It was not so much the old line about it being a bad time to concede, even though it plainly was. It was more the sense of inevitability. Everyone could feel that Manchester City were going to score, to reduce Tottenham’s 2-0 lead before the interval in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup last-16 tie at Spurs’s stadium.
City had shaken their heads clear and from the 35th minute they pushed hard, creating openings. Spurs dropped back. They were increasingly loose. They walked into trouble. The collective “aaah” from the home crowd when four additional minutes were signalled said it all. They wanted the half-time whistle. So did the manager, Ange Postecoglou. We were into the fourth of them when Matheus Nunes scored for 2-1.
