Pep Guardiola: "The serve to win Wimbledon is the most difficult"
“It was so difficult a game,” he tells the BBC. “We knew it. They play with a lot of pride and intensity and it’s so difficult to play against them. Spurs will in the future be unbelievable if they stick with the manager. We gave the chance in our hands for the last game. The tennis players say ‘the serve to win Wimbledon’, the last game, is the most difficult one.
“It happened in our period against Aston Villa. And many many years ago it happened with Sergio Aguero [scoring] in 93 minutes 20 seconds against QPR. So there will be the typical game. Now calm, thinking [about Michail] Antonio, [Jarrod] Bowen, [James] Ward-Prowse.”
On the injuries suffered by his players. “Kevin [De Bruyne] had a kick to the ankle and couldn’t run properly. Ederson did not have concussion, he had a problem with his eye. He could not see properly so the doctor said I should change. He [Stefan Ortega] is a world-class keeper. He’s an exceptional, exceptional keeper.
“We know what we’re playing for. The tension is there, the rival is so good. It’s why it is difficult, we know that. Everyone come to the stadium and make noise. These games are more difficult but you have to do it. We’ll have one day off, two days to prepare, and then we will do our best.”
James Maddison: "We had big moments ourselves"
“You know City are always going to probe and have moments, it is just whether you can stay strong and see those moments out,” he tells Sky Sports, upon being asked what the view was at half-time when the game was still scoreless. “They have such quality though. We had big moments ourselves, in the first half we were really in the game. We gave them problems in the set-up and felt like we had an extra man in midfield. They took their chances in their moments and we didn’t, and we did have some. It’s fine margins at the top level.
“We are at the start of our journey with the gaffer,” he tells Sky. “It is hard to talk directly after losing but in the summer, reflecting after all is said and done, we will be a better, stronger outfit for what we have been through this year. The high of starting so well, then the dip and then up and down. I am sure we will be better for it next season. One game left and we will give it our all and see where that leaves us.”
Kyle Walker: "Last night, I couldn't sleep"
“It was very difficult with the emotions riding on it but the lads did the job they needed to do,” he tells Sky Sports. “It is one step closer. You have to take every game as it comes. We had a job to do tonight but we know how things can swing.
“We prepare, we recover and West Ham is another final and hopefully we can go and make history for this great club. It is not job done by a million miles. Hopefully we can get the win. If I didn’t enjoy the pressure, I would be in the wrong job and the wrong team.
“Last night, I couldn’t sleep. They [Arsenal fans, presumably] tried to set fireworks off but we weren’t there, they missed us. I had to take myself and try to get my head down this afternoon. I can’t describe the feeling when we went 2-0 up. It was an unusual game but we are competitors. Spurs could have gone and got the Champions League. You could see they were putting everything on the line to win the game.”
More from Ange: “We lost the game so I am disappointed,” he says before being asked if took any pride from his side’s performance. “Not right now because we have lost. We will assess the season, still one more game to go, one more game against Sheffield United and we need to make sure we win. I think wherever you finish is a fair reflection of where you are at.”
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Manchester City
Match report: Manchester City were far from their best but are now just one win away from denying Arsenal the title courtesy of two goals from Erling Haaland and a match-winning cameo from their substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. David Hytner reports from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
Updated
Ange Postecoglou: "We still have work to do"
“It was a tight game and in the big moments we weren’t able to capitalise and they were,” the Spurs boss tells Sky Sports. “I thought we were in the game the whole time, even at 1-0 we had a great chance to go level. In the second half we were chasing the game so they got a little more space but I thought we were well in it up until that point [the penalty]. We had the opportunities and we had to punish them. We still have some work to do. We need to do some work to catch up.”
Updated
Some match highlights: Whatever about the action on the pitch, arguably the most entertaining goings-on took place on the touchline. Rodrigo Bentancur repeatedly kicking lumps out of an empty dug-out seat next to that occupied by a clearly firghtened Bryan Gil was hilarious, while the sight of Ederson booting seven bells out of a pitchside cooler-box with all his might after being taken off with a possible concussion was also fun.
He did seem to have calmed down by the final whistle, thankfully. It could be his final appearance of the season as he’s likely to be stood down for Sunday’s game and probably wouldn’t be picked for the FA Cup final, in which Ortega is expected to play.
