29/05 - 20:00
In a bizarre atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Manchester City eventually saw off their hosts and are now just a win against West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium from yet another Premier League title.
LINEUPS
TOT XI: Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Rodrigo Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Sarr; Johnson, Son*, Maddison
TOT SUBS: Austin, Emerson Royal, Moore, Hall, Skipp, Lo Celso, Kulusevski, Bryan Gil, Scarlett
MCI XI: Ederson; Walker*, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland
MCI SUBS: Stefan Ortega, Stones, Ake, Lewis, Nunes, Grealish, Bobb, Doku, Alvarez
Action: With a quiet home crowd, Tottenham Hotspur’s players actually found intensity early on and had an excellent chance in the opening stages when a sweeping counter attack was nearly finished off by Rodrigo Bentancur but the Uruguayan’s effort just stung the palms of Ederson.
City then began to get into their stride and put the pressure on the hosts who, in terms of players versus supporters, were very much caught in two minds.
The best chance of the half for the hosts came after around 25 minutes when both Cristian Romero and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg skewed clearances before Phil Foden volleyed at goal but Guglielmo Vicario saved well.
Tottenham then grew back into the half themselves but there was to be another good chance for the visitors, rather than any decent home attempts, with Josko Gvardiol volleying wide across goal. That was then before Bernardo Silva had an effort headed well off the line by Radu Dragusin.
Once again, in the opening stages of the second-half, it was Hojbjerg who played a ball in error to Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji with the Swiss defender then setting up Kevin De Bruyne but the Belgian had his effort well saved by Vicario.
Then, just a few minutes later, the defending champions found a breakthrough when Bernardo Silva found the well timed run of Kevin De Bruyne and he played an expert pass across the goal for their talisman Erling Braut Haaland to tap home.
There was then a worrying moment for Manchester City when Ederson had to be eventually substituted for a head injury incurred when Cristian Romero tried to pounce on a loose ball.
His replacement, though, was outstanding and arguably the most important player in the match and was immediately called into action to deny Dejan Kulusevski after the Swede had bundled himself through.
Then, when Manuel Akanji slipped and was dispossed by Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-min raced through on goal but the South Korean had his effort well saved, once again, by Stefan Ortega.
What a vital save that is in the title race from Stefan Ortega! 😲 pic.twitter.com/XatVw2GetK
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 14, 2024
In the aftermath of Stefan Ortega’s excellence, Manchester City pulled themselves together and finished the game from the penalty spot as the clock ticked over to the 90th minute.
Phil Foden’s superb through ball was latched onto by Jeremy Doku and the Belgian winger twisted Pedro Porro inside out before the Spaniard tripped him and allowed Haaland to step up and complete yet another brace.
The big picture: The most Spursiest of endings was possible when Son Heung-min raced through to potentially set up a scenario where Spurs miss out on a top four finish whilst handing the title to Arsenal but instead Tottenham will be pleased with a likely City title parade in east Manchester on Sunday afternoon before they head into next season’s UEFA Europa League. Pep Guardiola is two wins away from yet another domestic double.
Man of the match: Stefan Ortega. The second-half substitute came off the bench once again for the injured Ederson and once again pulled off some genuinely match winning saves.
Expected goals: Tottenham Hotspur (1.76) 0-2 (2.55) Manchester City
EVENTS
Kick-off
Half-time
’52 | GOAL: Haaland (0-1)
’68 | INJURY: Ederson
’90 | GOAL: Haaland [pen] (0-2)
Full-time
0-2 | ||
Erling Haaland 51' 90' (pen.) |
