STEVEN BERGWIJN’S DEBUT goal helped Tottenham to a remarkable 2-0 win over 10-man Manchester City on Sunday to breathe new life into their challenge for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho’s men had been completely outplayed for the first hour, but were kept in the game by City’s profligacy and Hugo Lloris’s first-half penalty save from Ilkay Gundogan.
However, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s sending off changed the course of the game as Spurs scored with their first two shots on goal through Bergwijn and Son Heung-min.
Victory lifts Spurs up to fifth, just four points off fourth-placed Chelsea.
A sixth league defeat of the season for City sees Liverpool remain 22 points clear at the top and within touching distance of their first league title for 30 years.
This was arguably the least anticipated of Mourinho and Pep Guardiola’s 23 meetings as opposing managers, but it resorted to type as the Portuguese set up Spurs to defend deep, while City monopolised possession.
The visitors could have been out of sight by half-time as in a recurring theme of their season, the champions were wasteful in front of goal.
However, Tottenham also felt City were lucky not to be down to 10 men earlier when Raheem Sterling caught England international teammate Dele Alli with his studs.
Lloris was making just his third appearance since returning from a long-term layoff due to a dislocated elbow, but the French number one was back to his best to keep his side level at half-time.
Lloris turned Sergio Aguero’s low shot onto the post before the Argentine was chopped down in the area by Serge Aurier.
Referee Mike Dean initially waved play on, but with no break in play for a few minutes he eventually stopped the game after being told to give a penalty by VAR.
City’s dreadful run from the spot continued as Gundogan joined Gabriel Jesus and Sterling in failing to convert in recent weeks as his low effort was parried by Lloris.
Sterling then pounced on the rebound and went down over Lloris, but no second penalty was awarded and Sterling also escaped the possibility of a second booking for diving.
The chances continued to come for City as Aguero fired into the side-netting from point-blank range just before the break.
- Dream debut -
Gundogan was the guilty party again minutes into the second period after a calamity of errors.
Lloris collided with Japhet Tanganga, Aguero’s effort was cleared off the line by Toby Alderweireld and when Sterling squared to Gundogan rather than go for goal himself, the German spooned the ball over.
However, the game was decided in three minutes just after the hour mark.
Zinchenko was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Harry Winks as Tottenham launched a counter-attack.
At that point City had had 14 shots on goal to Tottenham’s none, but they only needed one.
Bergwijn, signed earlier this week from PSV Eindhoven, capped a dream debut as he chested down Lucas Moura’s pass and volleyed past Ederson.
Eight minutes later, Spurs were out of sight when Son, who scored three times in a famous Champions League quarter-final win over City last season, was the scourge of City again with a fine low finish from Tanguy Ndombele’s pass.
City’s failings at both ends of the field leaves Guardiola with plenty of problems to solve just weeks away from his side’s Champions League last-16 clash with Real Madrid.
And there was more concern for Guardiola ahead of that tie as Sterling hobbled off with a muscle injury five minutes from time.
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How does pep not get more stick? For city to be 22 points off liverpool with the squad and resources they have is shocking.
@Brian Dunne: They only won the last 2 premier league titles! Teams naturally lose a bit if hunger, very hard to keep it up year after year. Plus, Liverpool’s points tally is just incredible and record breaking.
@Brian Dunne: just the end of the line for that team, kompany, de bryune, silva, augero have been some servants for that club. Can pep stay around and change the spine of that team and challange lfc next season? He generally bails at this stage. If he doesn’t want to move house though just take the utd job in the summer!!!
@Brian Dunne: I cant believe city didnt sign a centre back in the summer to go alongside laporte, and then when he got injured they were screwed. They still wouldn’t have been close to liverpool, they’ve just been incredible this season, even though the league is very weak they still have to beat what’s in front of them. Fair play
@Brian Dunne: City reduced themselves to tactical fouls to win the Premier League last time out but the beautiful game is not having that anymore because spectators wanted to see football. They are the architects of their own downfall.
6 more wins….
@Sean Mooney: or seven more losses. Either way,there’s gonna be one hell of a parade down the Anfield Rd. YNWA
Don’t let the score fool you, spurs were peetty bad today and hadn’t had a shot all game until the red. However, they made their two count
@Eoin Murphy: the result is all that matters, Norwich have arguably played some of the best football i’ve seen this season but when they dont convert it into results, kinda means nothing
Joses always been a master of pulling results out of games when his team was being outclassee
@Eoin Murphy: nonsense, City were very good today, they couldn’t score, a lot of that was down to Spurs defence and keeper in particular,, some great performances from spurs players today.
@devils avacado: the match was like a game of fifa lol. Man city had 18 shots, spurs had 3 and ended up winning 2-0.
Spurs completely deserved it but weren’t good.
@Nathan Mawhinney: How many shots were blocked and off target ?
I heard it through the Bergwign.
I’ve seen Spurs play a good few times this season, but I think that was the first time I seen them look and perform like a team. I don’t know if that is just raising their game because it was City they were playing or because want away Erickson is finally gone and maybe the dressing room is a better place, but they were excellent in their commitment today,, as for City, the amount of gilt edged chances they have had to score goals but have missed this season is ridiculous. The fight for top four this season is really shaping up to be a cracker…. :)
City were unlucky, they played some awesome footie with almost 70% possession but they didn’t score.
Spurs were just hoofing it upfield with no target man and then waiting for it to come back.
Today City’s go to tactic of stopping a counter attack by fouling the player in possession before that player crossed the 1/2 way lined failed spectacularly.
Three chances to Spurs: One bit of skill, one deflected shot and one miss against 18 shots. And City go home with less than nothing.
@herbie: Agreed…the chickens finally came home to roost on City’s cynical fouling tactics..in reality they should have been red carded at least another dozen times in the past few years. Spurs merely bided their time and rode their luck…
Shay Purdy.
Why such an expensively assembled team of unarguably gifted athletes has to routinely resort to tactical fouls is beyond me. If City just played football they would have won but they played dirty instead. COYS.