A word from Rodri: “Today was incredible, the character,” says City’s midfielder in a post-match interview with Sky Sports. “We know it wasn’t the best game but we must talk about the substitutions. Stefan Ortega was simply incredible and we have the best goalkeeper in the world. We know it’s not done yet.”
A good night for Aston Villa: A reminder that this defeat for Spurs tonight guarantees Aston Villa Champions League football next season. Hats off to them.
A quick recap: City were anything but their best in a first half in which Vicario was called upon to make a sensational save from Phil Foden but finally broke the deadlock after the break, when Kevin De Bruyne squared the ball for an Erling Haaland tap-in.
When an unhappy Ederson was replaced after shipping a blow to the head in a collison with Cristian Romero, his replacement pulled off a series of excellent saves from Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min before Haaland wrapped up the three points with an emphatic strike from the penalty spot.
Updated
Full time: Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Manchester City
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeep! It’s all over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and it looks as good as over in the title race two. City have gone top of the table, two points clear of Arsenal with one game of the season to go. A win against West Ham on Sunday afternoon will guarantee them their fourth consecutive Premier League title.
Updated
90+11 min: Ortega goes to take a free-kick just outside his own penalty but is interrupted by Kyle Walker, who wants to give him a hug. He’s been splendid since replacing Ederson, making four big, big saves. He boots the ball upfield and the final whistle is blown.
90+10 min: Mikey Moore plays the ball forward for Kulusevski to chase. He’s fouled by Bernardo Silva, who’d tracked his run. Yellow card.
90+8 min: City’s players are in cruise control and win a corner through Doku. They play it short and try unsuccessfully to keep the ball down by the flag.
90+5 min: Halfway through the 10 mooted minutes of added time and now Tottenham fans are chanting “Are you watching Arsenal?” To be honest, I’d say most Gooners switched off as soon as the second goal went in, unless they’d put their boots through the television screen a few minutes previously when Son missed that glorious opportunity to equalise.
90+4 min: With Manchester City just one home win against West Ham away from winning their fourth consecutive league title and breaking Arsenal hearts in the process, Tottenham’s fans finally find their voice and launch into a stirring rendition of “When the Spurs go marching in!”. Whisper it, but it’s almost as if they’re pleased to have gone 2-0 down …
90+3 min: Spurs substitution: Mikey Moore comes on for his Premier League debut at the age of 16. He replaces James Maddison.
Goal! Tottenham 0-2 Man City (Haaland 90pen)
City double their lead! Haaland makes no mistake, violently spanking the ball into the left side of the goal.
Updated
Penalty for Man City!
89 min: Porro fouls Doku and City players all over the pitch roar and punch the air in celebration.
89 min: Ortega has been terrific since coming on, making three excellent saves to preserve his team’s slender advantage. It’s the fourth time he’s come off the bench this season.
87 min: Son robs a dithering Akanji of possession just inside his own half and finds himself clean through on goal in a one-on-one with Ortega. The City goalkeeper rushes out to deny the Spurs skipper, whoo you’d have bet your house on scoring with that chance.
Updated
85 min: Tottenham substitutions: Oliver Skipp on for Hjobjerg and Gio Lo Celso on for Sarr.
82 min: City attack down the right flank and then go backwards again, their players pinging the ball around as their Spurs counterparts chase shadows. If they can’t kill off the game with a second goal, denying their hosts the ball will have to suffice.
Updated
80 min: Kulusevski gets the better of Dias at the byline near the right post but is unable to squeeze the ball past Ortega from a very tight angle after wriggling past the defender. The goalkeeper denies him for a second time.
78 min: Kulusevski curls a shot high and wide of the top corner after having the ball played his way on the edge of the box by James Maddison at a corner.
77 min: Haaland gives the ball away cheaply in midfield and Spurs advance up the right. They desperately need to win this game and will have plenty of time left to get the two goals they need, as we’ll have quite a few added minutes.
74 min: Ederson still looks devastated on the City bench. He’ll probably be stood down for their last game of the Premier League season if concussion protocols are followed and that will sting.
