home from a yard out.
Aguero was totally unmarked and nobody had picked up Foden’s run, so
it was a poor goal to let in. 4m 16s City were being allowed to fly
in and get away with it, while every Spurs challenge brought a
whistle from Oliver. Aguero’s exercised excessive force on Moura,
but only got a talking to and Foden brought Lucas down from behind
and didn’t even get that. To say Oliver was being lenient was an
understatement.
By the time it got to 12
minutes, it was still 1-0. Boring !
A great move down
Tottenham’s right saw a first time pass by Son to Moura, who played
Eriksen into the box. With Laporte looking to pull him back, he did
enough (illegally) to put him off, with the shot that Christian got
in, saved by Ederson for a corner. Spurs opened up the City defence
once again, when Dele and Moura won the ball in their own half, then
Eriksen sent a brilliant pass behind Laporte and Son ran in on goal,
but the ball held up on the grass and the defender got back to block
his shot with a very good piece of defending. Tottenham had created
a couple of decent chances and there was a hint that they could
benefit from the loose City back four.
Bernardo Silva threw a hissy
fit when Jan tackled him excellently, then beat four players as he
took the ball out of defence. Silva carried on his whingeing
for a good five minutes ! Foden struck a
shot from the 18 yard line that Gazzaniga took in his midriff.
Around the 20-25 minute mark, Spurs were giving the ball away
cheaply and in trying to play the ball out from the back, were
sloppy, as Paulo gave away a corner with a poor pass. Also, Spurs
were losing the ball too easily in the tackle, allowing City to
build pressure on the Spurs goal. It was strange, as City were
winning and at the Spurs end for much of the time, but their fervent
support of Wednesday was missing, as all you could hear was Spurs
fans singing “Super Jan Vertonghen” ! Silva’s mood wasn’t improved
when Dele did the most outrageous nutmeg on him !
Sterling looked to come
inside onto his right foot when he got in the box, but Juan Foyth
made a fantastic tackle to block him. Spurs gave the ball away in
their defensive third and Foden crossed, Spurs cleared and
Silva drove a daisy-cutter in on goal, but it was straight at
Gazzaniga before De Bruyne blazed an effort well wide. Paulo fumbled
a Zinchenko cross, low at his near post, wide for a corner
just before de Bruyne went off injured and it looked like a bad one,
so Guardiola brought on Fernandinho in his place. Spurs
did have one attack five minutes before the break, when they won
the ball in midfield and Son’s pass was a little behind Dele,
slowing the move down, but they kept it going and Foyth put a good
ball into the goalmouth, but Ederson beat Moura to it. Aguero nut-megged
Sanchez on the edge of the box, although Foyth prevented him getting
any further, but the ball ran to Walker, who impetuously drilled a
shot over the bar. It was an unusually hot day and the effort both
teams were putting in, with City playing the rump of their side from
Wednesday, you wondered if they would wilt in the heat. Sonny
wasn’t, as Dele won the ball down in our own corner and the ball was
played up to the Korean on the halfway line, He brilliantly turned
three players in one movement and raced away, but in trying to get
the ball onto his left foot, he allowed Ederson to close him down
and save to his right.
At the start of the second half, Lucas had a chance to run at the
home defence, but took a heavy touch that allowed the run to
be blocked. City almost scored three minutes in, as Walker ran up
the right, but was blocked off and it fell for Aguero. His shot was
blocked and the home support pleaded for handball by Alderweireld,
but again, it dropped for City and Foden crashed a shot a long way
wide. Ageuro was soon on the floor again, as Jan made a clean tackle
and Ageuro was left limping.
Foden was soon on the floor as he flung himself to the floor looking
for a penalty. It was shameful and Oliver let it go without comment.
The Etihad roof was nearly lifted off when City were awarded a free
kick against Davies. The ref gave a soft free-kick to City for
a good piece of defending by Foyth on Sterling, who went down
shouting for a foul as soon as it happened. It took nearly an hour
before I realised that Gundogan was playing as the City midfield
trundled through the match. Spurs should have had a penalty, but, of
course, Oliver didn’t see it when Dele chested the ball down and
Walker knocked it away with his left hand. The corner brought
another one and from that Dier got there too early for a free header
that went high behind the goal. Walker then stamped on Dele’s foot
but won a free-kick when Dele tackled back at him. With this
sort of decision going their way, I would stick some money on them
doing the treble. From the free- kick, Fernandinho drifted in
unmarked to head it over the bar, when he should have done better.
