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Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester City: Spurs fall in hard-fought match

It’s not a footballing, but it sure felt like one.

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Tottenham Hotspur have found life at home difficult in this Premier League campaign, and while they fought valiantly against defending league champions Manchester City, they weren’t able to summon up enough offense to put the ball in the back of the net today. Despite a dominating second half and numerous big chances, Spurs fell behind to an Erling Haaland tap-in goal in the first half and couldn’t find the back of the net. Haaland had a second ball in the net deep into injury time, but was called back by VAR for a handball. Tottenham had numerous good chances to complete the treble against City, but instead fell at home with the final score 1-0.

It was a good performance against a very good team, but another one goal loss on the season. Here are my match reactions.

Match Reactions

This was a weird game. City could’ve legitimately been up 3-0 in the first half, but considering Spurs’ dominance in the second half it almost feels like Tottenham got football’d in this one.

Spurs have broken Pep so thoroughly that it looked for a while like Guardiola started the match playing a 4-4-2. This comment should have that meme of the guy sitting in a chair made out of his own brain.

City’s early goal was annoying in that not only did Spurs not mark Haaland well right in front of goal, but it came off of a Brennan Johnson deflection. Ugly-ass lucky goal, but probably one that should’ve been prevented.

The first half was mostly Tottenham having a bunch of the ball but in inconsequential positions and them not able to get the ball to the attackers in dangerous areas. Meanwhile, Doku was terrorizing Pedro Porro on the right and City were able to get numerous chances on target.

Vicario had a solid half, including one save made at full stretch. He barely had to do anything in the second half.

I’m all for rotation (and even better, the OPTION of rotation) but I’m not sure this starting lineup was the right one against City, even one in bad form. Brennan Johnson is not great against pressing teams, and Odobert and Tel showed flashes of ability but not enough to make a difference.

Every time we play City I always forget how much Pep instructs his players to tactically foul and how much it annoys me when they get away with it. City got away with so much violence in this match. How Spurs ended up with three yellows and City none is beyond my ken.

This might have been Lucas Bergvall’s best match with Spurs to date. Still a little bit of youthful folly (to steal a Severance phrase) but his carrying into space is just so good right now.

QUAD SUB! QUAD SUB! QUAD SUB! That was fun! And while Spurs had been doing well to get back into the match, I agreed with every one of the four subs.

Haaland’s second goal that was waved off was a bit confusing, but apparently the call on the field was a handball on Haaland and VAR couldn’t find conclusive evidence that it was NOT a handball, so the call on the field stood: no goal.

I think Djed Spence is better than Destiny Udogie right now, and Archie Gray had one of his best matches in a Spurs shirt today.

I really feel like Spurs deserved an equalizer in this one, but there’s not much to be upset about in this one. Tottenham played well, rested their players, and look much improved from the dire days of December and January. I’m still high on this team bouncing back and ending up with a respectable league finish.

No game this weekend, so Spurs’ next match is next week in the Europa League at AZ.

After a tough away win at Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur return home to a much easier task: taking on Manchester City.

I speak largely in jest, of course, but the truth is that Spurs have a quite unusually good record against the Citizens over the last few years. To add to that history, Spurs are in fact five wins from five fixtures against Manchester clubs this season. They will be buoyed as well by the recent uptick in form, as well as the continued returns of absentees to the matchday squads.

City are well above Spurs on the table, but in some ways may be more disappointed with their season thus far. The Sky Blues are in a bit of a strange limbo, not doing terribly in the league but with most of the major trophies now out of reach as they struggle through a period of rebuild (sound familiar?). They have suffered some heavy defeats in recent weeks, and are searching desperately for a statement victory to right the ship.

Let’s sink it instead.

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. UK

TV: Not televised in USA, TNT Sports 3 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Peacock

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

Those on Team Europa League still probably view the Premier League as a lost cause, but I will admit it is intriguing to see Tottenham Hotspur now within 10 points of sixth place. While it would take a lot of clubs slipping for Spurs to sneak into the European spots — and the simplest path to Europe next year is just winning the Europa League — the window is cracked back open.

An actual run in the league would require stealing some points, though I am not sure beating Manchester City would even be close to a heist. Though the reigning champions are betting favorites and the superior squad on paper, they are struggling (relative to expectations) just as much as Spurs this year and are playing for very little themselves. Tottenham always shows up for this fixture, and the chance is there to make it four straight in the league.

