Tottenham extended their unbeaten form to seven games in the Premier League with a fantastic 2-0 win over Manchester City who themselves were unbeaten in the Premier League until this game. Tottenham went 2-0 ahead in the first-half itself through an own goal from Aleksandar Kolarov and Dele Alli and managed to hold on to it until the final whistle. With the win, the North London outfit inflicted the first defeat on Pep Guardiola’s men this season. Below are the three talking points from the game:
Pep tactically outdone by Pochettino and City showing signs of vulnerability
Tottenham were full of energy and pace. From the kick-off, they pressurized City into losing the ball in dangerous areas which initiated many counters. City were not even given breathing space and were forced to make errors. They were made to hurry their every move. Despite being 2-0 up, Tottenham continued to create chances and fearlessly ventured forward in numbers.
It was quite evident that Pep’s men were quite under-prepared this game. They were outdone in all three departments of the pitch. City were not able to cope with the physical rigor of Tottenham’s men, especially in the midfield. On the other hand, everyone in the Tottenham team turned up really well, playing to their full potential and everyone doing their bit defensively.
More than just three points for Spurs
Despite finishing third last season, many weren’t expecting Tottenham to turn up this season and considered them far off from the title race.
This particular win was a statement in the face of the skeptics. The magnitude and the fashion of the victory only adds to the credibility to this young Tottenham squad. Tottenham are now just a point off the top of the Premier League table and this win is surely more than just three points and sends a message to the other Premier League clubs who didn’t consider Tottenham to be genuine title contenders until now.
De Bruyne- The missing piece?
Manchester City definitely missed De Bruyne’s guile and creativity in the midfield although Tottenham themselves were without two first team players in Harry Kane and Mousa Dembele with Eric Dier not fit enough to start.
The depth in Tottenham’s squad was quite evident with this performance as they were able to adequately replace Kane, Dier, and Dembele while City were often seemed toothless on the counter in absence of De Bruyne. It’s important for Pochettino to see that they maintain the same level of energy and sharpness throughout the season. Pochettino must avail himself of the options to rotate the squad around so as not to burn the vital players out.
