Tottenham thrash City
Manchester City 0 - 4 Tottenham Hotspur
A remarkable evening in Manchester. Who saw this result coming?
James Maddison netted a brace as Tottenham swept past Manchester City, handing them a fifth consecutive defeat – a streak they hadn’t endured since 2006.
Pedro Porro smashed in a third, and Brennan Johnson sealed the victory with a last-minute fourth on a remarkable night that saw City’s 52-match unbeaten run at the Etihad come to an end. That streak had stretched back to just before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This was City’s heaviest home defeat since their 5-1 drubbing by Arsenal in 2003. It also marked the first time Pep Guardiola’s side had suffered three consecutive Premier League defeats under his leadership, just 48 hours after he signed a new two-year contract extension.
For Spurs, it was a stunning turnaround. Despite being without both first-choice centre-backs, fielding five teenagers on the bench, and coming off a 2-1 home loss to Ipswich two weeks ago, Ange Postecoglou’s side rose to the occasion. In contrast, City struggled to cope, further exposing the void left by the injured Rodri, who was celebrated pre-match for his Ballon d’Or achievement.
Tottenham's emphatic display echoed City's heaviest home loss since a 5-2 defeat to Leicester in 2020 – a game in which Maddison was also on the scoresheet.
City remain second in the table, but Liverpool could stretch their lead to eight points if they beat Southampton on Sunday. Tottenham, meanwhile, climb to sixth, narrowing the gap to City to just four points.
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A closer look at what happened
Before the match, the stadium was buzzing with positivity, and this energy was evident on the pitch in the opening stages.
Phil Foden, starting in the No. 10 role behind Erling Haaland, was orchestrating City's play, and they tore through Spurs' defence with ease early on. A pundit remarked it was almost too easy for City at that point. However, Haaland's profligacy in front of goal would come back to haunt them. First, he snatched at a chance set up by Josko Gvardiol, then fired straight at Guglielmo Vicario after a pinpoint cross from Savinho.
Spurs made City pay for their missed opportunities by taking the lead out of nowhere. Dejan Kulusevski delivered a sublime cross to James Maddison, who volleyed past Ederson, leaving the Etihad in shock.
With the momentum now firmly with Spurs, it was City who found themselves under siege. Ederson produced a breathtaking fingertip save to deny Heung-Min Son, but he was powerless to stop Maddison from adding a second. Capitalising on a Gvardiol error, the England midfielder celebrated his 28th birthday in style with a delicate chip over the City goalkeeper.
City made a change at half-time, with Nathan Aké replacing John Stones, but the tide didn’t turn. The North London side were destined to have a memorable night.
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Kulusevski continued to torment City, playing a pivotal role in Spurs’ third goal. Carrying the ball out of defence, he shrugged off two challenges before releasing Dominic Solanke, who set up Pedro Porro to smash the ball into the net, sending the travelling fans into raptures.
Haaland came close to pulling one back when his shot grazed the crossbar, prompting Guardiola to turn to his bench, introducing Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish in search of a lifeline.
But it wasn’t to be. In stoppage time, Spurs sealed the rout. Substitute Timo Werner breezed past Kyle Walker before setting up Brennan Johnson for a simple tap-in, capping off a disastrous night for City. Remarkably, it marked the first time Guardiola’s side had suffered three consecutive Premier League defeats under his management.
A previous occasion when Tottenham shocked City
Who remembers this classic encounter from February 2022. City 2 - 3 Tottenham- February 2022