Tottenham Hotspur (13th, 33pts) vs. Manchester City (t-5th, 44pts)

Date: Wednesday, February 26

Time: 2:30 pm ET, 7:30 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: Peacock (US), TNT Sports 3 (UK)

February has not been kind to City. Wins over Leyton Orient (in the FA Cup) and Newcastle are the only bright spots, with Real Madrid knocking them out of the Champions League and Arsenal and Liverpool both claiming three points against them domestically. This is a lost season; it was bound to happen at some point, but still is shocking to witness after four consecutive Premier League titles.

Tottenham has continued to play its role as City’s boogeyman, winning 2-1 in the League Cup this October thanks to Timo Werner (lol) and Pape Sarr goals in North London. A month later, it was a slaughter at the Etihad, with James Maddison (twice), Pedro Porro, and Brennan Johnson all getting in on the fun in what was one of the few highlights this season.

Measuring heart

It is bizarre to watch City fall off so sharply. The attack is still the third-highest in the league — just one goal behind Spurs — but the defense is midtable, which is an uncommon sight. Injuries have played a major role (sounds familiar!), with John Stones and Manuel Akanji both sidelined for a while, though Ruben Dias looks set to feature. The midfield, however, is perhaps the bigger issue, with Rodri out most of the year and Kevin De Bruyne clearly in decline.

On the other side, things are surprisingly looking up in North London. Djed Spence and Kevin Danso have injected life into the defense, while recent returners such as Maddison, Johnson, and Guglielmo Vicario are making this look like an actually solid squad. Add in the fact that City-killer Heung-Min Son had his best outing in weeks against Ipswich, and there is no debate as to which team is in better form heading into this showdown. It is hard to quantify these things, and form has hardly seemed to matter in past fixtures, but I like where Tottenham is heading into this showdown.

Balance

That being said, Ange Postecoglou needs to keep the big picture in mind. Whether by design or timing, it seems notable that the manager is prepared to hold back his first-choice center backs, and his two true No. 9s, against City, saving them for next week’s winnable — but critical — Round of 16 tie against AZ Alkmaar.

As much as Postecoglou would love to field his best XI on Wednesday, the reality is that beating Alkmaar is a much bigger priority than getting one over on City right now. Perhaps lessons have been learned from rushing players back too soon, but this feels like an acknowledgement of what matters most down the stretch. Beating Pep Guardiola is always satisfying, but it cannot come at the expense of the Europa League.

Welcome to another Track of the Day - Queen Edition, where your hoddler-in-chief features songs from the greatest band of all time. In previous editions we examined the roots of Queen with My Fairy King, Brian May’s deepcut Long Away and Freddie Mercury’s triumphant final act in The Show Must Go On.

Before we get to the main business, here’s a bonus track:

Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: Jailhouse Rock, by Queen

I discovered Queen when I was an angsty teenager in high school. No one else I knew liked them. I listened to Killer Queen and I was hooked. Then, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody. But other songs filled my brainwaves during those years too: Save Me, Flash Gordon, Brighton Rock, It’s a Hard Life, Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, Somebody to Love, The Prophet’s Song, Innuendo, Now I’m Here.

I think all these songs were on the Greatest Hits CD boxset I was gifted during my second year in high school.

The song that floored me, though, was Seven Seas of Rhye.

This single followed their first single Keep Yourself Alive, which failed to deliver on the charts. But, wow, what a song this is.

There are some songs that scream “Queen” and this is it. The lyrics bound in the mystic world built by Mercury, a glorious piano riff that is soon joined by a hard rock sound heavily inspired by Led Zeppelin.

It also displays Queen not quite at their peak, but close to it. And I feel these lyrics represent the band better than most of what else they wrote:

Begone with you short and shady senators

Give out the good, leave out the bad evil cries

I challenge the mighty titan and his troubadours

And with a smile

I’ll take you to the seven seas of Rhye

It feels so “Freddie Mercury” to challenge something as mighty as a titan. And yet he and Queen did, rising far above whatever a titan could possibly attain.

I listened to this song countless times (like I listened to all Queen songs). I even remember it playing on the CD player while I was driving my date (both of us wearing purple)

in my purple vehicle to homecoming in my final year of high school.

