Premier League: Manchester City 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur - As it Happened

Catch all the LIVE updates of the much-awaited Premier League clash between Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium.

Updated : Aug 18, 2019 00:26 IST

Lucas Moura scored 27 seconds after coming on as a substitution against Manchester City.
Lucas Moura scored 27 seconds after coming on as a substitution against Manchester City.
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Lucas Moura scored 27 seconds after coming on as a substitution against Manchester City.

 

FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 2-2 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Three letters V. A . R - came back to deny Pep Guardiola's side another victory. Exactly, four months ago on this date, City was denied a victory and a place in the  Champions League semifinal after Raheem Sterling's injury-time goal was ruled out by the VAR. Today, City, Gabriel Jesus in particular, looked crestfallen after his winning goal was ruled out.

90+6' Sterling wins a corner for City but Spurs crowd the box and prevents the host from getting anywhere from it.

90+2' VAR DRAMA FOR GUARDIOLA AGAIN! City wins a corner as Laporte flicks De Bruyne's corner into Jesus' path who stabs it home with precision. The referee asks for VAR and replays show that the ball hit Laporte's hand before reaching Jesus. Its Deja Vu for City and Spurs again.

90' Zinchenko hits the ball from the left trying to find Sterling but the referee blows the whistle for a City foul inside the box. The fourth official announces four minutes of injury time.

87' Sterling tries to put Silva through on the left side but does not check his captain's run and the ball rolls out for a Spurs' goalkick. Guardiola looks impatient on the touchline.

86' Ndombele dispossesses Walker and Lucas Moura counters with the bowl. But the forward is stopped in his track by Otamendi. These are nervy moments for the host.

81' Oleksandr Zinchenko is down on the pitch which looks like a hamstring niggle. Riyad Mahrez comes for Raheem Sterling while Pochettino introduces Giovani Lo Celso for Erik Lamela.

80' Walker curls a cross from the right wing which loops around two Spurs defenders for Jesus to finish. The Brazilian is unable to put much muscle behind his header which flies away from the left post.

78' Club captain David Silva comes on for Rodrigo. De Bruyne curls a cross from the right and Jesus connects a header at the far post which narrowly misses the mark.

76' Some sluggish defending from Zinchenko allows Lucas Moura to chase a loose ball on the right and cut a pass back to the centre. But Spurs have no one there to apply the finish.

74' De Bruyne tries to square a pass from the right but Rose sticks out a leg to clear the ball for a corner.

72' CLOSE! Bernardo Silva crosses to Jesus at the far post who chests it down. However, the Brazilian is not in complete control of his shot and misses the goal from close range.

70' City wins another corner and De Bruyne hits it to Zinchenko who plays it to Sterling. The England international cross it to Otamendi who makes the jumps but Lloris was upto the task and punches the ball away.

66' Gabriel Jesus comes for Sergio Aguero. There is some drama on the sidelines. Guardiola points to the pitch while speaking to Aguero and the Argentinian snaps back at him. Guardiola looks furious with his star striker, but is stopped by his assistant Mikel Arteta from having an extended argument.

65' Kane tries to wriggle away from Otamendi who manages a poor clearance. However, Kyle Walker mops up the loose ball immediately.

63' City wins a second corner as Otamendi gets on the end of De Bruyne's delivery. Danny Rose makes an acrobatic clearance to prevent the threat. City looks a bit shaken now.

60' City has three shots in the span of three minutes as Sterling, Aguero and Rodrigo bring Lloris into action. The Etihad is on the edge.

56' SPURS EQUALISE! What an entry from Lucas Moura who comes on as a subsitute for Harry Winks and scores from an Erik Lamela's corner. For all the swagger from City, it finds itself level on scores at the Etihad.

53' A City goal seems inevitable as Gundogan curls a pass from the midfield to Zinchenko who accelerates on the left and plays it to Sterling. The winger spots Aguero's run behind the defence and puts him through. However, Aguero's shot has too much power on it and flies over the bar.

51' Nothing has changed from the first 45 minutes. Spurs' midfield looks lethargic as Aguero rushes forward and brings down a cross down for De Bruyne. The Belgian's hit is wayward and does not trouble Lloris.

49' Kevin De Bruyne finds himself in space inside the box and pulls  the trigger but Vertonghen comes up with a crucial block. City work its way on the right and Zinchenko sends a rasping drive from outside the box which takes a deflection off Harry Kane in the way. Luckily for the visitor, it misses the right post narrowly.

48' Rose chests down a clearance from Walker and crosses it from the left flank but Ederson is well-placed to collect the ball.

46' Spurs start of the second half and as it has been in the first half, they pass back. Walker-Peters punts the ball on the right flank and City work the ball back into the opposition half in no time.

The teams emerge out of the tunnel for the second half.

HALF-TIME: Man City 2-1 Tottenham

Manchester City has been absolutely dominant with Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling going on a rampage on both sides of the goal. The Belgian midfielder has been dazzling in the first half as he created both the first half goals for Sterling and Aguero. Spurs struggled to keep up with the host's intensity and managed just one attempt on the goal which went in thanks to Erik Lamela's excellent finishing. Pochettino has to come up with something new in the second half to contain the champion.

45+2' Bernardo Silva raises the volume around the Etihad as he beats three Spurs players despite being boxed on the right side. The Portuguese winger is brought down by Rose.

45' City, which dominated the possession in the opening exchanges, had let Tottenham take the ball, but has dominated the final third with 10 shots on the goal.

