Barney Ronay on Harry Kane’s milestone:
That’s it for our liveblog on a very good day for Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester United, but most of all for the magnificent Harry Kane. I’ll leave with you David Hytner’s match report – goodnight.
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This is what it does to the league table
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 20 | 28 | 50 |
| 2 | Man City | 21 | 32 | 45 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 21 | 8 | 42 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 21 | 22 | 40 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 10 | 39 |
The record-breaking Harry Kane speaks
It’s a day I’ll never forget. It’s hard to put into words; just a magical moment. I was desperate to do it with a win as well, and in front of the home fans. There’s been so much talk about it in the last two weeks and I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. To do it here against one of the best teams in the world, it’s a special feeling.
[Kane also become the third player, after Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney, to score 200 Premier League goals] When I started playing regularly, eight or nine years ago, it wasn’t even in my imagination to score 200 Premier League goals. To be there now… it’s exciting and I’ve got plenty more years left, so hopefully there’s a few more to come.
[On his first Premier League goal against Sunderland in 2014] Tim Sherwood gave me my first start, and I was so desperate to make an impression. To score and win that game was just the start. There’s been a lot of hard work since then with Mauricio and all the coaches. It’s a magical feeling.
Jimmy Greaves is a complete hero, one of the best strikers to ever play the game, so to even be in that company is special. I’m sure his family will be proud as well. Overall, a really good night.
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Harry Kane’s record-breaking 267th goal for Spurs gives them a deserved victory over a City team who, by their own stratospheric standards, were a minor shambles. They could still have drawn or even won the game, because they are that good, but that was a slightly alarming performance. I’ve rarely seen them so angry or so ragged.
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Manchester City’s record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
P5 W0 D0 L5 F0 A7 Pts 0.
Full time: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester City
Peep peep! That’s a huge win for Spurs, and a pretty good one for Arsenal too.
90+7 min Walker is booked for a petulant foul on Sessegnon. Their heads have gone.
Full time: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Man City
Grealish fouls Emerson Royal, and a smiling Pep Guardiola tells the referee to “eff off” from the touchline. City really have been in a foul mood all day.
90+4 min Lionel Messi was given a penalty for a very similar incident at the World Cup, but I’m not sure the laws of association football were being used in Argentina’s games.
90+3 min A marvellous inswinging cross from Grealish is headed over from six yards by Rodri, a split-second – if that – before he is caught and flattened by the flying Lloris. City want a penalty; they won’t get one.
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90+2 min De Bruyne’s cross is headed away to the edge of the area, where Rodri miscontrols the ball, is robbed by Hojbjerg and then compounds the error by giving away a foul. Hojbjerg has been the best player on the pitch.
90 min There will be five minutes of added time.
89 min De Bruyne scored a memorable goal at Leicester earlier in the season from a very similar position. He tries the same technique, but this time it hits Hojbjerg in the wall. He goes down holding his face, so the referee stops play. City think he’s trying it on, because it was a slightly delayed reaction. It did hit him flush in the coupon though.
89 min Right, it’s time for the free-kick, and De Bruyne is over the ball.
88 min: Spurs substitution Davinson Sanchez replaces Dejan Kulusevski (and Cristian Romero).
88 min “City slowly turning into Aston Villa, dependent on Grealish for any creativity and with an ineffective forward,” says Rich C, who thus becomes the first person in the entire known universe to compare Erling Haaland with Keinan Davis.
CRISTIAN ROMERO SENT OFF!
87 min It’s a clear second yellow card, for a foul on Grealish 25 yards from goal. Both teams get involved in a shoving match, though I’m not sure why – that was a clear booking.
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84 min: Spurs substitution Son Heung-min, who was closer to his best today, is replaced by Yves Bissouma.
84 min: City substitution Ilkay Gundogan replaces Bernardo Silva, so now De Bruyne is the right-sided attacker.
83 min Ederson is booked for dissent, though I’m not sure what he’s getting so cakey about. Spurs want a penalty after Lewis falls onto Sessegnon’s cross and touches it with both hands. It hit Lewis’s body first, and I think he was fouled anyway, so it’s no penalty.
