Before kick-off, the mood at the Etihad was celebratory as Manchester City midfielder Rodri showcased his Ballon d’Or trophy, and news of Pep Guardiola’s two-year contract extension added to the positive atmosphere.
This upbeat mood translated onto the pitch early on, with Phil Foden, starting behind Erling Haaland in the No. 10 role, pulling the strings.
City dominated possession and created chances, but Haaland’s missed opportunities would prove costly. He fired wide after being set up by Josko Gvardiol and later shot straight at goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario following a cross from Savinho.
Spurs took advantage of City’s wastefulness and scored out of nowhere. A brilliant cross from Dejan Kulusevski found James Maddison, who volleyed past Ederson, putting Spurs ahead.
The visitors continued to press, with Ederson pulling off a stunning save to deny Heung-Min Son, but Maddison soon doubled the lead. After an error from Gvardiol, Maddison expertly lobbed the ball over Ederson to make it 2-0, marking a memorable 28th birthday for the England midfielder.
City made a substitution at half-time, replacing John Stones with Nathan Ake, but the fortunes didn’t change. Kulusevski again played a key role in Spurs’ third goal, running out of defense, holding off two challenges, and passing to Dominic Solanke. Solanke set up Pedro Porro, who fired home, extending Spurs’ advantage. The Etihad was left stunned by the performance.
City tried to respond, with Haaland hitting the crossbar and Guardiola introducing Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish, but Spurs remained in control.
In stoppage time, substitute Timo Werner sprinted past Kyle Walker and set up Brennan Johnson for a tap-in, sealing a 4-0 victory for Spurs and condemning City to their third consecutive Premier League defeat under Guardiola—something the club hadn’t experienced before.
Things don’t get any easier for City, who now face a crucial Champions League match against Feyenoord on Tuesday before a Premier League clash with Liverpool, who could extend their lead to eight points with a win over Southampton.
Guardiola, who signed his new deal amid City’s struggles, admitted earlier in the week that now was not the time to leave, despite the club’s recent poor form. The defeats to Tottenham in both the Carabao Cup and Premier League, as well as losses to Sporting, Bournemouth, and Brighton, have intensified the pressure on both Guardiola and the team.
https://x.com/OptaJoe/status/1860406885922341103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1860406885922341103%7Ctwgr%5E395f5ccb7d80d14161d732a7c9853454fd88fe3f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skysports.com%2Ffootball%2Fnews%2F11661%2F13257254%2Fman-city-0-4-tottenham-pep-guardiola-suffers-a-fifth-straight-defeat-for-first-time-in-managerial-career-as-citys-crisis-deepen
