Man City vs Tottenham LIVE: Premier League result and final score as late Dejan Kulusevski goal stuns hosts
Manchester City 3-3 Tottenham: Spurs end losing run as Kulusevski’s header frustrates Premier League champions in six-goal thriller
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Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th minute header rescued Tottenham a point at the Etihad and ended a run of three Premier League defeats in a row as Spurs claimed a thrilling 3-3 draw against Manchester City.
Kulusevski’s towering leap denied City victory in a breathless contest, which means Pep Guardiola’s champions have now dropped points in three consecutive games following draws against Chelsea and Liverpool.
Injury-hit Spurs took the lead when Son Heung-min finished off a clinical counter-attack, but the Tottenham captain then found the net at the other end two minutes later as he diverted a free-kick into his own goal.
Ange Postecoglou’s side stuck to their bold and attacking plan despite their injury crisis and City could have been out of sight as they routinely tore the visitors apart, with Phil Foden putting them in front after the half hour.
City were wasteful, however, with Erling Haaland missing an open goal and Jeremy Doku and Julian Alvaraz striking the post, and Spurs grabbed a deserved equaliser in the second half when Giovani Lo Celso curled in.
City woke themselves up in the final stages and Jack Grealish punished a loose pass from Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma to restore their lead, before Kulusevski’s dramatic header settled the contest in injury time.
Follow all the live action in the blog below and get the latest match odds and tips here.
Tottenham adapt to deliver thrilling drama and frustrate Man City again
Ange Postecoglou has still not emulated Cristian Stellini and Nuno Espirito Santo but he may have made his point in a rather different fashion. It was not exactly ‘Angeball’ in its purest form but it was compelling, chaotic entertainment as Tottenham halted their losing streak, picked up an improbable point and gave Arsenal a bigger cushion at the Premier League summit than they presumably expected.
Spurs are no strangers to late drama at the Etihad Stadium, whether the disallowed Sergio Aguero goal that sent them on their way towards the 2019 Champions League final, or Harry Kane’s 95th-minute winner in 2022. They completed a hat-trick of sorts, frustrating Manchester City again courtesy of Dejan Kulusevski.
Not exactly known for his heading, the Swede soared above Nathan Ake – a defender brought on to see out a victory – and head in Brennan Johnson’s cross. For the second time, Tottenham had come from behind. In their own way, they had scored four of the six goals, with Son Heung-min – not quite the prodigal son – proving more prolific than they had hoped by finding the net at each end.
For City, however, this was the rout that wasn’t, the game that promised a thrashing and delivered a draw. They were inches from putting Tottenham out of sight, twice hitting the woodwork, and squandered some fine chances, but a lack of ruthlessness meant they ended up dropping points at the Etihad for a second successive weekend.
Read Richard Jolly’s full-time report from the Etihad:
Tottenham adapt to deliver thrilling drama and frustrate Man City again
Manchester City 3-3 Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou’s side stunned the champions as Dejan Kulusevski rescued a point in a six-goal thriller
Pep Guardiola refuses to ‘do a Mikel Arteta’ after controversial Man City draw
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he would not “do a Mikel Arteta comment” by criticising referees following his side’s controversial 3-3 draw against Tottenham, in an apparent dig at his former assistant and current Arsenal boss.
Arteta was charged by the Football Association last month following his criticism of Premier League referees and VAR. After a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle, Arteta said the decision to award Anthony Gordon’s winner was an “absolute disgrace” and “embarrassing”.
But Guardiola said he would not go down the same route after his side were denied a late counter-attack in their draw against Tottenham, with referee Simon Hooper instead bringing play back following a foul on striker Erling Haaland when Jack Grealish was through on goal.
City’s players were furious after the decision, which came after Dejan Kulusevski’s late equaliser, and although Guardiola said he did not “understand” why play was brought back the manager refused to go any further.
When asked about the incident, he said: “Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment.
Read the Spaniard’s full thoughts below:
Pep Guardiola refuses to ‘do a Mikel Arteta’ after controversial Man City draw
City wanted to play advantage after Jack Grealish was played through on goal but referee Simon Hooper brought it back for a foul on Erling Haaland
Man City fury as referee mistake denies late chance in Tottenham draw
Manchester City and Erling Haaland fumed at referee Simon Hooper after they were denied a late counter-attack in their thrilling 3-3 draw against Tottenham.