Updated
73 min: Dejan Kulusevski has just gone close to equalising for Spurs, his shot from a tight angle blocked by Ortega at the near post when it looked like it might go through the substitue keeper’s legs.
70 min: Ederson is replaced by Stefan Ortega and comes off the pitch extremely reluctantly, swinging his boot violently at a cooler box as he makes his way to the bench. After taking his seat, he sinks his head into his folded arms having first covered it with a towel. In other City substitution news, Jeremy Doku has replaced Kevin De Bruyne, who ambled off the pitch without making any kind of fuss.
Updated
67 min: Ederson is passed fit to play on for the time being but it looks like City are going to replace him shortly. For now, he is forced to deal with a chested bnackpass from Kyle Walker and does so showing no obvious ill effects from his blow to the head.
64 min: Ederson is conscious and sitting up but looks a little groggy. Meanwhile the VAR team in Stockley Park’s bunker of the squinting windows have recommended that Romero be booked for what they saw as a “reckless” challenge. I thought he was entitled to go for the ball but apparently not with quite so much vigour.
61 min: James Maddison wins a corner for Spurs and takes it himself. His delivery is only half-cleared by Ruben Dias and as the ball is sent back towards the City goal, Romero flings himself at it and collides heavily with Ederson at the far post. He may even have driven the goalkeeper into the post. City’s players are furious, Romero is immediately apologetic and the doctors are sent on. Fingers crossed for Ederson, who has shipped a heavy blow to the head from Romero’s hip.
Updated
60 min: There’s a lengthy break in play so Kevin De Bruyne can receive treatment for an injury. He was fouled by Porro and looked in a lot of pain. He soldiers on for now and is booed back on to the pitch by a pocket of Spurs fans.
58 min: Cristian Romero was badly at fault for the City goal, losing a fifty-fifty ball he’d feebly contested in midfield to Phil Foden, who went on the rampage upfield and set the clockwork in motion.
56 min: Tottenham substitution: Dejan Kulusevski replaces Rodrigo Bentancur, who throws a mini-tantrum upon his return to the bench. He’s furious.
54 min: Phil Foden attacked down the right after a mistake from Romero and sends in a cross. The ball is too high for Haaland and runs out to Silva on the far side. He threads the ball into a channel for Kevin De Bruyne, who squares it for Haaland, who strokes home from a few yards out. It’s a textbook City goal with some seriously nifty passing.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City (Haaland 52)
City lead! Erling Haaland wheels away in celebration after converting a tap-in from close range to put his side ahead.
Updated
51 min: Son drifts in from the left and unleashes a shot. He doesn’t get much power behind it and it’s blocked by Ruben Dias. Hold on, City have just scored!
50 min: Johnson sends a decent cross form the right towards the near post, where Son ghosts in behind Bernardo Silva and tries to scoop the ball over Ederson, who is quick off his line to save at his feet. It was a difficult chance for the out-of-sorts South Korean, but a chance nonetheless.
48 min: De Bruyne probably didn’t get as much power behind that shot as he’d have liked but it was on target and took a bit of saving.
47 min: Spurs play the ball out from the goal-kick and lose it. Manuel Akanji picks out De Bruyne with a neat pass through the centre and the Belgian shoots on the turn. Vicario dives to to save with an outstretched hand.
Updated
46 min: Walker plays the ball down the right and Kevin De Bruyne is out muscled by Dragusin. The ball runs out of play.
Second half: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Man City
46 min: Play resumes with City on the ball and no changes in personnel on either side. As things stand, they would go into the final day of the season level on points with Arsenal but behind them on goal difference. Mikel Arteta’s side currently have a fairly slender but potentially significant three-goal advantage.
Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Manchester City
Half-time: The deadlock remains unbroken at the end of a decidedly strange half of football being watched in near silence by a lot of conflicted fans. Manchester City went closest after a mistake from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, only for Phil Foden to be denied by a splendid save from Guglielmo Vicario. City haven’t brought their A-game or anything approaching it tonight and will almost certainly get an animated Pep-talk during the break.
45 min: Seconds before the half-time whistle is blown, Haaland and Silva have shots in quick succession heroically blocked by Van de Ven and Dragusin. Neither would have counted if they’d gone in as Phil Foden was offside in the build-up.
