Dejan Kulusevski – a January signing from Juventus – opened the scoring after just four minutes after Heung-Min Son broke the offside trap and unselfishly squared it to the Sweden international.
Harry Kane scored twice including an injury-time winner as Tottenham secured a stunning 3-2 victory at Manchester City to blow the Premier League title race wide open.
Dejan Kulusevski – a January signing from Juventus – opened the scoring after just four minutes after Heung-Min Son broke the offside trap and unselfishly squared it to the Sweden international.
Ilkay Gundogan levelled the scores in the 33rd minute after a barrage of City pressure – Raheem Sterling’s cross was spilled by Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris into the path of the German international, who finished emphatically.
Spurs carried a much greater attacking threat after the break with Kane restoring their lead as he finished superbly first-time after Son once again was the provider.
The England captain then had the ball in the net again with a superb turn and finish as he stole the show, but VAR ruled it out for an offside against Kulusevski in the build-up.
City’s pressure eventually paid off as the game ticked into injury time, with Spurs defender Cristian Romero handling in the area and Riyad Mahrez blasting home the resulting penalty.
Yet in the most remarkable of finishes, Kane added a third for Spurs late on with a header to secure a dramatic victory.
City lead Liverpool at the top of the Premier League by six points, but the Reds have a game in hand.
Kane and Son masterclass
The link-up play between Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son in this match was sensational as two world-class attackers put in optimum displays.
Dejan Kulusevski’s opener was all about this attacking understanding as Kane dropped deep to thread a perfectly weighted ball through for Son, who timed his run superbly to beat the offside trap and unselfishly square to the January signing to tap home.
The visitor’s second goal was the same combination in reverse as Son floated in a perfect delivery for Kane to ghost into the area and provide the finish past Ederson.
Minutes later, the England captain should have had a third as he was once again found by Son, but Lloris denied him when through one-on-one.
Kane had the ball in the net for a third time with a superb twist and finish past Ederson, but VAR ruled the goal out for a retrospective offside on Kulusevski.
Kane would not be denied in stoppage time with his header earning a sensational victory for his side.
Gundogan’s ghosting runs
German midfield maestro Ilkay Gundogan became an increasingly important player for City since last season, when he found the net 17 times – his personal best by a significant margin.
This time round, he has not quite hit those scoring levels but his equaliser in this encounter was his seventh goal of the campaign and helped get his side out of a hole.
Gundogan typically arrived late into the opposition penalty area and was more alert than any other player to the error from Hugo Lloris, which he gobbled up and hammered home.
Ten minutes before that he had rattled the post from a similar position and against deep-lying defences, the former Borussia Dortmund man has become increasingly important.
Cancelo culture
While Gundogan’s goal output was important for City in this game, it was Joao Cancelo who was again the most important attacking outlet.
Pep Guardiola’s side overloaded the left flank at times, recognising that the Portugal international’s threat in the final third could have even more joy against Emerson Royal – whose defensive positioning can be exploited.
It was unsurprising that City’s equalising goal came from the left flank – even if it was Raheem Sterling’s delivery, rather than Cancelo – with the rampaging full-back causing chaos.
With Spurs playing such a narrow defensive line – City targeted the flanks and there is arguably no full-back who combines attacking and defensive quality to the level and consistency of the Portuguese international.
Conte copies Chelsea formula
Antonio Conte found success against Pep Guardiola’s City side back in the 2016/17 campaign when he did the double over the Catalan in the Premier League.
The victory for Conte’s Chelsea at the Etihad in early December that season was arguably their most iconic of the campaign, as a stunning second half performance completed a 3-1 win.
Just like Spurs in this game, Chelsea played a 3-4-3 style formation that day and were happy to sit back and soak up pressure before hitting Guardiola’s side on the break.
Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard all netted as City’s system was exposed by fast transitions and swift counter-attacking.
The following season, Chelsea’s form had dropped significantly while City accumulated a Premier League record 100 points – and while they beat the Blues twice, both games were only 1-0.
Jekyll and Hyde Lloris
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has consistently been one of the best Premier League goalkeepers for years, although he has not been prone from several high-profile errors.
The best and worst of the Spurs goalkeeper was evident in this clash, with the France international making a string of superb saves to keep City at bay.
Lloris was however responsible for City’s equaliser, spilling a Raheem Sterling cross under minimal pressure into the path of Ilkay Gundogan – who lashed the ball home.
Having put in a less than convincing performance in the recent home defeat against Wolves, Lloris showed his worth to Spurs in this clash.
