Pep Guardiola suffered a fifth straight defeat for the primary time in his managerial profession as Manchester Metropolis’s disaster deepened following an unbelievable 4-0 house defeat by Tottenham.
Metropolis will fall eight factors behind Liverpool if the Premier League leaders win at Southampton on Sunday – with Metropolis then travelling to Anfield subsequent week, reside on Sky Sports activities.
“Man City were outplayed in every department,” summarised Sky Sports activities’ Gary Neville. “They look well short – as short as I have seen them since Guardiola’s first season.”
There was a celebratory temper across the Etihad earlier than kick-off as Man Metropolis midfielder Rodri confirmed off his Ballon d’Or trophy on the pitch. There was additionally the information of Guardiola’s new two-year deal to stick with the Premier League champions and the optimistic ambiance translated onto the pitch within the early levels.
With Phil Foden, who began within the No 10 place behind Erling Haaland, pulling the strings, Man Metropolis began by reducing Spurs open with ease. “It’s a little too easy,” Sky Sports activities’ Gary Neville mentioned, but it surely was Haaland’s wastefulness in entrance of aim that may show expensive. Haaland snatched at his shot after being performed in by Josko Gvardiol earlier than the Norway striker fired straight at Guglielmo Vicario after being picked out by Savinho’s cross.
Spurs punished Metropolis as they took the lead from “out of nowhere”, in response to Neville. The good Dejan Kulusevski’s beautiful cross discovered James Maddison, who volleyed previous Ederson to go away the Etihad surprised.
The guests had been now in full management and it was Metropolis who had been being reduce open at will. Ederson needed to pull off a shocking fingertip save to disclaim Heung-Min Son however there was nothing he may do to disclaim Maddison a second. It was quick turning into a twenty eighth birthday to recollect for the England midfielder, who capitalised on a Gvardiol error earlier than producing a deft end over the Man Metropolis goalkeeper to double Spurs’ lead.
Nathan Ake changed John Stones on the break however there was no change in fortune for Metropolis.
Kulusevski performed a key function once more as Spurs additional prolonged their benefit. He carried the ball out of defence, holding off two challenges earlier than releasing Dominic Solanke. The striker teed up Pedro Porro, who hammered the ball into the again of the online to place Spurs in dreamland.
“The stadium is shell-shocked. They can’t believe what they are watching,” mentioned Neville after the third Spurs aim. Haaland grazed the crossbar with an effort earlier than Guardiola rung the modifications, bringing on Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish to attempt to discover a means again into the competition.
It didn’t occur and the Spurs celebrations bought even greater in stoppage time as substitute Timo Werner ran previous Kyle Walker like he wasn’t there earlier than teeing up Brennan Johnson for a tap-in as Man Metropolis suffered a 3rd straight Premier League defeat underneath Guardiola for the primary time.
Issues don’t get any simpler for Metropolis. They may look to keep away from a sixth straight defeat towards Feyenoord within the Champions League on Tuesday earlier than an enormous Premier League showdown towards league leaders Liverpool, who’ve the possibility to go eight factors clear after they tackle Southampton on Sunday, reside on Sky Sports activities.
“I felt now is not the time to leave, I would let the club down and I had the feeling I had to do it,” Guardiola mentioned earlier within the week on signing his deal to remain at Metropolis amid their poor run of latest type.
Defeats to Tottenham within the Carabao Cup, Sporting within the Champions League, Bournemouth, Brighton and now Spurs once more within the Premier League have deepened these issues for Guardiola and Metropolis.
The objectives: Spurs stun Metropolis…
Pep: We’re fragile defensively
Man Metropolis boss Pep Guardiola:
“In this moment we are fragile defensively. We started really well as normal but we could not score and then after that we conceded. After that, we conceded some more which is difficult for our emotions right now.
“In eight years we’ve got by no means lived this type of scenario. Now we’ve got to reside it and break it by successful the following video games, particularly the following one. Now we see issues in a technique, possibly in just a few weeks we’ll see it in a different way.
“Of course [the players are struggling]. We are happy when we win and concerned when we don’t win. It’s normal. There would be a problem if they were not worried or I am not worried.
“We aren’t used to this example however life is like this. Typically it occurs and we’ve got to simply accept it. It’s what it’s now and we’ll rise up and do it.
“The fire is when you win a lot of games, which is better than when you are losing, but we accept this. We have to move forward and break it and try.”
‘A sobering day for well-short Metropolis’
Sky Sports activities’ Gary Neville on the Etihad Stadium:
“Man City were outplayed in every department. They look well short – as short as I have seen them since Guardiola’s first season.
“[Pep] could have wished that worldwide break to return, considering it could be a reset second.
“But it further entrenches the opinion this is a City side currently in decline. It seems madness, when you think about what they’ve achieved.
“We’ve highlighted the variety of pictures however that is not Metropolis’s greatest drawback at this second. It is the very fact they’ve develop into simpler to play towards. Groups are inspired. The vulnerability is obvious for everybody to see.
“It’s a sobering day for Man City”
‘Spurs good to a person’
Sky Sports activities’ Jamie Redknapp:
“Tottenham were magnificent. We all looked at the team with Ben Davies and Dragusin, how are they going to keep this Man City forward line quiet? Impossible. They were fantastic. Brilliant to a man.
“As soon as they bought that aim within the thirteenth minute they had been by far the higher crew.
“Tottenham will have had a lot of demons in their head after that Brighton game when they were two up. There was a real calmness about them today. They were absolutely fantastic.
“Tottenham are able to brilliance. We have seen it. They’ve moments in video games when they’re a pleasure to observe however that chaotic nature they usually have wasn’t there.”
Ange: Vital win for Spurs
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou to Sky Sports activities:
“It’s significant, when you understand the context of who we were playing.
“I am happy with the lads, the soccer we performed, the resilience and self-discipline we confirmed. Once you play Metropolis they check each facet of your recreation and we dealt with that properly.
“It was an important game for us, the way the boys reacted [to defeat to Ipswich]. It’s easy when you’re under pressure to splinter off but I never got the sense that would happen this week.
“The disappointing factor over the previous few video games is we have fallen properly in need of the form of crew we need to be. However I’ve little question we’re heading in the right direction.”