TOTTENHAM 2, MANCHESTER CITY 0
- Aleksandar Kolarov own goal after 9 minutes puts City on the back foot early on
- Dele Alli extends the lead after 37 minutes
- Spurs winger Erik Lamella misses a second half penalty
- Tottenham up to second, Manchester City stay top going into the international break
Manchester City’s 100% Premier League record this season was ended at White Hart Lane by a Tottenham side that out pressed them.
City’s ten game winning streak in all competitions since the start of the season had been halted by Celtic in the Champions League in midweek and their 100% run in the Premier League was stopped in the 7th game.
City manager Pep Guardiola was so impressed by the Spurs performance, led by a Mauricio Pochettino, a man whose work he had come to respect from their time as rival players and coaches in La Liga, that he praised the performance that defeated his team.
“They were the better team, congratulations to Tottenham for their performance.” conceded the Spaniard who had seen City lose the midfield initiative to Victor Wanyama and Dele Alli.
City were on the back foot as early as the ninth minute when Aleksandar Kolarov’s own goal put Pep Guardiola’s side behind for the first time in the league this season.
Kolarov’s miscued clearance of a Danny Rose’s cross went into his own net and set the tone for the afternoon for City where precious little went for them.
Alli extended the home side’s lead after 37 minutes, underlining a superb Spurs performance in which City seemed to be unable to escape from their hosts’ energetic organised pressing game, after Son Heung-min had found him with a fine pass.
City were penned back by Tottenham’s high pressing game which in effect outpressed City’s own game in terms of intensity with little chance of breaking out although Sergio Aguero did bring isolated moments of nerviness from Hugo Lloris when the occasional chance came his way and while City also hit the woodwork through one of their shots it really wasn’t their day.
Spurs could have underlined their supremacy in the contest after Fernandinho brought down Alli to concede a second half penalty but blotted their own copybook when Erik Lamella argued with Son about who was taking the penalty before Rose acted as peacemaker.
The Argentine winger’s spot kick was saved by Claudio Bravo, who otherwise had a torrid match at the hands of the home crowd, but Spurs deservedly won the game.