43 min: City have had the best chance of the game but have not played anywhere near their best football in this first half. Pep looks perplexed.
41 min: Pedro Porro fouls Foden, who is taking a kicking from assorted Spurs players this evening. Free-kick for City, wide on the left. Foden and De Bruyne stand over the ball but the Belgian’s delivery is uncharacteristically poor and too close to Vicario.
39 min: In a move not entirely dissimilar to his second goal against Fulham on Saturday, Gvardiol connects with a diagonal from the right at the far post but shins the ball high and wide of the goal frame. The option to play the ball back across the face of goal to Haaland was available to him but Gvardiol’s in such a rich vein of goalscoring form at the moment, he clearly fancied his own chances.
37 min: Spurs haven’t drawn a home game this season but a stalemate tonight would be the worst possible outcome for them, in so far as it would end their chances of qualifying for the Champions League while doing Arsenal a favour.
36 min: Rodrigo Bentancur is penalised for a late lunge on Phil Foden and gets a well deserved yellow card for his troubles.
34 min: A Brennan Johnson cross from the right takes a nick off Gvardiol and from the ensuing corner, the ball breaks to Son, who slices a shot wide of the far post but not out of play. Kevin De Bruyne appears to put it out for another corner before Maddison can get to it but Man City get awarded the goal-kick. De Bruyne looks bemused, while Maddison is incensed.
32 min: “Stand up, if you hate Arsenal!” sing the Spurs fans, serenading the many Gooners who are tuning in around the world to cheer on their hated rivals.
30 min: Good defesive woork from Bentancur, who dashes across and sticks out a leg to prevent Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne carving Spurs open down the right. The area being marshalled by Micky Van de Ven is where City are focussing plenty of their attacks and they are being given plenty of space to work in.
28 min: Bentancur sends a stray pass out of play for a throw-in halfway inside the City half while trying to pick out Johnson.
27 min: Spurs win themselves another corner after good work from Porro down the right. They play it short, are forced backwards and it goes to waste.
25 min: De Bruyne tries to play Haaland in behind with a low pas from deep but it’s crucially cut out by Romero, as the Norwegian was readying himself to bear down on the Spurs goal with the ball at his feet. It’s nip and tuck so far.
23 min: Dragusin goes to ground, winning a free-kick halfway inside his own half. A quick breather and the Romanian is back on his feet.
22 min: Kyle Walker has a shot blocked from close range by Romero and Spurs break upfield on the counter. Sarr and Son get their wires crossed and a half-decent chance to break the City defensive line goes to waste.
20 min: Rodrigo Bentancur is penalised for an accidental stamp on the instep of Phil Foden. That looked a sore one but the City midfielder is grand to carry on after picking himself up from the deck.
19 min: The atmosphere in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seems conspicuously muted, a state of affairs that is totally unsurprising all things considered.
18 min: Maddison takes a Spurs corner and his delivery is met by the head of Romero, who was leaning backwards and unable to steer his effort on target.
16 min: Hjobjerg slices a clearance horribly and the ball spins up in the air before dropping kindly for Foden. His volley is kept out by a sensational save from Vicario, who sticks out a very strong arm.
Updated
15 min: Manchester City win a corner, which Vicario half-clears. Mateo Kovacic tries to send the ball goalwards but his effort loop harmlessly wide.
14 min: Phil Foden plays the ball out wide to Walker in acres of space. Rather than drill the ball to Haaland at the back post, he sends a rogue pull-back straight to the feet of a Spurs player.
12 min: Kyle Walker receives a pass out by the touchline but is immediately forced backwards by Micky van de Ven’s press.
10 min: Bernardo Silva is penalised for a trip on James Maddison in the middle of the pitch. Spurs have started really well and are showing no signs that they are going to let themselves be bullied.
8 min: Rodri clips the ball forward imnto space and Kyle Walker gets goalside of Micky van de Ven to chase it down. He tees up Kevin De Bruyne, whose shot takes a wicked deflection before spinning narrowly wide of the far post. It’s all for nothing, as Walker was offside when he began his initial sprint.
6 min: Spurs take the first shot in anger after a great switch in play from left to right. Brennan Johnson plays the ball inside to Bentancur, whose rising drive is palmed over the bar by Ederson. Nothing comes of the ensuing corner.