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82 min Apparently Grealish was mugged off – that’s right, mugged off – by a ballboy a while ago, which is one of the reasons he isn’t in the greatest mood.
81 min Grealish has been City’s leader in the second half, the only one who looks truly desperate to make something happen. I didn’t think I’d be saying that three months ago.
80 min “The thing about the 2006 FA Cup final,” says Andy Flintoff, “is that the last minute Gerrard equaliser was only scored because he’d cramped up so much he couldn’t run so pretty much had to hit it first time.”
Yeah I read that a couple of years ago. It makes a great goal even more ridiculous.
79 min: Spurs substitution Ryan Sessegnon replaces Ivan Perisic at left wing-back.
78 min De Bruyne stabs a beautiful return pass around the corner to Grealish, who is crucially tackled just outside the six-yard box by the lunging Emerson Royal. Great defending.
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76 min Walker’s deflected long-range shot is easily saved by Lloris, City’s first shot on target in the second half. Lloris launches it long to start a three-on-three break. Son shapes a left-footed curler from 20 yards that is pushed away to his right by Ederson. Kane collects the ball and picks out the supporting Hojbjerg, who drags a shot wide from the edge of the box.
76 min City appeal again for handball when Ake’s cross brushes the arm of Emerson Royal. It was tight to his body so that’s a fair decision. Rodri gives the referee a mouthful for some reason.
75 min Perisic is booked for a cynical foul on Bernardo Silva.
75 min “This is starting to feel like the last five minutes of a cup tie,” says complete with the players looking knackered.”
On that note, do you remember extra time in the 2006 FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham? It was a savagely hot day, and at one stage there were about eight players down with cramp.
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73 min De Bruyne’s outswinging corner is headed over by Rodri, a half chance at best.
72 min Romero is down after a collision with Grealish. He’s okay to continue. Grealish has looked most likely to create something for City in the second half.
70 min: Big save from Emerson! Now it’s City who are hanging on. Kane runs straight through Akanji and Walker, Preben Elkjaer-style, on the left side of the area. Ederson comes out to save Kane’s shot brilliantly with his outstretched left leg, and the ball ricochets off Kane before going wide of the near post. That could easily have deflected into the net, but it was a marvellous save from Ederson.
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69 min Another Spurs break ends with a wasteful shot from Kane going well wide of the far post. Son was in a decent position.
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68 min City are looking more dangerous now, and more desperate (in a good way). Alvarez controls the ball on the edge of the area, turns 180 degrees and lifts a sizzling shot that goes just past the far post.
67 min Is it too early for the as it stands table? Yes, it’s February, so here it is.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 20 | 28 | 50 |
| 2 | Man City | 21 | 32 | 45 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 21 | 8 | 42 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 21 | 22 | 40 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 10 | 39 |
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66 min A thrilling break from Spurs. Son runs 50 yards and plays in Perisic to his left. He slides an inviting first-time ball that just evades both the diving Ederson and the sliding Kane in the six-yard box.
65 min Now Akanji has a shot blocked, leading to another appeal for handball, and then De Bruyne threads a shot wide from the edge of the area.
Akanji’s shot hit Romero’s leg and ricocheted onto his hand, so it won’t be a penalty.
64 min With everyone congregating in the six-yard box, De Bruyne cleverly slides the ball back towards Alvarez on the edge of the area. He smashes a shot that hits Dier’s knee and flies over the bar. The original shot was going off target in fact.
City appeal for handball, and therefore a penalty, but it clearly came off Dier’s knee.
64 min Grealish cleverly suckers Emerson Royal into a sliding foul just outside the area on the left. Weirdly, Royal hasn’t been booked.
63 min “From a tactical perspective,” says Peter Oh, “is it fair to say that Harry Kane has ripped up City’s 4-3-3/3-3-4/3-5-2 playbook with his ruthless 2-6-7? And will he kick it up a notch to a 2-6-8?”
