Tottenham 1-0 Man City
by Layth Yousif

SON HEUNG-MIN’s second half goal sealed a 1-0 victory for Spurs against Manchester City in front of 58,262 fans on Sunday.
 
With unsettled Harry Kane absent for an excellent match full of attacking intent and played at a high tempo, triumph was sweet for Nuno Espirito Santo, taking charge of his first competitive game as Tottenham head coach.
 
British record signing Jack Grealish offered a threat for City but failed to make inroads into a steadfast backline that helped build the necessary foundations for the home side to make a winning start to the 2021-22 season.
 
Despite City’s dominance with 18 shots, Son’s goal capped an impressive performance in a side where Lucas Moura and Japhet Tanganga also stood out, as the former Bayer Leverkusen attacker reflected afterwards: “Everybody worked so hard to get the three points.
 
“City are the best team in the world so this means a lot for us at the start of the season. We did a great job.”
 
Pep Guardiola’s visitors were without Phil Foden due to the foot injury he suffered on England Euro 2020 duty, while Kevin de Bruyne started on the bench.

When Manchester City lost 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 21, 2020, they were 11th in the table, a cavernous eight points behind then league leaders Spurs.
 
Powered by a remarkable 15-game winning streak during the depths of midwinter, City were to end the season six places and 24 points above Tottenham in a stunning turnaround as Guardiola’s side strode imperiously to the title – their fifth in the decade since the petrochemical dollars arrived, to go with their six League cups and two FA Cups.
 
Yet the one crown still denied to them surely has to be their main target once again this season – the Champions League. Guardiola’s strange decision not to select a defensive midfielder in May’s final against Chelsea ensured defeat to the west Londoners, while also making it 10 years since the Catalan last claimed the coveted silverware.
 
No wonder City lured Grealish to bolster his squad from Aston Villa this summer for a scarcely credible £100 million fee – a total so alien to fans that followed them in the third tier only two decades ago, that their club’s change in fortunes must beggar belief at times.
 
While Kane still remains a long-term City target, his chairman, Daniel Levy, remains an obdurate negotiator, with this saga set to run and run. “He wants to be Blue,” sang the travelling City fans in the ground.
 
Kane, who returned late from his extended summer break, was missing from the squad for their season opener, while Fernandinho, who signed on for an extra year to make it a decade’s service at the Etihad, captained the reigning English champions at a raucous Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
 
City started brightly as Fernandinho nearly scored with a header that left Spurs captain Hugo Lloris flapping from a Benjamin Mendy cross, before Joao Cancelo fired wide shortly afterwards.
 
The visitors continued to threaten when Riyad Mahrez fired wide when well-placed after Raheem Sterling fed the former Leicester attacker in the box on 34 minutes.
 
City’s early performance prompted Spurs boss Nuno to say “we were lucky, as they had clear chances – but the boys held on to stay in the game. Afterwards we controlled the game better.”
 
With the match simmering nicely, Son fired narrowly wide after a sweeping Spurs run. As did Moura moments after the interval.
 
The deadlock was finally broken on 55 minutes following a flowing move started on the edge of the Spurs box, when Moura fed the bustling Stephen Bergwijn, who in turn played the ball to Tottenham’s star performer, Son.
 
With plenty of work still to do, Son cut inside onto his left foot past the uncomfortable Nathan Ake, to fire home a low curling shot that evaded defender Ruben Dias and keeper Ederson for the game’s only goal – but his seventh in 14 games for Spurs against City.
 
With momentum all theirs, Spurs missed a gilt-edged chance to double the lead moments later, when Moura played in Bergwijn, who steered his shot wide with plenty of space and time in the box.
 
The normally animated Guardiola could only look on in shock at the way his side had been overrun, frozen with hands on his waist.
 
Tempers frayed with Moura rightly given a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor for refusing to relinquish the ball after a foul in the middle.
 
Sterling, who thrilled during England’s march to the Euro 2020 final, which also saw him included in the team of the tournament, was replaced by Gabriel Jesus with 20 minutes remaining after an underwhelming performance.
 
Installed on the left of an attacking trident, City’s new signing Grealish showed glimpses of a tremendous technique, allied with flair, creativity and vision. He also displayed a tenacity and physicality, in particular when shrugging off Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s persistent attentions.
 
However, he couldn’t break through, despite a low shot which saw Lloris block with 17 minutes remaining. Frustration also got the better of him when he was booked late on for scything down Moura.
 
Guardiola sent de Bruyne into action with 12 minutes remaining with the Belgian quickly forcing Lloris into a full-length save.
 
Yet, as the clock ticked down, the French shotstopper proved alert in denying Ferran Torres at the near post to help seal a memorable victory that saw City lose their opening match for the first time in a decade.
 
Speaking afterwards a phlegmatic Guardiola said: “We were not clinical enough. Thirty-seven more games to go. It’s a long season ahead of us.”
 
Buoyed by the win, home supporters even taunted their wantaway forward, singing: “Are you watching Harry Kane?”
 
It was that kind of afternoon in N17.