Mourinho attempts to play down title talk as Spurs beat Man City | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho got the better of his long-time rival Pep Guardiola for the second season in a row as Spurs beat Man City 2-0 at home.

Mourinho’s side got off to the perfect start in just the fourth minute, a scooped ball from Tanguy Ndombele over a somewhat static Man City defence found the run of Heung Min Son, who took a well-weighted touch before slotting home underneath the advancing Ederson.

Both sides would have well-worked goals ruled out before the break, Kane’s close-range tap in being chalked off for offside, before Aymeric Laporte’s strike was ruled out for a handball by Gabriel Jesus in the buildup.

In somewhat typical Jose Mourinho style, Spurs were content to sit back and hit on the counter, and in the 65th minute, the north London side doubled their advantage. The hugely impressive Harry Kane collecting the ball near the centre circle before carrying it into the City half, the England skipper then playing an excellently weighted ball into substitute Giovanni Lo Celso, who, having only just been introduced, took a touch and slotted through the legs of Ederson for 2-0.

While City dominated possession throughout, they rarely looked like actually breaking down a well-drilled Spurs side, their best chance coming in the last minute of the game, though Ruben Dias’ header was straight at Hugo Lloris who saved smartly.

The result sees Spurs go top of the table until tomorrow at least ahead of Leicester’s game against Liverpool, and speaking afterwards, Jose Mourinho attempted to play down his side’s place in the title race.

“It feels good [to be top], but maybe tomorrow we are second again and honestly that would not be a problem for me, I am just happy with the evolution [of the team],” he told BBC Match of the Day.

“People cannot expect us to come here and after one season we are fighting for the title. We are not fighting for the title, we are just fighting to win every match. But we are going to lose matches, we are going to draw matches.

“But dinner tonight will be nice and relaxed and I will watch Atletico Madrid v Barcelona and sleep like an angel.

“But no problem if Leicester wins [tomorrow] and we are second again.”

Next up for Spurs is a home game against Ludogorets in the Europa League, before a mouthwatering tie against London rivals Chelsea.

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