62 min De Bruyne does try to put Haaland through with a sliderule pass, but it’s slightly overhit and that allows Dier to step across. Spurs break through Kane, Perisic, Son and finally Hojbjerg, whose flicked pass is slightly too short for the onrushing Emerson Royal. Ake runs across to slide tackle Royal on the edge of the area, with the ball ricocheting behind for a goalkick.
61 min Dier fouls De Bruyne 35 yards from goal. De Bruyne floats the free-kick beyond the far post, where Ake heads it straight through to Lloris. Not for the last time today, Erling Haaland shakes his head in disgust at not getting the ball.
58 min; City substitution Kevin De Bruyne replaces Riyad Mahrez. That means Bernardo Silva will play from the right wing. Guardiola gave Mahrez a bit of a rollocking as they walked off at half-time.
56 min Perisic whips an outswinging corner from the right towards the near post, where Davies gets across Bernardo and flicks a header over the bar. Decent effort.
55 min City are starting to apply a bit of pressure, though they still haven’t really tested Hugo Lloris. If it stays like this it will be their third defeat in eight league games. A great run for some teams; a minor crisis for City.
53 min “Why is Grealish always so aggrieved whenever he gets fouled?” says Joe Pearson. “I mean, he gets all the calls and still has this almighty grump on. Lighten up, Francis.”
Maybe’s it’s the searing pain coursing through those chunky calves, I don’t know. The whole City team look in a foul mood today.
52 min Grealish runs at Emerson Royal to win a corner, then gives Royal a mouthful about something or other.
49 min City have made a listless start to the second half. It’s all a bit strange. But you have to be careful with criticising City. In December 2020 they were stuck in mid-table and plenty of people said they all looked a bit bored. Then they won 21 games in a row in all competitions.
47 min Emerson shapes a good cross towards Kane, who fresh-airs an attempted volley 17 yards from goal. For some reason he went with his left foot, when the right looked much more natural.
46 min Son’s through ball towards Kane is well cut out by the sliding Walker. Spurs haven’t been at their blistering best on the break, but they have been a recurring threat.
46 min Peep peep! Spurs begin the second half. No changes on either side, which means no De Bruyne, yet.
“Here in the U.S. Graeme Le Saux has told us that this 1-0 lead for Spurs is the best medicine for Antonio Conte,” says J. R. in Illinois. “Call me crazy but if I’d just had invasive surgery my first two medicinal choices would be antibiotics and painkillers. Having my team being one goal up after 30 minutes would be a distant third.”
You do know he reads the Guardian?
“Where would we be if City had managed to sign Kane in the summer of 2021?” wonders Matt Dony. “Obviously, Haaland scores industrial quantities of goals, but Kane’s all-round game would surely suit Pep better. City probably wouldn’t have bought Haaland, so he may well have gone to a rival. (Laughably, maybe even Liverpool. But even his goal prowess wouldn’t save this season…) Would City be an even better team? And, let’s face it, Spurs would probably have spent the transfer fee on some hilariously bad deals. The league would look very different.”
Though I agree with you that Kane would have been a better fit, I think Haaland is becoming a bit of a lightning road for City’s poorish season. He’s scored 25 league goals FFS! It feels like a lot of things aren’t quite right at City, and Haaland’s integration is only one of them.
Also, oh to have a poorish season like City’s.
Half-time reading
Half-time: Spurs 1-0 Man City
Peep peep! Harry Kane’s record-breaking goal, his 267th for Spurs and his first for Arsenal, has given the home side the lead against an off-kilter Manchester City. Riyad Mahrez hit the bar in injury time, but that aside City’s domination was entirely sterile.
267. pic.twitter.com/p3Kjo0WprH
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 5, 2023
45+1 min: Mahrez hits the bar! Grealish’s lofted cross brushes the head of Davies and reaches Mahrez beyond the far post. He takes a touch and batters an early shot that beats Lloris and Romero before thumping the underside of the bar.
