Tottenham Hotspur progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after a breathless 2-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Ange Postecoglou, who has always delivered silverware in his second season with clubs, oversaw a huge triumph for his side as Spurs faced the Premier League champions in the last 16.
Goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr put Spurs 2-0 up before Matheus Nunes pulled one back just before half-time to set up a tense second 45. Eight-time winners City are out, although Pep Guardiola won’t do it. be especially concerned given the hectic nature of his schedule.
How the match unfolded
While neither team was at full strength, both teams filled their respective starting elevens with recognizable faces. Postecoglou changed half of the team that lost at Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Erling Haaland got a breather after scoring again at City at the weekend.
Werner was one of the players to return to Postecoglou’s XI, with the German under pressure giving Tottenham an early lead. Spurs cut off City’s pressure and broke down the right through Dejan Kulusevski, who laid it on a plate for Werner to finish with unusual aplomb.
City were unable to settle into their usual pace and struggled to break past Spurs’ intensity to break out of possession with under-impact passing that compromised multiple build-up sequences. They were still half asleep when Sarr grabbed the hosts’ second with a curling point from 20 yards.
Guardiola’s side finally got going after 30 minutes, starting to dominate their hosts, which forced Spurs’ defensive line to deepen. However, a lack of forwardness in Haaland’s absence meant that Guglielmo Vicario was not tested, but his two standout players in the first half, Savinho and Nunes, combined to halve the deficit and ensure I know that the visitors took all the momentum to the break. .
Chances came for Spurs at the start of the second half but Stefan Ortega, once again on this ground, was on hand to deny Lilywhite’s hopes. City’s shot-stopper cleverly denied Brennan Johnson and Kulusevski, while Werner came inches from scoring his second after breaking behind the City defence.
The hosts continued to keep Guardiola’s men at bay, but their inability to polish off the Premier League champions ensured City had a sniff as the game entered the closing stages.
City created a moment but Yves Bissouma was on hand to deny a certain goal off the line that secured Tottenham’s place in the quarter-finals.
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 6/10 – It was limited to just one or two “what’s he doing out there?!” moments, and impressed with the ball at his feet.
RB: Archie Gray – 6/10 – Nunes turned it around in the first half, but Gray settled down and fought back in the second half. Composed in possession throughout, helping his team escape a couple of difficult points.
CB: Cristian Romero – 7/10 – He stuck to challenges and was rarely defeated. He had looked well on his way to producing a close performance before succumbing to a possible injury at the start of the second half.
CB: Radu Dragusin – 8/10 – He never looks particularly comfortable in possession, but he enjoyed having to defend the box in the second half. This was a strong and encouraging display.
LB: Micky van de Ven – N/A – Forced out early with a hamstring injury.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – 9/10 – Normally a classy client in possession, but Bentancur stood out for his work off the ball in this one. Read the game extremely well, especially when asked to defend channels. Superior performance.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – 7/10 – He took his goal brilliantly, and you have to think his first-half booking played a big part in him being withdrawn at half-time given the confidence he exuded.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski – 8/10 – The free man Tottenham were happy to get access to their star playmaker, but Kulusevski deserves credit for consistently finding space in City’s defensive structure to get the ball. He often made the right decision when in possession.
RW: Brennan Johnson – 6/10 – It was his beautiful film that set Kulusevski on his way in the build-up to Werner’s opener. Performance probably peaked there, in fact.
ST: Dominic Solanke – 7/10 – He fell to the floor and was dealt with harshly by referee Rob Jones. He didn’t get a sniff of Ortega’s goal but he did the dirty work excellently.
LW: Timo Werner – 8/10 – There were a couple of missed chances, but this was the performance (and goal) he desperately needed. He has consistently found himself behind City’s backline, and Guardiola would have been delighted to see him forced off injured midway through the second half.
Substitutes
SUB: Destiny Udogie (14′ by Van de Ven) – 6/10
SUB: Yves Bissouma (46′ for Sarr) – 7/10
SUB: Ben Davies (52′ for Romero) – 7/10
SUB: Richarlison (69′ for Werner) – 7/10
SUB: Mikey Moore (69′ for Johnson) – 5/10
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Pedro Porro.
manager
Ange Postecoglou – 8/10 – His side bounced back from Sunday’s dismal defeat, and once again we have to praise the Spurs manager for making a half-time change that allowed his side to take more control.
GK: Stefan Ortega – 7/10 – He had few chances with Spurs’ goals in the first half, but kept City in the game after the restart with a pair of strong palms down the right.
CB: John Stones – 6/10 – City’s form meant that Stones was forced to defend outside of Werner, something he didn’t particularly like. He didn’t seem to be in control of his backline at all times, but kept his team in possession.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6/10 – He was a late inclusion in the starting eleven as he replaced Manuel Akanji and lasted just 45 minutes before being withdrawn himself. He had a fairly quiet first half.
CB: Nathan Ake – 6/10 – The Dutchman looked more comfortable when he moved into a more central position, which he did after the break after having some trouble defending wide areas in the first period.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 4/10 – Off the beat on the N17. Gundogan lost Kulusevski in the build-up to Tottenham’s opener and was sloppy at times in possession. Off in the middle.
CM: Rico Lewis – 7/10 – He grew into the game and became metronomic in the second half. A shrewd performance in the middle of the park.
RM: Savinho – 8/10 – Phew. Just a pleasure to watch. He escapes from tight spaces like Harry Houdini, only doing it in the style of your favorite Brazilian footballer. He scored Nunes’ goal at the end of the first half.
AM: Nico O’Reilly – 6/10 – The teenager was sloppy on the ball early on and physically overwhelmed at times, but settled down and offered some guile on the ball after the break.
AM: James McAtee – 6/10 – He offered some craft between the lines but didn’t make too much of an impact in and around the box.
LM: Matheus Nunes – 8/10 – Support Nunes was City’s main outlet in the first half, consistently beating Gray down City’s left. He is in a rich vein of form, and this goal – a smart finish at the back post – will do him no harm.
ST: Phil Foden – 5/10 – Used up top in Haaland’s absence but didn’t offer much. A few neat touches here and there. That was all.
Substitutes
SUB: Mateo Kovacic (46′ for Gundogan) – 6/10
SUB: Josko Gvardiol (46′ by Dias) – 6/10
SUB: Bernardo Silva (59′ for Foden) – 5/10
SUB: Jacob Wright (63′ for Savinho) – 5/10
SUB: Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (74′ for Ake) – 6/10
Unused substitutes: Ederson (GK), Erling Haaland, Manuel Akanji, Farid Alfa-Ruprecht.
manager
Pep Guardiola – 5/10 – Life without Haaland. City should have been beaten by a few more here, with their team performing at their usual level for no more than 20 minutes. At least the kids got away.
