Tottenham Humble Man City At Etihad Stadium

Manchester City conceded a humbling clean sheet defeat by 2-0 to Tottenham at Etihad Stadium on the Premier League matchday two.  

Tottenham showed stronger commitment with an effort that combat Pep Guardiola’s side home dominance, and it worked out with two goals before halftime. The first goal was from a counter and the second was from an erroneous one-two ball between Trafford and a defender, which fell onto Sarr, instead. The Spurs had better share of game possession as their hosts struggled to find the back of the net. 

Richarlison provided Brennan Johnson with the pass for a strike into the middle of the goal following a fast break. Subsequently, the second goal came from Trafford's catastrophic error, gifting a chance to Joao Palhinha, who smacked the ball into the back of the net from close range.

The defeat ended City's 10-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. In 2023/24, City played the entire season unbeaten at home. However, that streak would not be matched this season, having lost their first home game this season to Tottenham. 

Overview

It was a terrible start for City. Pep Guardiola could be seen on the sideline frustrated. Loose midfield, shoddy defending, and coupled with poor goalkeeping made it worse for the host team. 

Besides Spurs' opening goal from a counter, the second goal was Trafford's making. Earlier, he escaped a warning card if not a red for his challenge on Kudus in front of the box. In the same situation, Reijnders nearly drew a penalty for dropping Porro, but the referee waved it. City were really challenged in the first half. However, Tottenham had a field day, troubling City's defense. 

Having to bring in Phil Foden and Gvardiol did not make a difference as Spurs bolstered the frontline with Solanke and Odobert. The Spurs did a great job at keeping the Citizens at bay, and maintaining discipline at the back.