Manchester City 1 Tottenham 0: City player ratings as City pick up a hard-fought victory. | OneFootball

Manchester City 1 (Erling Haaland 12′)

Tottenham 0

Here are the City player ratings as Manchester City picked up a vital 1-nil win over Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s side picked up a precious three points in the race to secure a place in the Champions League for next season. But they were made to work for the victory, especially in the second half.

There was good news ahead of kickoff with Erling Haaland returning to City’s starting lineup after missing Manchester City’s defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool. With the way results had unfolded last night, there was an opportunity for Pep Guardiola’s side to seize the initiative in the race to secure Champions League football for next season.

First half

Both teams made a bright start to the game. Tottenham looked dangerous in possession and appeared determined to press Manchester City in possession all over the pitch. Pep Guardiola’s side were looking to get at the space Tottenham’s defence and set-up was providing.

The first chance of the game fell to Erling Haaland in the 7th minute. A well-worked move on City’s right wing between Savinho and Matheus Nunes saw the Brazilian play Nunes in behind the Spurs defence. His cutback from the byline was met by Erling Haaland, but his right-footed strike was struck straight at Guglielmo Vicario in Tottenham’s goal, and he gathered the ball with ease.

Erling Haaland gives Manchester City the lead!!!!!

In the 12th minute, Manchester City would take the lead. A beautifully constructed counter-attack, which was started by Omar Marmoush, would see Haaland open the scoring. A sweeping move saw Jeremy Doku picked out in acres of space on the left wing. He expertly picked out Haaland whose neat finish beat Vicario to give City the lead. You did feel that Haaland’s goal wouldn’t be the only goal of the night based on the opening 12 minutes of play.

Jeremy Doku would see an effort from the edge of the area well-saved by Vicario in the 20th minute. The Belgian winger cut in from the left with a mazy run, and his low shot was kept out by Vicario down to his right. It was a smart save by Vicario after some brilliant play from Doku.

Manchester City fail to take their chances.

Savinho should have made it 2-nil in the 27th minute. Another sweeping City move saw Jeremy Doku played in with acres of space on the left wing. Doku picked out Savinho on the edge of the six-yard box but he spooned the chance over when it was easier to score.

Three minutes later the same could be said for Erling Haaland. After Omar Marmoush won possession back in a dangerous area of the pitch, the ball found its way to Jeremy Doku on the left. He picked out Haaland in a good position but his shot was once again well-saved by Vicario. But Haaland should have made it 2-nil on this occasion also. You did sense that the hope was that Manchester City wouldn’t be left to rue missing two golden opportunities in 3 minutes.

On the stroke of halftime, Ederson made his first save of the night. A free kick from a dangerous area found Kevin Danso and his header was tipped over the bar by Ederson. It was a warning for Pep Guardiola’s side that although they had dominated the first half they hadn’t put the hosts out of the game.

Manchester City would take a 1-nil lead into the interval after an impressive display. In truth, they should have put the game to bed and that was a concern at halftime.

Second half

The second half began with Tottenham pushing forward in their efforts to find an equaliser. Ange Postecoglou’s side looked more threatening in possession and were having sustained spells of territory dominance after halftime. Their best chance fell to Wilson Odobert in the 55th minute. The Frenchman was picked out at the back post by Pedro Perro but he could only steer his effort wide of Ederson’s goal. You did sense that City would have to raise their level of play in the second half.

Following their bright beginning to the second half Tottenham began to create more openings. They saw several headers hit straight at Ederson. In the 66th minute, Matheus Nunes made a crucial intervention to deny Mathys Tel a tap-in.

From the 70th to the 80th minute Tottenham continued to press for an equaliser. A few half chances came and went but they lacked any real quality to make it count. But the warning signs were still there for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Ederson would make a stunning save in the 84th minute to deny Son. A swift Tottenham move after City gave away possession saw Brennan Johnson pick out Son in the box. But Ederson denied Son with a sublime save low down to his left.

Erling Haaland had the ball in the back of the net in the 94th minute. But the goal was disallowed for handball after a substantial VAR check. Pape Sarr would then head over in the 97th minute from a good position as Tottenham continued to chase an equaliser.

Following that, the final whistle came, and Manchester City would leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 1-nil win. It was a tale of two halves, but Pep Guardiola’s side held on for a hard-fought and precious victory.

Summary

The City player ratings reflect the nature of Manchester City’s performance. Pep Guardiola’s side were dominant in the first half but held on in the second. But Manchester City held on to get the result they so desperately needed. It was a performance that had both positives and negatives and the City player ratings reflect that.

City player ratings

Ederson-9/10: A superb performance in goal by Ederson. He made several crucial interventions, and his late save from Son preserved City’s lead.

Matheus Nunes-7/10: Offered a threat going forward in the first half, and although he struggled at times defensively, he stuck to his task well.

Abdukodir Khusanov-6.5/10: Defended well but did have a few nervy moments in possession. All told another promising performance.

Ruben Dias-6.5/10: A similar type of performance to that of Khusanov. Did his job but did have his nervy moments on the ball.

Josko Gvardiol-6.5/10: He was much better in the first half than in the second half. He made the odd error in possession but did his job, although he struggled in the second half in the face of Tottenham’s second-half onslaught.

Nico- 6.5/10: Like his team, he was good in the first half but drifted out of the game in the second half. A few tidy moments in midfield during the first half but he couldn’t dictate the game in the second as Tottenham went up a gear.

Mateo Kovacic-6/10: He was good in the first half and not so good in the second half.

Savinho-7.5/10: Another bright performance from Savinho. He needs to work on his finishing but he was a constant threat to Tottenham’s defence. But he did drift out of the game in the second half but that was more down to his team’s performance.

Omar Marmoush-5/10: Toiled away but failed to make a meaningful impact on the game before he was substituted.

Jeremy Doku-9/10: A superb performance from Doku. He was a constant threat to Spurs’ defence and set up City’s opening goal for Erling Haaland.

Erling Haaland-8/10: He scored the winner and was a constant threat to Tottenham’s defence. He had a second goal disallowed late on, but he added what his team had lacked in their last two games.

Substitutes

Bernardo Silva-6/10: Came on late to give Manchester City more control of the game. But he didn’t affect proceedings all that much.

Phil Foden-6/10: Did help City take control of the games closing stages.

James McAtee-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

Ilkay Gundogan-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

Jack Grealish-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.