Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier were rock solid, but Riyad Mahrez was underwhelming as Tottenham beat Manchester City 2-0 on Saturday.
Tottenham made an electric start to the game as Son Heung-min put the ball through the legs of Ederson Moraes and into the back of the net after being fed by Tanguy Ndombele. Thereafter, the hosts settled in to absorb the pressure that Manchester City were looking to create, doing so with elan for the most part.
Midway through the second half, Tottenham went on to seal their win, as Giovani Lo Celso finished off an efficient counter-attacking move after being sent through by Harry Kane. City were unable to pull even one goal back, as Spurs completed a 2-0 win to go to the top of the table. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Jose Mourinho’s men following a stunning tactical success.
Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris: 8/10
Despite Manchester City’s dominance over possession, Lloris was not called into action all that much. The Tottenham captain did make 5 saves, but only one of those was a tricky one.
Serge Aurier: 8/10
Up against an in-form Ferran Torres, Aurier produced one of his best-ever performances in a Tottenham shirt. 5 tackles and 4 interceptions tell the tale of a superb defensive display and he was not dribbled past even once. Sloppy on the ball, but did his primary job well.
Toby Alderweireld: 9/10
Alderweireld has made it a habit to step up in crunch situations this season and he was on the money against Manchester City as well. Kept Gabriel Jesus quiet all throughout with elan while opening up play to find Harry Kane in the build-up to Tottenham’s second. Simply brilliant.
Eric Dier: 9/10
Much like Alderweireld, Dier was a colossal presence at the back for Tottenham, shutting down all the threat that presented itself around the box. Made a game-high 8 clearances in addition to getting in 3 crucial blocks.
Sergio Reguilon: 7/10
A potentially tricky game up against Riyad Mahrez ended up being a showcase of his defensive abilities. The Spaniard was solid in his defensive duties but was wasteful on the ball, like Aurier.
Moussa Sissoko: 8/10
Tottenham needed a solid base in midfield and Sissoko provided just that in the double pivot. The Frenchman kept a lid on Bernardo Silva while carrying the ball smartly on the odd occasion.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 8/10
Hojbjerg vs Man City
93% pass success
48 touches
7 recoveries
6 duels won
5/5 tackles won
3 accurate long balls
2 clearancesMY MIDFIELDER ??? #THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/SsbOwFlluT
— The Spurs Web ⚪️ (@thespursweb) November 21, 2020
Hojbjerg has been such a brilliant addition to the Tottenham squad and he illustrated the same on Saturday. The Dane hardly misplaced a pass (34/36 completed), while winning 6 duels and completing 5 tackles. Channelled the Mourinho spirit superbly.
Steven Bergwijn: 6/10
Did not do a great deal in the final third apart from providing an additional option to Kane and Son Heung-min. Worked his socks off defensively, though, supporting Aurier on his flank.
Tanguy Ndombele: 7/10
Ndombele made a bright start to the game, setting up Son for the opening goal. Looked to press high up the pitch to ease the pressure on the Tottenham defenders. Winning Mourinho’s trust one game at a time.
Son Heung-min: 8/10
Son broke the deadlock within the opening five minutes, with a peach of a finish through Ederson’s legs. Typically worked hard without seeing a lot of the ball. Now the sole leader in the Golden Boot race.
Harry Kane: 9/10
Harry Kane vs. Man City:
1 chance created
1 assist
3 ball recoveries
100% tackles won
1 blocked cross
2 fouls committed
6 fouls sufferedMasterclass. pic.twitter.com/U9ZLKBsqB3
— Spurs Stat Man (@SpursStatMan) November 21, 2020
Kane might not have been on the score sheet, but he was the player who made Tottenham tick. Did get an assist for a beautiful pass to Giovani Lo Celso, but particularly impressed off the ball while holding it up expertly at critical junctures.
SUBSTITUTES
Giovani Lo Celso: 7/10
Lo Celso did not see a lot of the ball after coming on for Ndombele, but he made it count when he got near the Manchester City box with a delightful finish.
Lucas Moura: 6/10
On for Bergwijn, Moura worked hard while providing an outlet on the break.
Joe Rodon: N/A
A late introduction for an injured Alderweireld, Rodon helped see the game out.
Manchester City
Ederson Moraes: 5/10
With Manchester City dominating possession, Ederson did not have a single save to make. Had his legs wide open for each of Tottenham’s goals.
#Ederson could be so good if he stopped doing this!
It is so frustrating watching him cost city goals game after game cos of his decision making during long range 1v1s.
He gets into an awful position way out of goal & lets a weak central shot go in.
He needs to stay deep! pic.twitter.com/hlugAPK5SC
— John Harrison (@Jhdharrison1) November 21, 2020
Kyle Walker: 5/10
Walker saw a lot of the ball but did little with it going forward, hardly providing an outlet. The former Tottenham full-back was also caught out of position when Lo Celso scored the second.
Ruben Dias: 5/10
Credited with turning around the fortunes of the Manchester City defence, it was an off night for Dias, who failed to keep a lid on Son for the opening goal. Hardly put a foot wrong with the ball at his feet and won 4 duels as well. Not at his best in the critical moment, though.
Aymeric Laporte: 5/10
Much like Dias, Laporte could not manage to remain as solid as he usually is, struggling to negate the threat of a relentless Kane. But had some positive moments as well. Controversially had a goal ruled out for a handball by Gabriel Jesus in the build-up.
Joao Cancelo: 6/10
The best of the lot at the back for Manchester City. While he, too, was suspect for both goals, Joao Cancelo at least carried some threat going forward and delivered a couple of dangerous balls, with 4 key passes to show for his efforts.
Kevin De Bruyne: 7/10
A player who did not really deserve to be on the losing side. De Bruyne was relentless in his pursuit of helping his side bounce back and created a couple of glorious opportunities, only for his teammates to disappoint.
"I don't know the rules anymore to be honest" ?
Kevin De Bruyne speaks about the handball rule and feeling exhausted after a crazy first few months of the season pic.twitter.com/477n9JJXmR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 21, 2020
Rodri: 6/10
Rodri was quite purposeful on the ball as well, playing in 4 key passes while aiming a couple of shots on goal. However, he struggled to provide the requisite cover to the defence, with Tottenham bypassing him on the break.
Bernardo Silva: 5/10
Back into the starting lineup, Silva did precious little on the ball, though he did not lose it cheaply. Needed to do more and is just not delivering the goods.
Riyad Mahrez: 4/10
Mahrez displayed some brilliant touches on the ball, but his end product ended up leaving a lot to be desired. Might not be in the side for long.
Gabriel Jesus: 5/10
A poor outing for Jesus, who had a horrendous end product when he was found by a teammate. Did not even keep one of his shots on target, missing a couple of fine chances.
Ferran Torres: 5/10
The in-form player for Manchester City, Torres had a game to forget, with Aurier keeping a check on his output. Did manage to string together a couple of key passes, though.
SUBSTITUTES
Phil Foden: 5/10
On for Bernardo Silva, Foden oddly did not see a lot of the ball, although he did complete each of the 7 passes he attempted.
Raheem Sterling: 5/10
Like Foden, Sterling did not see a lot of action but did manage to create a half-chance.