CROSSBAR 😱
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 5, 2023
Riyad Mahrez comes inches away from bringing Man City level on the stroke of half time pic.twitter.com/9D3cyjpLl7
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45 min “I think that both teams would be first and second in the league if they’d started this season with each other’s strikers,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Conte’s brilliant use of Lukaku makes me think he wouldn’t struggle at all integrating Haaland, and Kane’s intelligent creation of space makes him a perfect fit for Guardiola.”
44 min: Chance for Spurs! A right-wing corner isn’t properly cleared and ricochets around the box. Kane has a shot blocked, so does Dier, and eventually City scramble the ball clear.
42 min Walker arrows a pass into Haaland, unmarked 30 yards from goal. He turns, runs at the Spurs defence and then gives the ball to Grealish on the left side of the area. Grealish moves back inside Emerson Royal and whips a curling shot that goes a few yards wide of the far post. Decent effort.
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41 min Alvarez slides a low pass from the right towards Rodri, unmarked in the D. He sweeps a first-time shot towards goal but doesn’t connect perfectly and Lloris makes a comfortable save to his left.
40 min Bernardo scoops a clever pass forward to Rodri, who holds off Son before being emphatically tackled by Romero on the edge of the area.
38 min Nothing to report in the last few minutes.
36 min We should remember that City were equally meh in the first half at home to Spurs last month before making a storming comeback to win 4-2. Even so, they aren’t playing well at all.
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35 min There’s a break in play while Grealish and Hojbjerg receive treatment. They’re both okay to continue.
34 min “Who better for Kane to break the record against than Man City?!” says Jeff Sax. “Would love to know what Pep is thinking now!”
33 min Spurs are having 30 per cent of the possession and about 80 per cent of the threat. The Sky co-commentators, Jamie Carragher and particularly Gary Neville, have been very critical of how City’s players are ignoring Erling Haaland’s runs.
30 min Kane touches the ball over to Kulusevski, who dances infield and drives a shot from the edge of the area that is well blocked by Ake. Spurs are playing superbly on the counter-attack.
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29 min “As an Australian Arsenal fan this match puts me in an uncomfortable position on multiple fronts,” says Sam Podosky. “1) being awake at 2:30am watching football and 2) (and most definitely the worst of the two) having to barrack for Spurs. I do so in the utmost confidence of their history of bottling it as the world restores to nature order.”
That scenario evokes 16 May 1999, when Les Ferdinand – who wasn’t loved by the Spurs fans after going five months without a goal – almost won the title for Arsenal.
28 min Spurs break really dangerously again, this time through Kane and Kulusevski. He feeds it into Son, who can’t find an angle for the shot, and eventually Royal’s cross is put behind for a corner by Grealish.
26 min Now that’s a yellow card. Romero wipes out Haaland with an overzealous and largely pointless sliding tackle, and accepts his yellow card without complaint. City were 70 yards away from the Spurs goal.
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24 min The crowd are becoming very unhappy with a few refereeing decisions, and now they’re chanting “you don’t know what you’re doing”. I hope poor Nathan Jones isn’t watching on TV.
25 min “Can I just check,” says Andrew Hurley. “Is the player whose pocket was picked for the goal the player playing instead of a player sent to Bayern Munich, a player in the team of the season the past two seasons, because Pep has to always think and be the story ? Just wondering. And Lewis has a great future, but let’s not get carried away...”
I take your point(s), but I’d say that goal was Rodri’s fault, not Lewis’s.
24 min Bentancur is booked, perhaps a bit harshly, for a late tackle on Lewis.
23 min Here’s Harry Kane’s goal. He didn’t really get hold of it, the hell he’ll care.
THERE IT IS!!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 5, 2023
Harry Kane breaks the record as Tottenham's ALL-TIME top scorer! 🚨⚪ pic.twitter.com/FhMGSgeDsZ
22 min Grealish avoids a yellow card for a tactical foul on Kane. He did well, if that’s the right word, to make it look clumsy rather than cynical.
