Tottenham Hotspur went down 2-0 in the first half to Manchester City and looked destined for yet another horrid loss against a big team in the English top flight, just as they had been torn to shreds by Arsenal and Chelsea earlier this season.
Even though Spurs did not come roaring back to win and dominate Man City like they did at the beginning of the season when they fooled everyone into thinking they'd be competent challengers under Thomas Frank, they did coming roaring back enough to salvage a respectable 2-2 draw with a Premier League title contender.
There were a number of heroic performances on the afternoon, as Xavi Simons delivered his best performance to date as a Spur with a creative masterclass as a passer and dribbler. And what more superlatives can be said about Dominic Solanke's mini breakout after his length injury spell? Solanke's Scorpion Kick is the Premier League Goal of the Season favorite now, and he scored both the goals in the second half comeback.
Tottenham's unsung hero
But lost in all the praise for the big name, 60+ million pound attacking signings is the performance of a substitute who changed the game at the half, box to box center midfielder Pape Matar Sarr. So much has been spoken about new 40 million euro signing Conor Gallagher or about the recent loss of Lucas Bergvall for months, yet Sarr continues to fly under the radar.
Now, Sarr did fall off the radar a bit because he was busy at AFCON with Senegal, but, also, Thomas Frank discarded him for months, even though he made him one of the team's most important players at the start of the season. And it may not be a coincidence that Spurs have not been as good since Sarr was a regular starter in the side.
Sarr proved that he has what Tottenham are missing in midfield. He was insanely good on defense with four tackles, three blocks, and a pair of clearances in the perfect workhorse performance. Defense can start a good offense, and Sarr is a transition monster with his ball winning and ability to put his body on the line.
After watching how Sarr change the game for Tottenham vs. Manchester City, every single Tottenham Hotspur supporter is wondering why on earth Pape Matar Sarr is not playing more. It seems inexplicable that a player who can have this sort of an impact on a team is not a regular part of the rotation at a minimum, and Sarr may have played himself into more minutes.