Son snatches first-leg lead after Aguero misses penalty

Sergio Aguero missing from the spot proved costly to Manchester City, which lost 1-0 at Tottenham in the Champions League.

Published : Apr 10, 2019 02:54 IST

A second-half strike from Son Heung-min gave Tottenham a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the first leg of its Champions League quarter-final tie.

Sergio Aguero missed a first-half penalty and Harry Kane was forced off injured before Son's strike settled the first European match at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.

City had won all of the past three meetings with Spurs but, without Bernardo Silva or Kevin De Bruyne in the starting line-up, the visitor seemed to lack a lot of the spark that has kept it on course for an unprecedented quadruple this season.

Mauricio Pochettino's side was thwarted by Ederson for much of the match, but the Brazil goalkeeper allowed Son's strike to slide beneath him and leave City trailing ahead of the return leg.

RELATED | As it happened

Eleven minutes in, Danny Rose was penalised after a VAR review for blocking Raheem Sterling's shot with his arm, but Aguero's spot-kick was comfortably saved by Hugo Lloris.

The incident seemed to galvanise Spurs, with Kane seeing a shot well stopped by Ederson, who also denied Rose just before the break.

City was not quite at its slickest but Aguero did flash a shot just past the right-hand post, as it continued to look a threat on the counter-attack.

 

Sterling was denied by Lloris shortly after half-time as the game became more frantic, but the atmosphere was rather quelled an hour in, when Kane had to be helped down the tunnel after apparently damaging his ankle in a challenge with Fabian Delph.

City suddenly looked in the ascendancy, but it was Spurs who found the breakthrough 12 minutes from time. Son just kept Christian Eriksen's pass from going out for a goal-kick, skipped past Delph's challenge and saw a left-foot shot squirm beneath Ederson's body.

 

What does it mean? Spurs have the edge but Kane a huge concern

 

Most Spurs fans would have taken a 1-0 win before the match and, given Aguero's failure from 12 yards and Kane's injury, this is a hugely commendable result.

That said, the loss of Kane for the second leg would be a major blow to their hopes of progressing, and will also cause a concern for the Londoners' top four finish in the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola will be frustrated not to have scored at least, and he will be wary of risking all-out attack in the return leg at the Etihad Stadium out of fear of conceding an away goal.

Son makes the difference again

This was not his finest display in a Spurs shirt, but he has rarely scored a goal on a grander stage. He is fast becoming Pochettino's ultimate go-to hero.

Off-night for Aguero

His tame penalty rather set the tone for 70 pretty ineffective minutes, in which he only had 18 touches of the ball.

What's next?

Spurs host relegated Huddersfield Town in the Premier League on Saturday before next week's second leg. City heads to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

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