21 min “I really don’t know if it’s a good idea,” says Mark Childs, “but I can’t help admire that Pep has discarded both Zinchenko and Cancelo (both very good players) so that he can play an 18-year old left-back as a central midfielder.”
A lot of great managers, established winners, lose their edge in their fifties. I didn’t think it would happen to Pep Guardiola, and I still don’t, but there are a few tentative signs – in his press conferences, his team selections and his willingness to let Joao Cancelo leave – that he is in danger of becoming idealistic to a fault. And yes, I will delete this entry when Rico Lewis put them 5-1 up in the second half.
19 min Bernardo Silva shuffles elegantly away from Dier and rifles a low drive from 20 yards that is straight at Lloris.
17 min Yes, Jimmy Greaves should really be credited with 268 goals, because he scored two in the Charity Shield, but he isn’t and Kane is now Spurs’ record scorer.
And Greavsie is still the greatest.
It’s Kane’s 267th goal for Spurs, one more than Jimmy Greaves, and he can’t stop beaming. It came when City got in a pickle trying to play out from the badck. Rodri’s dodgy pass towards Lewis was nicked by Hojbjerg 25 yards from goal. He moved into the area and then, while in the process of falling over under pressure from Lewis, did superbly to poke the ball to his right towards Kane. He let the ball roll across his body and bobbled a sidefooted shot back across Ederson.
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GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Man City (Kane 15)
Harry Kane becomes Spurs’ record goalscorer!
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13 min Walker’s marvellous cross is headed behind by Emerson Royal, under huge pressure from Grealish at the far post. That was great defending.
11 min “Is it just me,” says Michael Coppejans, “or did others immediately think upon hearing the news of Conte’s gall bladder removal Udo Kier’s immortal line in Flesh for Frankenstein, ‘To know death Otto, you have to ---- life in the gall bladder!’? At least he could use it for his team talk, right?”
I would love to say I’ve seen that film, love it. But I haven’t, so I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about. That said, as somebody whose brain finds a pop-culture reference for pretty much every human experience, I admire your enthusiasm.
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10 min City have had 84 per cent of the possession so far. But Hugo Lloris’s gloves remain whiter than white. No, not literally.
7 min City have started really well. As expected, in possession they are playing with a back three, a 3-3-4 formation almost, but they revert to a back four when they lose it. The tactical maturity of Rico Lewis, 18, is quite remarkable.
6 min A cross from the left is headed away to the edge of the area, where Alvarez hits a stinging volley that is blocked. Spurs break through Son, who looks sharp, and he is cynically fouled by Alvarez. That could have been a yellow card, probably should have been.
5 min Grealish drives the corner towards Ake, unmarked beyond the far post. He heads it back across goal, Royal is unable to clear properly and eventually Akanji, under pressure, heads straight at Lloris.
4 min Spurs struggle to get out following a City free-kick. Eventually Mahrez shapes a curler towards the far corner that is headed behind by Dier (I think).
2 min “Any chance of getting a happy 7th birthday for our beautiful grandson Albert for his birthday,” writes Jo-Anne. “A special trip from Cornwall to the Lane for the Petzing family, to celebrate Albie’s birthday. Love from Na.”
Happy birthday Albie, enjoy the game!
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1 min Son leads a Spurs break, running 60 yards before being well tackled by … Jack Grealish.
1 min Peep peep! City kick off from left to right as watch. Rico Lewis is indeed playing at left back, although as I type he’s in centre midfield because City have the ball.
“Spurs are going to get whipped,” says Mark Small. “Without or with De Bruyne.”
Have you been listening to U2 backwards again?
This is the Green Football Weekend and, while Duncan Ferguson didn’t get to try the vegan burger, there are so many great initiatives going on – including one that Chris Redston has emailed in about.
Rainforest Trust UK are a charity partner of the Green Football Weekend, and they are inviting fans to pledge a small donation for every goal scored in the Women’s Super Leagueand Premier League over the weekend. All money raised will be used to protect threatened rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon. It only costs 75p to save half a football pitch of rainforest per goal scored - please click here to find out more and to make your pledge.
