Belated Thoughts from Tottenham 2-0 City — Are Spurs Contenders?
If Spurs had spent the previous two months trying to tiptoe under the radar, discreetly collecting points while the more favoured, free-spending teams dominated the headlines, then Sunday afternoon was the moment the North London club elbowed their way to centre stage and yelled, I’m here, godamnit— notice me!
There’s no going back now. There’s no passing off as the underdog when you’ve shown yourself capable of blitzing the runaway title favourites. Beating them almost as comprehensively as one can imagine; perhaps, in the opinion of several pundits, the finest team performance of the season.
Like it or not, Spurs have catapulted themselves into the reckoning.
From the opening thirty seconds, Pep Guardiola must’ve sensed trouble. With Andre Marriner’s whistle still ringing around the quarter-bulldozed stadium, Tottenham conducted a supercharged passing move down the right-hand side.
City immediately disorientated, Heung-min Son squeezed into the box for an early chance. Practically vomiting confidence over his nice clean shirt, the only surprise was that the South Korean fired high and wide. A warning shot.
The game wasn’t much older when Tottenham found the opener. Aleksandar Kolarov will curse the bad luck which resulted in him directing the ball past Claudio Bravo, but it was as much a case of Spurs bludgeoning some good fortune for themselves after a frenetic period of sustained pressure.
The goal was coming, the ball in from Danny Rose was menacing; it was no more than Pochettino’s side deserved.
Crucially, Spurs scored again whilst in full control. Knowing that the momentum of the fixture could swing in the second half, when the consequences of executing a game-plan of such intensity were laid bare, a two goal advantage seemed huge. A healthy lead to protect while the lungs and legs began to rattle.
Ten minutes before half-time, then, Son and Dele Alli combined to make it 2-0. Son threaded the ball between Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta, like dental floss through not-so-tightly packed incisors, and the England midfielder finished with typical self-assurance.
There were several candidates for MOTM. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen defended immaculately during City’s second-half resurgence; Hugo Lloris, too, sprung into fire-fighting action when his goal was eventually threatened by Agüero and the gang.
Danny Rose had his best game of the season. Christian Eriksen covered more ground than anyone. Victor Wanyama, an animated iron statue of Colossus, protected Spurs’ backline like vintage-era Claude Makélélé.
Too many to mention. In fact, if the Premier League still handed out booze for their post-game award, they might be tempted to pilfer a hotel room minibar and hand out eleven pocket-sized champagne bottles. The ultimate team performance. Spurs look like the real deal.
