With Tottenham Hotspur in the midst of yet another injury crisis, even the Lilywhite’s record against Manchester City seemed but a distant memory as Spurs languished near the bottom of the table while City pushed for yet another title. A rousing second half effort though saw Spurs overcome the odds and secure a valuable point as the gap between league leaders Arsenal and Manchester City grew.
Thomas Frank was forced into further rotation for his side, as more Spurs players succumbed to the injury bug. Kevin Danso and Djed Spence were the latest absentees, and with limited resources at his disposal Frank opted to run with something of a lopsided 3-4-3 formation. Retaining the Yves Bissouma - Conor Gallagher double pivot from the Burnley match, Radu Dragusin got his first start of the season, joining Joao Palhinha and Cristian Romero at the back, while Destiny Udogie and Archie Gray lined up in the wingback positions. The frontline consisted of Randal Kolo Muani, Dominic Solanke, and Xavi Simons, with the latter playing a free role.
The shape didn’t seem to provide any sort of solidity for Spurs, with dangerous signs for the home side on the counter early on as Antoine Semenyo tried his luck with an early attempt. With not even 15 minutes on the clock, it was a quick transition that undid Spurs as well, as Bissouma overplayed his hand in the middle of the park and was dispossessed by Bernardo Silva. With the ball falling to Erling Haaland, the Norwegian striker fed Rayan Cherki in space, with Dragusin slow to close down as the Frenchman rifled a low, deflected shot across Guglielmo Vicario inside the left-hand upright to open the scoring.
Transition opportunities kept coming for City. Haaland was soon in behind, chipping an attempt over both Vicario and the crossbar, and Rayan Cherki was nearly in for a second after slaloming past both Dragusin and Romero, with only a phenomenal Vicario save from close-range preventing a second for City. Another goal seemed somewhat inevitable, and though Spurs had a couple of half-chances of their own, City added a second right before the half. Spurs again gave the ball away playing out the back, with Rodri the man to make the intervention. He played an incisive ball forward to Bernardo Silva, whose lay-off found Semenyo in acres of space at the top of the 18-yard box. Semenyo caressed his strike into the net and City went into the half with a 0-2 lead.
Frank made somewhat of a curious switch at the half, pulling Romero and bringing Pape Matar Sarr into the XI, reverting to a back four shape. The switch paid immediate dividends, with Destiny Udogie nearly in but unable to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma after being fed by Xavi Simons. Simons’ next pass, however, unpicked the lock that was the Manchester City defense, as the Dutchman curled a pass in behind the City backline. Solanke took a heavy touch as he cut inside, but did well to use his strength to hold off Marc Guehi before collecting a piece of both Guehi’s leg and the ball with a messy finish. VAR took a brief look to ensure everything passed muster, and Spurs had reduced the deficit to a solitary goal.
That deficit was soon zero. Spurs continued to press forward following two attacking changes from Frank, as Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel came in for Kolo Muani and Bissouma, but it was Solanke who had the ball in the net again. Some good work by Gallagher down the right saw him wriggle free of Nico O’Reilly, before hitting a cross in towards the penalty spot. The ball was behind Solanke, but he sensationally reached back with his foot to flick a scorpion kick attempt over his head and into the top corner via the fingertips of Donnarumma.
Spurs looked to press their momentary advantage, as Simons had a deflected strike tipped over by Donnarumma, before City started to play their way back into the match. The away side looked almost certain to restore their lead, as a mad scramble on the edge of the six-yard box somehow didn’t result in a City goal thanks to the efforts of a seated Sarr, backing his way into the ball while on the ground before deflecting a shot over the crossbar. Spurs were close to taking the lead themselves as well, as a burst forward and low cross from Simons inches away from connecting with Odobert as Guehi did just enough to prevent the shot. Try as they might, though, neither side was able to create the breakthrough they needed, and the match finished two apiece.
Reactions
This ended up being a very different match report than the one I started writing.
Credit to Frank: as much as he got it wrong in the first half with how discombobulated the players looked, he got it right in the second. It was an impressive turnaround, and the players definitely seem to be working for him.
Shout-out to Radu Dragusin. This was a tough match to get your first start in after an extended period out with injury, and after a bit of a rough start grew into the game well, handling Haaland with aplomb and making a couple of key interventions.
Speaking of successful returns from injury, Solanke really worked hard today, and his second goal was a fantastic finish. He has made a fair bit of difference to this Spurs side since his return.
I really, really hope that Romero isn’t injured. With Danso seemingly out for a while (no idea how bad Djed’s problem is) Spurs’ defensive options are looking very light. Sign one, Lange!
Xavi Simons was fantastic today. He’s arguably Spurs’ best player at the moment, the main frustration being the lack of quality attackers with whom to link up. Sign one, Lange!
Unfortunately, this result potentially locks in the Premier League title for Arsenal. Every silver lining, etc.
Spurs now have a very welcome week off before taking on Manchester United next weekend.
COYS!