43' CLOSE! De Bruyne drifts out wide before slicing open the Spurs' defence with a low ball across the goalmouth. Gundogan has a clear view of the goal but flashes it wide.

40' Bernardo Silva has been quiet today. He tries a one-two with De Bruyne on the right, but Christian Eriksen intercepts to clear the danger.

37' De Bruyne dances down the right flank once again taking out Davinson Saches and Danny Rose on his way. However, the Belgian messes up his final shot by blasting over the crossbar.

35' AGUERO SCORES! Absolute perfection from Man City. Gundogan passes to De Bruyne on the right who hits a low ball across face of the goal and Aguero is in position to finish from point blank.

33' Davison Sanches blocks a Bernardo Silva attempt on the right as Spurs try to counter. Sissoko hits a cross from the halfline trying to find Lamela but is cleared by Otamendi.

31' Sterling is in the form of his life. He has ran Walker-Peters ragged with his pace and trickery. He finds Aguero on the right who is fouled by Lamela. But how long can Spurs hold City at bay?

28' City does not look rattled by Lamela's goal as it pushes for the second. Sterling finds De Bruyne inside the box but Sanches hacks it to safety.

23' SPURS EQUALIZE! Absolutely out of nowhere! Erik Lamela curls home a beauty from outside the box after receiving the ball from Ndombele. The Argentinian bends the ball around Kyle Walker as Ederson is caught out of position. Game on!

20' GOAL CITY! Raheem Sterling opens the scoring! Otamendi plays it from the back to Bernardo Silva who passes it to De Bruyne, who whips in a delightful cross at the far post. Sterling times his jump to perfection as he heads the ball past Lloris.

19' Kane gets the ball and plays it to Sissoko, but the Frenchman is flagged offside.

16' Spurs launch their first meaningful attack of the match as Harry Kane plays it to Eriksen on the right. However, the ball does not test Ederson as Otamendi and Zinchenko cut out the danger.

14' There is no way Spurs could get a whiff of the ball. Harry Kane is yet to get a touch on the ball in the opposition half. De Bruyne makes a 180-degree turn and finds Bernardo Silva on the right. But Davison Sanches is in position to thwart the danger.

10' Tottenham is chasing shadows in the opening exchanges. The intensity from City has been too much. Spurs' new signing Nodombele manages to get the ball into the other half for the first time in the game, but retrieved immediately by City.

7' First good chance at the goal and its no surprise that the shot comes from Sterling. Kyle Walker's goes on a blazing run on the right and cuts back it to Sterling. The England man is denied by a timely block by Walker-Peters as the ball flies over the crossbar.

STAT: Sterling had a conversion rate of 25% in 2012-13, his first Premier League season, with Liverpool. Last season it was 60% as he finished with 17 goals in 34 games.

5' City players are warming up by passing in triangles. Most of the attacks have been built from the left with Zinchenko and Sterling heavily involved. Sterling has already been flagged offside twice as he tries to get around Walker-Peters.

3' Ederson's long goal kick is kept alive by Zinchenko on the left. He tries to find De Bruyne in the box but Alderweireld heads it out to safety. Lively start by the champion.

1' KICK-OFF! City begins the proceedings at the Etihad and makes the first attack. Raheem Sterling whips in a cross from the left but Lloris has no trouble to collecting it.

9.56 pm: The players walk on to the pitch. City goalkeeper Ederson turns 26 today, Spurs' left-back Danny Rose is making his 200th appearance for the Londoners, while club captain Hugo Lloris is making his 300th appearance.

9.54 pm: Mauricio Pochettino was the first manager to hand Pep Guardiola his first defeat in the Premier League at the White Hart Lane in October, 2016. Will he get one back at Pep today?

9.46 pm: Liverpool made it two out of two with a 2-1 win over Southampton at St. Mary's while Unai Emery's Arsenal recorded a similar win over Burnely at home.

Lineups:

City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Zinchenko; Rodrigo, Gundogan; De Bruyne(C), Sterling, Bernardo; Aguero

John Stones out with injury, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva replace Gabriel Jesus and David Silva in the starting XI

Spurs (4-3-2-1): Lloris (C); Walker-Peters, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Rose; Winks, Sissoko, Ndombele; Eriksen, Lamela; Kane

Christian Eriksen starts ahead of Lucas Moura

Squad Updates:

Man City: Pep Guardiola has to do without the services of mercurial winger Leroy Sane who is out with a hamstring injury. Gabriel Jesus could get the nod in the Starting XI ahead of Sergio Aguero once again while new signing Rodrigo might start in central midfield despite Fernandinho being available for the clash.

Tottenham: Dele Alli is out of the clash with a hamstring injury while Son Heung-Min is serving his three-match suspension. Left-back Ryan Sessagnon is also sidelined to hamstring injury.

 

Head-to-Head:

Last five meetings - Spurs - 1, City - 4

Pep vs Pochettino - The teams clashed eight times in Premier League and Champions League, off which, Manchester City won five matches and two went Tottenham's way. The teams played out a 1-1 draw 2-2 draw in the 2016-17 at the Etihad. Last season, Pochettino lost 4-3 in the Champions League quarterfinal second-leg at the Etihad, but last-minute VAR drama meant that his team sealed a spot in the semifinals on away goals.

READ | With Kevin De Bruyne around, Man City is the most exciting team to watch

 

Tottenham broke the bank for midfielder Tanguy Ndombele spending €65 million on the Lyon man. Despite a superb performance in the opener against West Ham, Maurico Pochettino felt that the Frenchman needs to more time to settle down.

 

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