Tottenham Hotspur 2 Manchester City 0
Tottenham: Kolarov (9' og), Alli (37')
Man of the match: Victor Wanyama (Tottenham)
LONDON // Every advance was met with a roar of appreciation from the terraces and a cry of encouragement from the touchline. Tottenham Hotspur, inexorable and unrelenting, did not give Manchester City a moment's peace throughout the encounter at White Hart Lane, and the visitors had no answer to their opponents' intense and aggressive pressing.
This game was billed as a clash between the Premier League's meanest defence and deadliest attack, with Tottenham having conceded the fewest number of goals and City having scored the most heading into the weekend.
It was the defence that won out — and in emphatic fashion, too — but this was far from a backs-to-the-wall performance from Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who owed their fourth clean sheet of the league season to their attackers and midfielders as much as their back four and goalkeeper.
More from the Premier League:
• Results and round-up: Spurs teach City a lesson, United stutter
• Talking points: West Ham face fight to keep Dimitri Payet
• Richard Jolly on Chelsea: A case of mistaken identity
The tone was set in the opening minute as Tottenham flooded forward straight from kick-off to force Claudio Bravo to kick the ball long with his first touch of the afternoon. City may have been hoping to settle into their rhythm with an early spell of patient possession, but such plans had to be hastily shelved in the face of Tottenham’s vigorous pressing.
The hosts went ahead shortly after when Aleksandar Kolarov horribly scuffed the ball into his own net after a deep cross from Spurs left-back Danny Rose, but the insurance of a one-goal advantage did not lead to any alteration in their approach. If anything, Tottenham further turned up the heat after breaking the deadlock. City, rattled and ragged, looked like a colony of rabbits caught in the headlights.
Son Heung-min, selected ahead of Vincent Janssen as Tottenham’s nominal central striker, led the effort from the front, harrying John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi and making it difficult for Pep Guardiola’s men to build from the back. It was notable that City’s most common pass combination was Stones to Bravo, an indication of how much they struggled to work the ball through the pitch.
Victor Wanyama, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, fielded together in a midfield three, were all industrious and made it difficult for City to pick out David Silva and Fernandinho in dangerous positions between the lines.
Further back, Kyle Walker was excellent in his direct duel on the right with Raheem Sterling, and Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen dealt with Sergio Aguero’s considerable threat impressively.
Tottenham were also terrific in possession, their passing moves purposeful and incisive. Son’s lateral movement towards the flanks caused problems for Stones and Otamendi and opened up space into which Alli could dart, while Wanyama, Eriksen and Moussa Sissoko were all tidy in their use of the ball.
This convincing victory, however, was mostly down to Tottenham’s powerful pressing and the fine discipline with which they carried it out.
“They were the better team,” Guardiola said. “They played with talent and we knew how aggressive they are — home and away, but especially at home. They were a step ahead of us today. When the opponent is better you have to learn from it.”
Pochettino, meanwhile, was left to reflect on a “nearly perfect” performance.
“To play a great team like Manchester City you need to do a fantastic job,” he said. “I’m very proud of the performance and the work our players showed.”
Guardiola’s City had displayed few signs of vulnerability in the Premier League before this weekend, but Tottenham’s sublime showing at White Hart Lane proved they will not have everything their own way this season.
Having seen their challenge fade away at the end of last season, Pochettino’s side look revitalised and ready to go again in the battle for the title.
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Sassuolo v Bologna (11.45pm)
Saturday
Brescia v Torino (6pm)
Inter Milan v Verona (9pm)
Napoli v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sunday
Cagliari v Verona (3.30pm)
Udinese v SPAL (6pm)
Sampdoria v Atalanta (6pm)
Lazio v Lecce (6pm)
Parma v Roma (9pm)
Juventus v Milan (11.45pm)
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Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
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FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
if you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com
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Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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