It wasn’t fashionable to listen to Queen back then. I still don’t know if it is now. Adam Lambert certainly helped revive it. But when I claim that Queen are the greatest band of all time, you won’t hear me put forth Another One Bites the Dust as my example. I’ll probably put Seven Seas of Rhye there (or March of the Black Queen or Bohemian Rhapsody).

Fitzie’s track of the day, part two: Seven Seas of Rhye, by Queen

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Are Spurs set for another ticket price hike? ‘Very soon, I won’t be able to come here any more’”

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou dismisses record against Man City and makes title claim”

BBC: “Mourinho v Turkish football - what is going on?”

During Tottenham Hotspur’s massive injury crisis at the start of 2025, I regularly posted that there weren’t any shortcuts to end the problem, and that “the only way out is through”. Today, Ange Postecoglou got back to posting is regular injury update videos on social media, and he expressed some very, very good news — Spurs are almost “through” the crisis.

In today’s video, Postecoglou said that four of Spurs’ remaining injured players — Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, and Dominic Solanke — have targeted returns to the squad within “7-10 days” which would put them in contention for Spurs’ Europa League first leg against AZ Alkmaar.

We’ve already seen what a few players back from injury combined with a non-insane fixture schedule can do to this Tottenham team — they’re on a three game winning streak in the Premier League and face tomorrow’s home fixture against Manchester City with something akin to actual optimism. There have also been posts on Spurs’ social media channels showing Cuti Romero back training with the full first team, which suggests that while he might not be ready vs. Manchester City, barring another setback a return vs. AZ feels reasonable.

Romero, Van de Ven, Richarlison and Solanke collectively represent a LOT of firepower for Spurs, and even if it takes them a while to get back up to speed it’s exciting to think about what Tottenham Hotspur can do in the back half of the season. The good vibes are back.

After 13 months, I can finally say I have finished reading Pessoa: A Biography by Richard Zenith, the 900-plus page book dedicated to quite possibly Portugal’s greatest writer.

The last hundred or so pages were read in a flash. As he reached the final years of his life, Pessoa was thrust into the sociopolitical elements of Portuguese society and Antonio Salazar. The book, as Pessoa’s life, reaches its end before the beginning of the Second World War.

The conclusion is a rich pay-off to the thousands of words that came before it. I spent many hours reading the history of Portugal, South Africa, American and British writers, Alestair Crowley, occultism, the study of modernism and naval adventures. All of these shaped Pessoa’s world.

And Pessoa would shape the world that he would depart, a world in which he chose to live as non-famously as possible. Who was this great poet that no one heard of?

I’ve already picked up one book of poetry (Verlaine), because of how it shaped Pessoa. And now I am in search of another, The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, written by the illustrious Jose Saramago who was in no doubt inspired by Pessoa.

In all my readings I cannot find a writer whose style was more labrynthine or expansive. And yet his final written words could not be more laconic: “I know not what tomorrow will bring.”

I closed my book wanting to dive immediately back into The Book of Disquiet. Or should I read Saramago?

I instead turn to my shelf of neglected books and pick up M Train by Patti Smith, which she described as a “road map” to her life. It feels like a natural book to follow Pessoa. I’ve read Smith before (Just Kids) and understand how heavily inspired she was by poets who came before her (particularly the Romantic poets like Rimbaud and Verlaine).

And so I am currently devouring this book which name drops Frida Kahlo, Sylvia Plath, Haruki Murakami - too many notable figures to count.

And, of course, she listed The Book of Disquiet as one of her all-time favourite books. He was apparently given a mention in her book Year of the Monkey, in which she recounted visiting Pessoa’s personal library in Lisbon.

The above video is Patti Smith reading Salutation to Walt Whitman by Alvaro de Campos, a Pessoa heteronym heavily inspired by the American transcendentalist. Few writers were credited as inspiring Pessoa so much as Whitman, whose style and personality was so anti-Pessoan.

Unlike Pessoa, Whitman was full of life and expression. And we see this in Campos, whose life and work was far different from that of the withdrawn Pessoa.

Whitman, Rimbaud Verlaine, Shakespeare, Byron and Wilde. All significant influences on the works of Portugal’s greatest writer.

Rimbaud, Verlaine, Wilde, Camus and Genet. All significant influences on one of America’s most alluring song-writers.

As I chart the road map to Patti Smith’s life, I find myself at the strangest of intersections in which we both encountered Pessoa, Campos, Caeiro, Reis, Soares, Mora and Guedes.

