Manchester City fought back from a 2-0 half-time deficit against Tottenham to claim a 4-2 victory on Thursday, which puts the champions firmly back in the Premier League title race.
Goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal just before the interval had put Spurs 2-0 up and led to City being booed off by their own supporters.
But a second-half revival, sparked by two goals in three minutes from Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland, led to Pep Guardiola’s team taking control before Riyad Mahrez took the game away from Spurs with two outstanding goals.
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Rapid reaction
1. Man City and Haaland are back on track after recent blips
Manchester City sent an emphatic warning to Premier League leaders Arsenal that they are ready to fight all the way for the title by bouncing back from two straight defeats to beat Spurs. And City, who were beaten by Manchester United in league play and Southampton in the Carabao Cup going into this game, also saw Erling Haaland end his three-game scoring drought in the 4-2 win.
While the end result sees City move to within five points of Arsenal, early on it looked to be heading to an embarrassment for City manager Pep Guardiola following his decision to start with Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva on the substitutes’ bench. Tottenham scored twice just before halftime, and fans made their displeasure clear.
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But City have form for winning games when trailing 2-0 at half-time, though, having done so against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa last year, and City did so again to inflict another dent in Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the top four all while underlining their own outstanding quality. Goals from Julian Alvarez and Haaland levelled the scores before Riyad Mahrez scored twice to secure the points and move City closer to Arsenal.
That sets up a big weekend in the title race when Arsenal face third-place United at the Emirates on Sunday after City host Wolves at Etihad earlier in the day. If City beat Wolves, they can move to within two points of Arsenal before Mikel Arteta’s team take the field.
2. Spurs and Kane get a harsh reality check
As Riyad Mahrez raced away to celebrate his goal that gave Manchester City a 3-2 lead against Spurs, the television camera focused on Harry Kane in the centre-circle, shaking his head in frustration after seeing his side throw away a 2-0 lead to fall behind.
Kane has given Spurs incredible service over the years and he needs just two more goals to to surpass the legendary Jimmy Greaves as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Greaves is on 266, with Kane taking his tally 265 with the winning in the FA Cup third round win against Portsmouth earlier this month.
But while Kane will undoubtedly claim that record as his own in the weeks ahead, what else can Spurs offer him in terms of success and memories for when his playing days are over?
Mahrez’s goal might just have been the moment when the England captain realised that Spurs will always be the kind of team that promises much but rarely delivers. At 29, Kane has still to win his first trophy as a professional and it won’t happen at Tottenham if they continue to play as they did at City.
