By 90min | Created at 2024-11-23 20:29:01 | Updated at 2024-11-25 00:18:25
1 day ago
Manchester City were condemned to an unprecedented fifth consecutive defeat as a brilliant Tottenham Hotspur romped to a deserved 4-0 victory on Saturday evening.
James Maddison fired the visitors in front completely against the run of play, exposing the widening cracks in City's fragile confidence. Tottenham's divisive playmaker doubled his tally in the 20th minute as the reigning champions wobbled uncontrollably. Pedro Porro added a third at the start of the second half before Brennan Johnson made it 4-0.
Pep Guardiola, fresh from penning a two-year contract extension, has never suffered such a sustained run of defeats. Beyond the result, the criminally inept performance will be of even greater concern.
How the game unfolded
Still wounded by four successive defeats heading into the international break, City started in a blur of channelled rage. Erling Haaland lined up at the tip of a reshaped setup and was presented with two clear openings inside the first ten minutes, only to squander them both.
James Maddison was far more clinical. The reinvigorated midfielder celebrated his 28th birthday with a quick-fire brace. Maddison's first surge into the box to volley in Dejan Kulusevski's wonderfully arced cross was Tottenham's first touch in City's penalty area. Within seven minutes, Maddison was back at the sharp end of the pitch, exchanging passes with Son Heung-min before dinking Ederson.
City regained some sense of control after a ten-minute blackout, but Maddison's opener seemed to remind the visitors - and an increasingly nervous Etihad crowd - of the hosts' recent struggles. City's high line looked increasingly vulnerable, the press didn't have the same snap and that signature composure in possession was conspicuous by its absence.
Guardiola reshuffled his frontline and brought on Nathan Ake at half-time, but it was Tottenham who struck once again within ten minutes of the restart. Kulusevski slalomed between a gaggle of sky blue shirts, knocking the ball between the legs of a particularly problematic Ilkay Gundogan before setting Dominic Solanke away. Tottenham's front man rolled the ball back for an onrushing Pedro Porro to blast Spurs into a 3-0 lead.
Most of the game was played in Tottenham's half and on their terms. Content to surrender possession, the visitors held their position, and afforded the luxury of launching swift raids in transition thanks to such an early lead.
Timo Werner came off the bench to spearhead one final surge forward. Skipping beyond an ageing Kyle Walker, the substitute squared for Brennan Johnson to slide in Tottenham's fourth of a scarcely believable afternoon.
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Rodri was treated to a grand ceremony on the pitch ahead of kick-off to celebrate his Ballon d'Or, but that only served to remind everyone in the Etihad exactly what City were missing. With Mateo Kovacic also bound to treatment room, Guardiola stuffed four scarcely imposing midfielders into a theoretically compact quartet.
Yet, in reality, City's new 4-4-2 shape left Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva swamped by at least three white shirts as Spurs surged forward in transition. Gundogan was caught out for Tottenham's first two goals.
When Maddison ran off the German's shoulder for his opener, City's deepest midfielder vaguely pointed at his opponent, trying to pass him off to a teammate so that he could uselessly amble on the edge of box. John Stones was rightly aggrieved.
*Player ratings provided by FotMob*
Man City player ratings (4-3-3)
Manchester City needed a first-half team talk / Carl Recine/GettyImages
GK: Ederson - 5.2/10 - Kept the score down in the first half with an excellent finger-tip stop to deny Son but didn't have much luck elsewhere.
RB: Kyle Walker - 5.5/10 - Perhaps it's time to change the name of his podcast, which is currently and inaccurately known as: You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker.
CB: John Stones - 6.5/10 - Slightly unfortunate to get hooked at half-time.
CB: Manuel Akanji - 5.4/10 - Afforded minimal protection but didn't offer much resistance himself.
LB: Josko Gvardiol - 5.6/10 - Far too flimsy in the challenge, routinely getting outmuscled by Kulusevski.
CM: Rico Lewis - 6.9/10 - A man caught between two bus stops, Lewis was neither here nor there throughout the match.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan - 7.8/10 - About the only thing that Gundogan did with any urgency was point at the players he should have been marking.
CM: Bernardo SIlva - 7.3/10 - So often City's conductor in big games, Bernardo let the occasion pass him by.
RW: Phil Foden - 6.7/10 - Started the game very brightly before his influence faded just as quickly.
LW: Savinho - 6.0/10 - Awkwardly shoehorned onto the left wing for the first half, Savinho wasn't much better when he moved to the opposite flank after the break.
ST: Erling Haaland - 7.3/10 - The clinical edge that his swollen goal hauls have afforded him was blunted on Saturday - and has been for a while; Haaland has scored with just one of his last 30 shots for City.
Substitutes
SUB: Nathan Ake (46' for Stones) - 6.6/10
SUB: Kevin De Bruyne (74' for Lewis) - 6.3/10
SUB: Jack Grealish (74' for Savinho) - 5.5/10
Subs not used: Stefan Ortega (GK), Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Nathan Ake, Jacob Wright, James McAtee, Matheus Nunes, Nico O'Reilly
Manager
Pep Guardiola - 3/10 - Chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning" rang around the Etihad after Spurs took a 3-0 lead. While that eventuality is effectively an impossibility, Guardiola's tactical tweaks on Saturday prompted more questions than answers.
Pape Sarr (left) celebrates James Maddison's goal / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 8.8/10 - Stood up to surprisingly few shots that were diverted his way.
RB: Pedro Porro - 8.3/10 - Dovetailed brilliantly with Kulusevski, timing his forward surges well.
CB: Radu Dragusin - 7.3/10 - Wrestled with Haaland enthusiastically and effectively.
CB: Ben Davies - 6.7/10 - Befuddled by the positioning of Foden to begin with, the veteran Welsh defender got to grips with his duties - namely, sit in and hold his position.
LB: Destiny Udogie - 7.5/10 - Not directly up against anyone in the first half, Udogie shackled Savinho after the break.
CM: Pape Sarr - 7.5/10 - Kept the game ticking along without stamping his authority on proceedings.
CM: Yves Bissouma - 7/10 - Booked inside the first 20 seconds, Bissouma did well to stay balanced on that disciplinary tightrope throughout the remaining 90 minutes.
CM: James Maddison - 9.2/10 - From box crasher to orchestrator, Maddison delivered a performance of layered excellence on a birthday to remember.
RW: Dejan Kulusevski - 8.3/10 - An outside contender for Player of the Season? Kulusevski's unique blend of grace and gusto, brawn and brilliance, was on full show at the Etihad.
ST: Dominic Solanke - 6.9/10 - A tireless nuisance, softening up City's centre-backs with a bludgeoning display.
LW: Son Heung-min - 7.8/10 - Played a nice pass for Maddison's second goal but left most of Tottenham's forward thrusts to his teammates.
Substitutes
SUB: Brennan Johnson (63' for Son) - 8/10
SUB: Djed Spence (90' for Udogie) - N/A
SUB: Lucas Bergvall (90' for Maddison) - N/A
SUB: Timo Werner (90' for Sarr) - N/A
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), Archie Gray, Malachi Hardy, Callum Olusesi, Will Lankshear
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 9/10 - Robbed of his two first-choice centre-backs, Postecoglou sensibly checked his pride at the gates of the Etihad Stadium and dropped the height of his backline. The energy and ingenuity which underpinned Tottenham's goals was delightfully Postecoglou-esque.
