Arsenal’s surprise defeat against Everton handed Manchester City a significant boost in the title race. A victory over Tottenham Hotspur this evening would have closed the gap, but the Skyblues lost 1-0 as they failed to turn it around following Harry Kane’s early strike beyond Ederson.
Below are the Manchester City players rated in their 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Ederson: 6
Could have done little to stop Kane from finding the net. Pulled off a couple of other saves to keep the tie alive, but his distribution and outings were not up to usual standards.
Kyle Walker: 7
His effort from distance was denied by Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal. Was combative during the duels, made marauding runs and played a number of passes into the final third.
Manuel Akanji: 7
Did well in terms of passing it out from the back. Was rusty with his tackles and struggled at times against the directness of the Son-Kane pair.
Nathan Ake: 6.5
Looked nervy at times and committed unnecessary fouls. Was rusty with his tackles, and also misplaced quite a few passes.
Rico Lewis: 6.5
The teenager was lively down the flank. Won the majority of duels as he tried his best to make an impact with overlapping runs, crosses and cut insides.
Rodri: 6
Was denied by Lloris on a couple of occasions. Should have done better in terms of breaking down Spurs’ swift counter-attacks.
Bernardo Silva: 6
Failed with his tackles as well as dribbling attempts. Could not bring the energy or expertise that would open up space in the wall of white shirts throughout the contest. Was replaced by Ilkay Gundogan in the closing minutes.
Riyad Mahrez: 6.5
Saw his effort denied by the woodwork. Otherwise, he was predictable with his runs and movements from the right-hand flank. Was replaced by Kevin De Bruyne around the hour mark.
Julian Alvarez: 6.5
Tried his best to exhibit his creative spark, but the resilient Spurs’ defence kept him under control every time. Failed to test Lloris despite an array of strikes.
Jack Grealish: 7.5
Impressed with his dribbles and directness down the left-hand flank. But the Englishman was well-contained by Emerson Royal in the closing minutes of the match.
Erling Haaland: 5
Remained isolated high up the pitch. Had no attempt at all along with the least touches among all the outfield players who played for 90 minutes.
Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
Kevin De Bruyne: 6
Failed to make any noteworthy contribution since replacing Mahrez.
Ilkay Gundogan: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