Updated
4 min: Sarr plays the ball wide to Micky van de Ven on the halfway line, before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gets involved. Now Radu Dragusin plays the ball back to Vicario. It’s cagey fare.
3 min: There’s nothing much of note to report as both sides try to suss each other out. Erling Haaland gets in behind Romero and has a clear view of the goal but he’s penalised for what looked like a little tug on the Tottenham defender.
Updated
1 min: Facing his own goal, Pedro Porro hooks the ball far downfield after Cristian Romero is deceived by the bounce just outside the Spurs penalty area.
Tottenham v Manchester City is go ...
1 min: Pape Sarr gets the ball rolling for Spurs and it’s quickly played back to Guglielmo Vicario in the home side’s goal.
Updated
Not long now. Referee Chris Kavanagh leads both sets of players out on to the immaculate Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sward. Kyle Walker and Son Heung-min wear the armbands and you can bet your bottom dollar that an awful lot of people in the stands are currently feeling decidedly conflicted and downright dirty inside right now. You love to see it!
An email: “That’s a great ‘fun fact’ about Spurs never conceding at home in the league against City in their new stadium,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “Perhaps Jose Mourinho followed Don Revie’s example by urinating in all four corners of the ground to lift any suspected curses, and thereby cursing his great nemesis from Spain?” Well, you certainly wouldn’t put it past him.
Updated
Ange Postecoglou: Speaking on Sky Sports about his team selection, the Spurs boss refuses to go into specifics but says he’s planning “a bit of a rejig” in his defence. He says he wants to make Manchester City “uncomfortable” and force them to run, which he reckons they don’t like, mate. “We’ve had a decent year but we haven’t got to where we want to be,” he says. “I’ve got some young guys who I believe have got enormous potential and what I want to do is throw them out there today and test them against the very best.”
An email: “Strange that Kulusevski doesn’t start since he usually scores against Manchester City,” writes Jonas. “Ok, he wasn’t up to his standards in the last game, but neither was Son, Maddison or Johnson.”
Tottenham’s defence: With Radu Dragusin in for only his fourth Premier League start since arriving at the club from Genoa in a £26.7m deal, it looks like the Dutch speedster Micky van de Ven will be lining up at left-back. The prospect of seeing him in a full-pelt foot race with Kyle Walker is a mouthwatering one – the pair of them could end up warping time.
Updated
Those teams: Big Ange makes three changes to the SPurs side that started against Burnley, one of them enforced by the knee injury suffered by Yves Bissouma. Radu Dragusin gets a rare start for the team he joined in January, while Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also come into the side. Oliver Skipp and Dejan Kulusevski drop to the bench.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola makes one change to the side that swatted Fulham aside. Kyle Walker starts, while Nathan Ake, who was injured in that game, is among the substitutes.
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sarr, Maddison, Johnson, Son.
Subs: Austin, Royal, Skipp, Hall, Lo Celso, Gil, Kulusevski, Moore, Scarlett.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Silva, Foden, Haaland.
Subs: Moreno, Stones, Ake, Grealish, Doku, Alvarez, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis.
Team news is in! 🤍 pic.twitter.com/lnomLeCdm0
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 14, 2024
City's line-up for #TOTMCI 🩵
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 14, 2024
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Stones, Ake, Grealish, Doku, Alvarez, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/JSwzke4bbG
The race for fourth: Aston Villa’s captain, John McGinn, joked that he and his teammates would don Manchester City shirts on Tuesday in the hope Pep Guardiola’s side help them to clinch a Champions League spot by winning at Tottenham. Ben Fisher reports …
Tonight’s match officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.
Assistants: Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan.
Fourth official: Graham Scott.
VAR: Michael Salisbury.
Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger.
Fun fact: It’s a remarkable and well known one but there might be some readers out there who are unaware that Manchester City have never scored a goal in, or taken a single point from any of their four Premier League visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It hasn’t been for the want of trying, as they’ve peppered the Spurs goal with 74 shots in their four top flight defeats at the ground since it opened, and also missed a penalty when losing 1-0 there in the Champions League in April 2019.