Fitzie’s track of the day: The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face, by Roberta Flack

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Tottenham can still salvage this season - here are three compelling reasons why”

Football London: “Yang Min-hyeok sub decision explained, Alfie Dorrington loan frustration and Luka Vuskovic goal”

Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield needs an overhaul this summer. That’s pretty much a universally acknowledged truth. What isn’t so clear is how that transformation is going to take place and which players Ange Postecoglou will opt to keep around before bringing in reinforcements.

The main decision that needs to be made is what to do with Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma. Lolo is 27, Bissouma is 28. Both have contracts that expire next summer, and decisions need to be made as to whether to extend one of them, both of them, or neither of them as they enter into the “twilight years” of their careers. Neither of them are sixes in the style that Ange Postecoglou wants, and both have at times struggled with injury, form, and overall fitness with what Postecoglou wants to do.

In truth, this is a decision that probably should’ve been made LAST summer, but Tottenham apparently didn’t like the midfield market and opted to kick the can down the road. But now perhaps we have a clue as to what Postecoglou and the club wants to do.

According to Sami Mokbel at the Daily Mail (sigh, I know, but Mokbel is a solidly reliable journo despite working for that rag), Tottenham have opened preliminary talks to extend Bentancur’s contract.

There’s a ways to go here, but it appears that if there’s a choice between Bissouma and Bentancur, the club has chosen Lolo. It’s an interesting choice. Lolo has been... let’s say “up and down” over the past year or so. He hasn’t looked like the same player since returning from a major injury last season, and of course he had the whole Korean racist video thing and subsequent suspension. But since getting some rest recently, he’s played well the past couple of matches. He’s also a year younger than Bissouma, and Yves has also been inconsistent.

Tottenham have an option to purchase Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso this summer should they choose, and there’s also the possibility of working Archie Gray into the midfield next season as well, a position that Spurs apparently still think is in Gray’s long term future. Extending Bentancur and letting Bissouma go this summer would reduce the need for a more drastic summer overhaul (and the need to sign two central midfielders), and it maybe provides a little bit of clarity as to how Johan Lange and Postecoglou want to see from the midfield next season.

Bentancur has some agency, of course. He could choose not to extend and to move on this summer as well, or they could decide to extend BOTH Lolo and Yves (which would be a pretty crazy outcome, to be honest). But irrespective of that, it sure does seem like the club has chosen it’s fighter for next year.

Tottenham Hotspur won their third consecutive Premier League match on Saturday, dispatching a most likely relegation-bound Ipswich Town by a final score of 1-4, avenging Ipswich’s win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the season. Brennan Johnson back-posted his way to a brace, and Spurs added goals from Djed Spence and a spectacular goal off the post from Dejan Kulusevski.

Has the tide turned? Are Spurs finally behind the plough? Sure seems that way, but we’ll find out more this Wednesday when Spurs host Manchester City.

Ipswich Town are the Tractor Boys. Why? Who knows, ask the English. I am not a farmer and don’t know much about actual tractors, but when has that stopped me from making definitive rankings of Spurs players based on arbitrary criteria that I don’t fully understand?

So here are my player ratings for Tottenham’s 1-4 win over Ipswich Town to the theme of tractors.

The gold standard for tractoring, and also apparently hella expensive. Nothing runs (or costs) like a Deere.

Son Heung-Min (Community — 4.0): He didn’t score, but this was still Sonny at his best — dynamic and exciting on the ball and in space, constantly looking to set up his teammates. Two assists on the day and had chances to score. Excellent.

Like I said, I know very little about tractors but this New Holland one is blue and has freakin’ TANK TREADS on the back, so I say it rules.

Djed Spence (Community — 4.5): Solid on both sides of the ball, and on both flanks as he spent time both at LB and RB. Well-taken deflected goal as well. Djed Spence might just be our best fullback right now, and he gave Pedro Porro a deserved rest.

A quick scan of several tractor message boards (and yes, there are many) reveals that Fendt has a very, very good reputation for tractors and farm implements, especially for those who like John Deere but don’t want to pay John Deere prices.

Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 4.0): Googly Elmo kept Spurs in the match early with a spectacular double save on Liam Delap’s first minute chance, and had a few more solid stops and catches in the first half. Had less to do in the second half as Spurs went ahead big. Solid match.

Kevin Danso (Community — 4.0): Lost Hutchinson for Ipswich’s goal, but was extremely solid the rest of the time. Started at LCB due to Ange’s decision and would’ve been better against Delap, but I understand the reasoning for starting him there.

Archie Gray (Community — 4.0): Liam Delap gave him a hiding a couple of times, but after a few scares Archie settled down and played quite well. What impressed me most was his long ball to Sonny’s feet for Spurs’ first goal — very impressive that an 18-year-old playing out of position has that pass in his locker.

Lucas Bergvall (Community — 4.0): Lucas is now putting up consistently good performances late in this season, and that’s probably the silver lining to the injury cloud — it’s very unlikely he would’ve had the minutes he’s had otherwise. Solid, brave performance in midfield. This kid is special.

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 4.0): Still looks a little tired, but had a lot more energy thanks to some extra rest than we’ve seen in past matches. Exceptional cutback goal off the post. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

Brennan Johnson (Community — 4.0): All he does is score goals! Two typically Brennanish back post strikes and had a chance for a hatty. As much as he disappears in other facets of the game, I’m not sure there’s anyone better in the league at that late back post run. Spurs’ leading goal scorer in all competitions with 14.

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 4.0): We won! Hooray! Full marks for the gaffer! But seriously, Ange’s system just works so much better when he has something closer to a fully healthy first team squad.

I get the sense that Kubota is the Honda of the tractor world — perhaps a little less expensive to own, but gets high marks for reliability and performance. They also have high marks for customer loyalty. Plus they’re bright orange, and that kinda rules.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 3.5): Looked a little rusty in his first start since his injury, but was solid defensively and had a good opportunity to score in the first half. Welcome back, king.

Rodrigo Bentancur (Community — 3.5): Solid enough performance and had a gorgeous through-ball to set up Son for Spurs’ second goal.

James Maddison (Community — 4.0): Added a spark with his creativity late and got an assist in the process. Madders just seems right now like a guy with whom managed minutes will be the reality.

Dane Scarlett (Community — 3.5): A nice little cameo appearance from the Great Dane, who also had a flicked header that set up Dejan Kulusevski’s goal. Getting a tune out of Dane yet this season would be nice, even if I’m still not convinced he’s a Tottenham player long term.

My general sense is that Massey Ferguson tractors are more popular in the UK than elsewhere. They seem to be a decent mid-tier line, and they’re red and pretty. Sure!

Mathys Tel (Community — 3.0): I still think Tel is an out-and-out striker rather than a wide forward, and so is playing in the right position. He’s young and is still adapting to the speed and strength of the Premier League, but he was getting into good positions. He’ll get there, but we need to be patient with him.

Pedro Porro (Community — 3.5): Rested for this one (which he needed) and was fine as a late sub with the game mostly already in hand.

Wilson Odobert (Community — 3.0): I still feel like I barely know the guy, but Wilson put in a solid enough shift as a late sub..

Did you know Lamborghini started off as a tractor company? I didn’t, but I do know that Jeremy Clarkson bought a Lambo tractor for the first season of Clarkson’s Farm, which feels very on brand. I don’t know much about the reliability of Lambo tractors, I just don’t like Clarkson.

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating:

Good morning, hoddlers.

This is your hoddler-in-chief, writing to you from the past. For today it is 19 February 2025.

But the hoddle is for the 24th February.

Yes, yes. I am heading back to Washington after a weekend in Connecticut. Nothing like a getaway up north to escape the winter weather.

I think I just finished packing for my trip. I’m not sure. I am just trying to decide on the shoes. Yeah I can wear my sneakers, but I’d rather wear boots. But then I’d also have to bring my sneakers with me. And I already decided to leave behind my short-distance running shoes.

That’s all besides the point.

Which is funny, because there is no point.

Here’s the secret, dear hoddlers. Today’s hoddle has no point. It is merely an exercise in how many lines I can grafs out of my mind. I’m currently at eight.

Now nine.

So please use this space to write all about Tottenham’s game against Ipswich Town, or whatever else you wanna do.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet

And now for your links

The State Journal-Register: “This Springfield tearoom has more than just tasty beverages and pastries”

BBC: “‘It’s out of this world’ - Everton fans get first glimpse of new stadium”

Tottenham Hotspur went to Ipswich, the team in the relegation zone that beat them at home, and crushed them 4-1 behind a brace from Brennan Johnson and goals from Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski. It was a good match.

It’s time to rate the players.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.