To date supporters have already made pledges that will protect 145 football pitches of rainforest for every goal scored, which will store 41,470 metric tonnes of carbon - the same as the annual emissions of 8,936 cars per goal! Let’s hope for lots of goals at Tottenham this afternoon!
And here’s Jonathan Liew on a subject that raises many an awkward question.
“I guess Pep is going for a high pressing 3-2-3-2,” says Ernst Draxl, “with Lewis aside Rodri and Alvarez + Him providing torture and confusion in the box.”
Thing is, if you look at the average positions for City (or peak Liverpool), their formation is basically 2-5-3. So why do we call it 4-3-3? In addition to that, many teams these days have one formation with the ball and another one without. It feels like our way of presenting formations is out of date. No idea how you do it, mind. Maybe we should just describe every formation as 10, or 11 if they’re managed by Rafa.
As with so many of modern football’s ills and imperfections, you didn’t have this problem with John Beck’s Cambridge.
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City’s back four. Okay, the way City are warming up suggests that Kyle Walker will play at right-back with Rico Lewis at left-back. It’s yet another example of the burgeoning – and, if it is deliberate, utterly, laughably pitiful – culture of tactical misinformation being spread by official club accounts.
📋 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 📋
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 5, 2023
XI | Ederson, Lewis, Walker (C), Akanji, Ake, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Mahrez, Grealish, Alvarez, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Dias, Phillips, Gundogan, Laporte, De Bruyne, Gomez, Perrone, Palmer#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/UD0PGHaxD9
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“Thinking is Pep’s biggest downfall,” says Jeff Sax. “Just when they need to break their losing streak at Spurs, he leaves De Bruyne out! Another example of why they’ve never won the Champions League.”
“I was really conflicted about this match 48 hours ago,” says Yash Gupta. “Then greatest the bald manager in the world made sure even if Spurs win this one, the big picture would remain the same. So with that in mind plus the arrival of Porro I’m excited for this one. Fingers crossed the defence doesn’t go to sleep again.”
The best time to plant a tree was last August. The second best time is now.
What do you prefer in a No9? Goals + assists or goals + even more goals?
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Team news: De Bruyne left out
Pep’s been thinking again. He’s left Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, as he did in the Champions League quarter-final on this ground in 2019, and it looks like Kyle Walker is going to start at centre-back.
Spurs are unchanged from their last league game, the 1-0 win at Fulham 13 days ago. Their new signings Pedro Porro and Arnaut Danjuma are on the bench.
Tottenham Hotspur (5-2-3) Lloris; Royal, Romero, Dier, Davies, Perisic; Bentancur, Hojbjerg; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
Substitutes: Forster, Sanchez, Lenglet, Sessegnon, Pedro Porro, Bissouma, Skipp, Danjuma, Richarlison.
Manchester City (possible 4-2-1-3) Ederson; Lewis, Walker, Akanji, Ake; Rodri, Bernardo; Alvarez; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish.
Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Dias, Phillips, Gundogan, Laporte, De Bruyne, Gomez, Perrone, Palmer.
Referee Andy Madley
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Preamble
Pep Guardiola doesn’t have too many bogey grounds, but the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is one. Spurs have beaten City in their last four home games, with City not even scoring a goal in that time. It’s hard to reconcile with the reputation of both clubs, but then most of the wins have been down to two players who are anything but Spursy. Son Heung-min scored in all four games, while Harry Kane gave one of his greatest performances in a 2-0 win in November 2020.
City are due a result at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – but then so are Spurs. They’ve lost four of the last five home league games, which has turned a provisional title challenge into a scrap for the top four. Today they will be without Antonio Conte, who is recovering after surgery to remove his gallbladear.
Manchester City are in a title race, as per, and were given a huge boost when Arsenal lost at Everton yesterday. A win today would take City within two points of the leaders. They’d have played a game more, sure. But given how much trouble they were in when they trailed Spurs 2-0 at half-time a couple of weeks ago – when they were facing a potential 11-point deficit – they’d very happily take it.
Kick off 4.30pm.