They finally managed to break the hoodoo in January, when Nathan Ake left it late to break their stadium duck in a 1-0 FA Cup win with a contentious goal that left Tottenham’s players and supporters spitting feathers. They felt Ake’s winner should have been ruled out for what some – but not the only people whose opinion mattered – perceived to be a foul on their goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, in the build-up.
Updated
Tottenham Hotspur: Ange Postecoglou has said he does not understand why some Tottenham supporters would prefer to lose against Manchester City on Tuesday if it means Arsenal do not win their first title for 20 years. Really? Words: Ed Aarons.
Manchester City: Pep Guardiola has admitted he and his players will feel “squeaky bum time” before their pivotal visit to Tottenham on Tuesday as they seek to win a record fourth consecutive title. Jamie Jackson reports …
Talksport: We all know that sports radio phone-ins are an entirely accurate barometer of public opinion, so it was interesting to hear Andy Goldstein and Jamie O’Hara take calls from Tottenham fans on their Drive show this afternoon. Going on what I heard, there is a fairly even split of supporters who want their team to win tonight and those who are desperate for them to get beaten.
Squires: Our cartoonist never fails to deliver, so come for the sight of an ashamed Gunnersaurus attempting to scrub “the Spurs” off himself in the shower and stay for the gag about Noel Gallagher refusing to do “the Poznan” with his fellow Manchester City fans at Fulham.
Updated
How things stand
We all know, but it would be a gross dereliction of journalistic duty not to remind everyone. A City win will see them leapfrog Arsenal and go two points clear at the Premier League summit, leaving them in the title race box-seat going into the final round of games on Sunday.
A Spurs win or draw will leave Arsenal in pole position ahead of their final game of the campaign at h0me against Everton, because they have a slightly superior goal difference (+3) to City, who host West Ham on the final day oof the season. Following Aston Villa’s late comeback against Liverpool last night, anything less than a win tonight will end Tottenham’s already slim hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
A point will be enough to guarantee Ange Postecoglou’s side fifth place and a spot in the Europa League, but defeat will leave them vulnerable to the possibility of being overtaken by one or both of Newcastle United and Chelsea, who are both six points behind Spurs and have two games each left to play. Newcastle have a vastly superior goal difference to Spurs, while Chelsea’s is currently identical.
A seventh place finish in the table might not be enough to qualify for European football next season, for reasons that are almost entirely dependent on how Manchester United get on in their two remaining league matches and the FA Cup final. Most available recent evidence suggests they will get on very badly.
Updated
Early team news: Having limped out of Manchester City’s win over Fulham in the first half with an ankle injury, Nathan Ake is Manchester City’s injury concern and was due to undergo a fitness test today. His inclusion in the City line-up seems unlikely and it was Kyle Walker who replaced him on Saturday, filling in at right-back so Manuel Akanji could move into the heart of the defence, where he had an untroubled evening.
Tottenham have a comparatively lengthy list of lame and halt and will be without Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Manor Solomon, Timo Werner and Destiny Odogie tonight. Ryan Sessegnon, who has made just one seven-minute appearance for the club this season, remains sidelined with a long-term hamstring issue.
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City
Premier League: So it’s come to this. Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester City tonight in a match morally conflicted Arsenal fans everywhere really need and want them to win or draw, in order to boost their own beloved club’s chances of winning a first Premier League title in 20 years. There’ll be plenty of Tottenham fans feeling a little dirty inside too, knowing that a win is also essential to keep their faint hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League alive but could also go a long way towards helping their bitter north London rivals win the league.
Anything less than a Spurs victory will rule them out of a place at European football’s top table next season and despite Ange Postecoglou’s claims to the contrary, there are almost certainly plenty of season ticket-holders at White Hart Lane who’d happily take that particular hit for the reward of seeing Arsenal’s title hopes take a hammer-blow.
We’ll find out in due course whether or not their players are up for it, although Jamie Redknapp insists they’ll be naturally motivated to do their best because they have something to play for and besides, it’s not in an elite athlete’s nature to slack off. Whether or not their best will be good enough against the reigning champions remains to be seen, so stay tuned for what could be a highly eventful and intriguing contest. Kick-off in north London is at 8pm (BST) but we’ll have plenty of team news and build-up in the meantime.
Updated
