Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester City Player Ratings: A nervy win puts the Cityzens back into top four

Manchester City got back to winning ways after a win over Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 away from home, thanks to a goal from Erling Haaland. This result puts Manchester City back into the top 4 while Tottenham remain in 13th place as of now.

Ange made three changes to his starting eleven with the Europa League campaign in mind, with big hitters Son Heung Min, and Dejan Kulusevski on the bench. Pep similarly made changes to his eleven, with no Foden or De Bruyne in the starting eleven, but Erling Haaland made his return.

The game started on a high tempo with City finding their feet early and Spurs troubling the visitors. But it was the Cityzens who drew first blood in the 12th minute after Haaland comfortably tapped the ball in, after a fantastic footwork in the box from Doku, who dribbled past Spurs defenders to put the cross on his plate, albeit because of a deflection.

City came close to scoring a second one as Doku switched it to Savinho but his effort went over the bar. City were very unlucky to end the half with just one goal as they struggled to put away the high-quality chances that they were able to create with ease. Apart from a Danso header late in the first half, Tottenham were timid and toothless after a lively start.

City looked comfortable in possession in the second half too but Spurs almost surprised them with an equaliser when Porro put a delicious cross across the box to Odobert, who could not get his left foot around. Tottenham continued to sustain the pressure, attacking more regularly compared to the first half.

Tottenham’s performance improved after the quadruple substitution Ange made, with the key players making their way in. Erling Haaland scored very late in the game which was ruled out after an exhaustive VAR check, as there was a handball in process. Moments later, Pape Sarr got a chance to head home for an equalizer, which he failed to do so, thereby denying a fantastic comeback. It was a weird game overall with only one goal in the end when there could have been three or four goals scored by each side.

Here are the player ratings for Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Player Ratings.

Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings

GK- Guglielmo Vicario – 7/10

He made some fantastic saves to keep the score low and his judgement on when to leave the line to come forward to make a save is commendable.

LB- Destiny Udogie – 5/10

The full-back was loose on the ball, giving away possession cheaply and struggled to keep up with Savinho out of possession.

CB- Archie Gray – 6/10

A youngster playing out of position, despite getting used to it this season, showed moments of bravery and was not afraid to get into a battle with Doku.

CB- Kevin Danso – 5/10

The center-back did not shy away from getting into challenges, but his over-aggression also cost the team on some occasions.

RB- Pedro Porro- 5.5/10

He was constantly tormented by Doku during the game and left that flank vulnerable. His attacking output was also not on point.

CM- Lucas Bergvall – 6.5/10

He looked assured on the ball, one of the better players for the hosts on the pitch.

CM- Rodrigo Bentancur- 6.5/10

He did his job as a ball-winning midfielder, winning the possession back and recycling the ball. A late tackle has resulted in a yellow card.

CAM- James Maddison – 5/10

The captain of the night was not as impactful as one would desire. He made a rugby tackle on Savinho to get into the referee’s book.

LW- Wilson Odobert – 5.5/10

The young winger showed moments of brilliance but struggled massively to finish as he could have equalized.

ST- Mathys Tel – 4/10

The forward did not get any sort of meaningful touches at all and got bullied by the opposition defense.

RW- Brennan Johnson – 6/10

The one-dimensional nature of his performances was evident tonight as he did not cause any trouble to the opposition.

SUB- Heung Min Son – 6/10

The veteran forward got subbed in to add experience and improved finishing to the forward line and he almost scored to equalize.

SUB- Djed Spence – 6/10

The fullback in form was subbed in to add defensive solidarity and drive the team in attack, which he did.

SUB- Pape Sarr – 6/10

He was brought in as Bentancur was walking on a tightrope and he could have been on the scoresheet if he remained composed.

SUB- Dejan Kulusevski – 6/10

The attacker was put in to create chances to score and he could have been on the scoresheet if he remained composed.

SUB- Timo Werner – 5/10

The attacker was subbed in to provide added energy and fresh legs into the attack,

Manager- Ange Postecoglou – 6/10

The Australian put out a rotated side with a Europa League campaign in his mind, but it felt like he was willing to throw away the game. The rotated team did not have cohesion and struggled to put coherent passes. Despite showing some improvement in the second half, the lack of clinical edge in the forward line alongside a disorganized backline combined made way for a defeat.

Manchester City Player Ratings

GK- Ederson – 7/10

The Brazilian made some excellent saves but was lucky to end the game with a clean sheet.

LB- Josko Gvardiol – 6.5/10

The defender made it hard for Johnson to create chances and kept him at bay.

CB- Abdukodir Khusanov – 6.5/10

The youngster looked comfortable playing in a position that he was brought in for. His defensive actions and passing were spot on, sweeping away dangerous chances and passing the ball around with ease.

CB- Ruben Dias – 6/10

The captain for the visitors was calm and composed on the ball and did not take any risks, keeping it simple.

RB- Matheus Nunes – 6.5/10

The midfielder filling in as a right back missed a crucial chance to create a goal-scoring opportunity to double the lead close to the stroke of half-time. He was also lucky to not get a booking.

CM- Nico Gonzalez – 5/10

A regulatory defensive performance, maintaining dominance in the midfield battle and retaining possession whenever needed.

CM- Mateo Kovacic – 5.5/10

His passing game looked comfortable tonight, often even trying for a line-breaking one to create a menacing chance.

CAM- Omar Marmoush – 6/10

The attacker was not able to influence the game like he would have wanted to, as he struggled to either create threatening chances or get on to the end of them.

LW- Jeremy Doku – 8.5/10

He found a lot of joy in playing against Porro, dribbling past him with ease. He could have had his name on the scoresheet had he converted some of his chances.

ST- Erling Haaland – 8/10

The forward scored the 20th goal of the season, thanks to his impeccable movement off the ball and the composure in his finish.

RW- Savinho – 6/10

The winger was wasteful with his chances as he missed one of the easiest chances of the night because of a lack of composure.

SUB- Phil Foden – 5/10

The English attacker came onto the pitch with an expectation to deliver a better performance than Marmoush,

SUB- Bernardo Silva – 5.5/10

He was put in as an attacking switch to a defensive player and he added the needed energy.

SUB- James McAtee – NA

The young midfielder was put in way too late, mostly as a time-wasting tactic.

SUB- Ilkay Gundogan – NA

The experienced midfielder entered with a minute to go. He was put in to run the clock down and protect the thin lead.

SUB- Jack Grealish – NA

He was put in for his ability to draw free-kicks, waste time, and secure the lead.

Manager- Pep Guardiola – 7/10

A nervy win but an added confidence to his side, especially coming from a place where they usually struggle. His team looked dominant in the first half but struggled to even get a shot on target during the second half.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku.