Despite their recent slide, the atmosphere inside the Etihad was feverish ahead of kick-off on Saturday evening.
There was a sense that the visit of Tottenham became a “right” game for Manchester City. Fans enjoyed the pre-match party as Rodri celebrated his Ballon d’Or triumph and Pep Guardiola entered the home dugout after news of his contract extension broke during the week.
Sure, the Lilywhite cooks were in town, but four wouldn’t make five, would they? City do not lose at the Etihad. them can’t lose at the Etihad. Two years have passed.
Well, the current iteration of Pep Guardiola’s side sure does. And they were beaten in some style by a rampant Spurs. The Jekyll and Hyde Lilywhites have pissed off as much as they’ve impressed this term, and perhaps we should have foreshadowed that outcome given their violent shapeshifting. How else were they going to respond to a 2-1 home defeat to previously winless Ipswich Town?
This result was seismic for a myriad of reasons, and here are some of Tottenham’s key takeaways.
Kulusevski has emerged as Tottenham’s standout player this term and a potential future club captain. Inspired by all-time sports greats and with lofty ambitions for his own career, the Swede comes of age at Lilywhite.
Kulusevski’s early brilliance in the N17 made Guardiola blush at the Swede. “What a player!” the Spaniard said of Tottenham’s silky playmaker at the start of 2023. The ex-Juventus man hasn’t always shone after an excellent start to his Tottenham career, but he is usually dazzling in front of the City boss, and simply he loves playing at the Etihad.
His first Premier League goal came at City’s stronghold, and he starred in a central role last season before grabbing a dramatic late equalizer in a stunning 3-3 draw. This was his best Etihad performance, though.
Returning to a wide stance, Kulusevski’s mighty majesty manifested itself everywhere. It was limited to one only 30 taps – the second least of the team – but the The playmaker’s impact was staggering. After setting up the brilliant James Maddison himself with a perfectly weighted cross for the opener, Kulusevski almost single-handedly created Spurs’ third breakaway. Most of his total touches came during that special sequence, including a nutmeg to Ilkay Gundogan, the pass to Kyle Walker and a clever pass to Dominic Solanke.
He is a player that Guardiola would love in blue sky.
Tim Sherwood hasn’t exactly been known for producing the smartest of catches in the specialist area, but he was pleased after Tottenham’s emphatic triumph.
“It’s unbelievable. Shame on (some Tottenham fans) for wanting this guy out. This guy, for me, is a breath of fresh air and what Tottenham needed,” he said. Optus Sports’ Live conference.
“He needs results like this to convince a lot of the fans that he is the main man,” he added.
Tottenham have been very inconsistent of late and their record in 2024 has been below par. Saturday’s result was the ultimate vindication of his principles and the North London project. There was much talk of City’s absences and problems, but Postecoglou arrived in Manchester without his two starting centre-backs and preferred the No.6 on Saturday. He made it work.
This was a result and performance reminiscent of Liverpool’s 4-1 triumph at the Etihad within a couple of months of Jurgen Klopp taking charge. The German’s project was quickly validated by that crushing win at home to Manuel Pellegrini’s Cityzens, and while the potentially defining win for Postecoglou’s project came in year two, it could nonetheless boast a significance similar in the long term.
Spurs supporters’ expectations were low going into the competition given what happened two weeks ago against Ipswich. In addition, the absences of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were confirmed during the week.
Pessimism was general.
Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies were the makeshift central defense combination tasked with taming Erling Haaland, and the signs were ominous early on as they found themselves in unfavorable situations in defensive transition. However, once the Spurs weathered an early sky-blue storm reminiscent of Bart’s ongoing potency, Dragusin and Davies settled down. The latter was particularly impressive.
The Welshman has spent more than a decade in north London and is considered a prop for most of his Tottenham career. For some, he has come to symbolize the mediocrity that Spurs have often sunk into post-Pochettino, but that suggestion is incredibly harsh on a true professional model.
Davies is far from flashy, but he’s very reliable and is almost always at home in a tough centre-back role. He was flawless on the edge at the Etihad; chaining Haaland while offering composure in possession.
This Spurs performance was dominated by wonderful cohesion and a couple of outstanding individual displays, but Davies’ unheralded brilliance should not go under the radar.
