A week of frustration and disappointment for Tottenham Hotspur after their bid for Eberechi Eze was hijacked by their north London rivals ended with them basking in victory away to Manchester City to make it two wins from two at the start of their Premier League campaign.
Triumphing at the Etihad Stadium is not a new experience for Spurs or Thomas Frank — this was Tottenham’s third Premier League win here in their last five visits, whilst Frank had tasted victory as Brentford manager in 2022 — but given how rejuvenated City had looked in dismantling Wolverhampton Wanderers in their season opener last weekend, this was a coup.
Spurs had ran amok on this pitch last term when **Pep Guardiola**’s team were fragile. Now, new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, along with the long-awaited return of Rodri, were meant to have the home crowd cooing at a revamped team, but instead they got something far more unpalatable.
Whereas City created relatively little, squandered the few chances they manufactured and generally looked out of sorts when in possession, Spurs put in an even better display than they did in their comfortable victory over Burnley.
Frank had refreshed his midfield with Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur coming in to play alongside Pape Sarr and the trio were the outstanding performers, they trumped their City counterparts. Both in attack and in defence they excelled.
Two wins — and both with clean sheets — to start the league campaign will be welcomed by Frank, who gathered with his players to take the applause of the travelling support after the final whistle.
Getty: Marc Atkins
Guardiola will only have questions on his plate. The City head coach made the decision to stick with James Trafford ahead of Ederson, despite the Brazilian being fit and available. It marked the possible end of an era for the goalkeeper whose hands (and feet) helped City to six league titles and a Champions League.
Unfortunately for Trafford, it was his hospital pass to Nico Gonzalez that presented Palhinha with the chance to double the visitors’ lead after Brennan Johnson had swept home their opener. This was evidence that although City showed the best of themselves at Wolves, they remain a distinct work in progress.
Story of the game
Comprehensive wins on the opening weekend didn’t stop either head coach from tinkering with their starting lineups. Rayan Cherki, made his first league start for City but it was the two Spurs changes that set the early pace.
A field day was had by Spurs here last term and they were quick into their high press on this occasion. Their four-man defence pushed high but not dangerously so, and a sedate atmosphere for this early kick-off helped the visitors’ cause as well.
It was only when Pedro Porro drilled a rebound into the side-netting after his initial free-kick was blocked by the City wall that the home team woke up. They went straight down the other end and Porro’s weak header allowed Omar Marmoush to slide a shot across goal that narrowly went wide of the far post.
Marmoush was the game’s main attacking threat for the next 20 minutes. He regularly cut in past Porro and worked Guglielmo Vicario. An opening on 28 minutes, after Erling Haaland had made a powerful run through a collection of Tottenham players and fed the ball through the middle, should have been buried into the bottom corner. Instead, the Spurs ‘keeper saved with his midriff.
Yet, Tottenham under Frank are quickly showing they can execute a counter beautifully and that came to pass again in the 35th minute when a ball upfield was headed on by Mohammed Kudus tight to the far touchline.
Richarlison, kept onside by John Stones,, raced beyond Nathan Ake, who had replaced Rayan Ait-Nouri after the full-back had turned his ankle earlier in the half, and delivered a low centre into the City area that Johnson swept home first time. It took a VAR review to award the Wales international with his second goal in as many games.
Getty: Darren Staples
City lost their way before half time. After coming close to giving away a penalty when Reijnders tackled Porro on the edge of the area, and almost being reduced to ten men when the ball struck Trafford’s arm as he came to make a challenge on Kudus outside of the box, City presented Spurs with a second goal.
Trafford played a pass to Gonzalez from a short goal-kick that he never should have attempted. Pape Sarr immediately pressed the City midfielder in his own area and the ball eventually broke for Palhinha to rifle into an unprotected net. Cue the mandatory TV shot of Ederson sat on the bench.
City might have had a lifeline in stoppage time had Haaland not missed the target with a header from an inviting cross, but that wouldn’t have changed Guardiola’s messaging at the break. There was much to address.
They did muster a stronger start to the second half, but Cherki couldn’t get his shot away from close range as Spurs almost paid for sloppily playing out from the back. The Frenchman, who was adjudged to have fouled Palhinha, was then substituted for Jeremy Doku.
Yet, it was the visitors who quickly restored themselves as the more threatening team, with Richarlison particularly eager to get himself on the scoresheet. Two of his headers looped over and he was denied another by **Rico Lewis**’s intervention.
Ruben Diaz glanced a header wide from a free-kick, but despite Guardiola throwing on Rodri, for his first league minutes since rupturing his Achilles here against Arsenal almost a year ago, along with Phil Foden, City were left to lick their wounds. Spurs deserved winners again.