City wanted to play advantage with Jack Grealish through on goal against only a couple of recovering Tottenham defenders. The Premier League champions were on the attack after conceding a late equaliser to Dejan Kulusevski’s header.
Haaland had to be restrained at full-time after leading the protests and reacted to a clip of the incident on social media after full-time, posting: “Wtf”.
On Sky Sports, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said the referee had made a “mistake” while former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said Hooper had “panicked” by bringing play back.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards added: “The referee had a brilliant game today until this moment. I don’t understand. He puts the whistle to his mouth, he waves it on but stops to play advantage. Grealish is clearly through but then he stops the play, which I just don’t understand.”
Man City fury as referee mistake denies late chance in Tottenham draw
Erling Haaland posted ‘wtf’ on social media after play was brought back for a foul when City had the advantage
That’s all for today
Both teams are swiftly back in action in midweek as the Premier League’s festive schedule gets into full swing. Man City travel to Aston Villa on Wednesday, while Spurs host West Ham in a London derby on Thursday.
Until then it’s goodbye for now!
FULL-TIME: Man City 3-3 Tottenham
Differing emotions at full-time:
FULL-TIME: Man City 3-3 Tottenham
More from Dias: “Football is unpredictable and football changes all the time. In the past, we’ve had clean sheets that could have been a goal conceded but we were able to sustain it.
“For example this game, the Liverpool game when it looked like everything was locked in we still conceded goals. Football is versatile and we need to adapt constantly.
“Things aren’t going the best way for us right now but the only thing we have to do is keep pushing, keep believing, keep moving forward because at some point if you really believe in what you do things come to you.”
FULL-TIME: Man City 3-3 Tottenham
Ruben Dias speaking after the game to Sky Sports: “It’s difficult for us. The same feeling as Liverpool - a game we could have won by four or five but in the end, small margins and these things can happen.
“The team did think the performance was good on many levels. Obviously, we conceded the goals but still the attitude, the way we played, the aggression. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the three points, it’s frustrating.
“The only way now is to keep moving forward. The feeling we will leave the pitch with today is a bit of a frustrating feeling. I think all of us know the team was there for today and unfortunately, we didn’t get the three points.
“I can be proud of what everyone did because everyone did everything to win the game today.”
FULL-TIME: Man City 3-3 Tottenham
More from Guardiola: “In other sports it is about statistics, and when a team has better statistics, 10 times out of 10 they win. In football, this is not the case.
“Last week the same happened to Spurs. They were the better team against Aston Villa but they lost. So football can be like this sometimes. To score four at Stamford Bridge and draw, to be better against Liverpool and draw, and today we were also not able to win. We need to forget this and move on to the next one and continue.”
On Haaland’s frustration after the game: “He is a fantastic player. His frustration is for the last action [of the game] and not for scoring goals. What can I say as a manager to these players and our fans? A team who tried their best and a full stadium again who cheered us to the end.
“Maybe next time we will be better and improve. How many chances did Spurs create, also Liverpool, not many and we did not get the result we wanted today either. Wednesday we have another game and go for it.”
FULL-TIME: Man City 3-3 Tottenham
Pep Guardiola speaking to Sky Sports after the game: “It was a good game, that is the most important thing. It was a pity, same as the Liverpool game. I had the feeling that today was an incredible performance in all departments, against a really good team and manager and how they play.
“We created a lot of chances, we were aggressive, incredibly concentrated, and the feeling is that we still want to be there [at the top of the table]. It is a pity. Sometimes football is like life, you do not get what you deserve.”
About the late controversy: “Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment.
“It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action.”
FULL-TIME: Man City 3-3 Tottenham
More from Postecoglou: “We weren’t anywhere near the level of our standards and City will do that to you, they are unbelievable. They put pressure on you and haven’t lost too many games here at the Etihad. Second half we had more belief in ourselves and the team we want to be and we clawed our way back into the game.”
On his half-time team talk: “There would probably only be a few words I can say. Joking aside, it was more trying to get the players to believe in themselves rather than anger at them. I’m always mindful that from where I am on the touchline it seems simple but out there against an unbelievable team it is difficult.
“It was a case of whatever happens I will take responsibility, particularly if it doesn’t go well. But just go out there and believe in yourselves.
“How you react to the tough periods factor in how you are measured in the course of the season. We stuck to our guns and our beliefs, we aren’t out of the tough period yet, we’re going to be thin going into January but how you react is important for what we are trying to build.”
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