Once more, Tottenham voices rang out with “When The Spurs Go
Marching In” echoing around the ground, before the City fans stirred
themselves into action. With the knock he took and the opportunity
to add some pace to their attack, Pep brought on Sane for Aguero
with 25 minutes left. Foyth dwelt on the ball too long and Sane took
it Wanyama had replaced Dier on the hour and he won the ball off
Silva in the box and played the ball out, with Eriksen playing a
fine pass to Son, but it was a little too high and he got his head
to it, but Laporte got the ball as it dropped. Poch rested Dele,
with Danny Rose coming on, Alderweireld’s 70th minute long pass
picked out Son, who tried to bring it inside and Laporte stopped it
with his arm. Guess what the decision was ? A minute later, Sane
went down the left, pulled the ball ack low to Sterling and from a
couple of yards out, Gazzaniga’s right foot kept the ball out twelve
inches from the goal-line.
It was another long pass
straight through the middle of the City defence, from a free-kick
for a foul on Davies by Fernandinho (surprise, surprise), that
saw Moura win the ball in the air and as City defenders stood off,
he got the second ball and only Ederson’s advance blocked his shot.
It came off Stones first and unlike Rose’s touch on Wednesday, they
had the luck to keep it out. The chances seemed to give
Tottenham a little more confidence, passing the ball better and
realising that the long pass put fear into the City defence’s mind,
not knowing who should defend it first. With
thirteen minutes remaining, Pochettino threw on Fernando Llorente
for Alderweireld. Silva again play-acted looking for a booking for
Rose, who took the ball out for a throw-in and the City midfielder
rolled around like a man in his death throes. It had rattled City
and Spurs were pressing higher up and City gave the ball away that
created a shot for Eriksen that was blocked and then Moura
followed-up, firing over the bar.
Sterling’s frustration also showed when he ran into Sanchez,
strongly pushing him with both hands in the Spurs defender’s
chest, but Oliver settled for a talking to again. Foyth
was doing a fine job on stopping his opponent cutting inside, seeing
off Sterling, then Sane, before Sterling switched back to his
side and having the ball taken from him with great positioning.
David Silva came on for Foden as Guardiola threw his final card on
the table. Ironically (or not, as it was quite expected and the ref
/hadn’t given a foul for Spurs when Sterling pulled down Foyth in
the build up to the ball running free in midfield), Spurs had
the first player in the book, with Wanyama getting a yellow four a
foul on Fernandinho. Consistency isn’t something that features in
Oliver’s vocabulary. Danny Rise had a little run forward to 25
yards out, but he dragged his shot wide. No City player moved out to
him, as they were looking petrified every time Spurs went forward.
Sterling was standing in front of the ball at a free-kick with
nothing done, as City tried to prevent Tottenham going forward as
four added minutes went up. The City forward then got involved with
Vertonghen, pulling him down off the pitch as Spurs won a throw. So,
what did Oliver do ? Book both Sterling and Jan. Bottled it again.
City were losing it, as Fernandinho barged over Rose with no intent
on getting the ball. Sterling then wanted a free-kick for Jan
pulling him back, followed byGundogan diving to get a free-kick when
nobody was near him. This time it was City kicking the ball anywhere
as they panicked with time running down. Spurs showed that
they are able to live with sides like City, who played like a team
top of the table in the first half and a bunch of Sunday league
players at the end. With VAR in play here, Tottenham would have
easily had a point or more. It was an awful performance by the
referee, who shirked taking proper action to protect players and
then booked others for less than he had allowed to go unpunished.
Our performance showed that City are not invincible, even with half
our first-choice players missing. They were shaky at the
back, providing chances that Ederson was mainly responsible for
keeping out. It was a defeat, but not one that should damage the
team’s confidence. With games coming thick and fast, the
thought that we should have had a stonewall penalty and more than
nothing coming out of the game. City were less than convincing and
the fact that they are vying with Liverpool for the title, just
shows what a few refereeing decisions can do for you.
It leaves us needing to win
all our remaining games to end up in the top four, so with any luck
the misfortune we experienced here will even itself out over the
course of the season. Next season's introduction of VAR into
the Premier League might sort some of these issues out, but knowing
our luck, it will probably resolve decisions against us !
Gary Sampson |
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