Tottenham vs Manchester City match report: Sergio Aguero inspires City to victory to all but seal Champions League spot
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Manchester City 1
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Your support makes all the difference.Were this match report being written at the beginning of January, when Manchester City were still neck-and-neck with Chelsea at the Premier League summit, it would have praised City’s resilience, highlighted the predatory instincts of Sergio Aguero, and concluded that City would not surrender their title easily.
A lot can happen in four months. Chelsea lifted the title 10 miles across London on Sunday, three weeks before the season’s end, because City have produced too few performances like this in 2015.
City did not play well, Joe Hart admitted that, but having ridden their luck in the early stages they scored a superb counter-attacking goal, then dug in for victory. They were without two mainstays of their title win, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Touré, and Samir Nasri had only a two-minute cameo as a substitute, but they were able to withstand all Tottenham had to offer.
Their manager, Manuel Pellegrini, was also in fighting mood, pointedly noting that “Chelsea did this year what we did last year, win the Premier League and Capital One Cup”. He added: “We did the same, scoring more goals in an attractive style – we scored 158 goals last year, 102 in the Premier League.”
He praised Tottenham for their “attractive football” contributing to “a beautiful game”. It was, he said, “important for fans and the Premier League for the big teams to play attractive football”. While Hart congratulated Chelsea, especially for being front-runners all year, Pellegrini, a bitter Mourinho rival since they were in opposition in La Liga, did not.
Proper score-settling will have to wait to next season, and Pellegrini has given himself a decent chance of staying at City with three straight wins since the Manchester derby defeat. With United losing three on the spin, City look like gaining a top-three place, leaving their neighbours to negotiate the often tricky Champions League qualifying round.
Tottenham would love such a challenge. As with City, a season full of hope is petering out with expectations having to be lowered. The annual quest to break into the top four looks like ending, again, with the dubious consolation of a Europa League place.
They made the running yesterday, and did well in patches, but City were superior when it mattered. “I am very disappointed with the result, but the performance was very good,” said manager Mauricio Pochettino. “We managed the game, the tempo and created more chances, but we didn’t score and if you don’t do that it is hard to win the game.”
Two of those chances were missed by Harry Kane. A sub-plot yesterday was the race to be Golden Boot winner, with Aguero starting the match with 21 goals and Kane 20. The score is now 22-20 and Kane’s chances of being the first Englishman to finish top scorer since Kevin Phillips in 2000 are receding.
He should have drawn level in the third minute but blazed wide when clear. At that stage City’s defending was inept, with Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis like strangers. Eric Dier also headed wide, when unmarked, and City settled. Indeed, they should soon have been playing 10 men. Hugo Lloris slipped coming for a long ball and Federico Fazio tripped Aguero as he raced onto it. Penalty and red card? Andre Marriner, who did not have the benefit of TV replays, did not think so.
Eight minutes later there was no mistake. Hart launched a counter-attack with a quick throw to David Silva, who glided past Erik Lamela. With Alexsandar Kolarov’s overlap creating space, and Ryan Mason foolishly trying to play offside, the Spaniard teed up Aguero for a deadly first-time finish. It was Aguero’s 10th goal in seven Premier League appearances against Spurs.
Fernandinho, twice, and Aguero had chances to double the lead as City began to play with fluency, but the best chance before the break fell to Mason. Drifting – unmarked – between City’s defenders he was picked out by Kane, six yards out. Hart, reacting quickly, denied him.
Spurs continued to create chances in an open second period, especially for Kane and Lamela, but Hart was equal to them all. Spurs finished with three centre-forwards on the pitch but City defended with commitment, blocking shots as if the title was still at stake. Frank Lampard, playing probably his last game in a city he has starred in for so many years, left early. So did Nasri, with a groin strain. He may not play for City again.
With City fans in good voice it did not feel like the day they lost the title, but then it wasn’t really. That was at home to Hull in February, at Burnley in March, and Palace last month. “That was a fantastic performance, we showed what we are about,” said Hart. Maybe last season, but too often this time around, that has not been the case.
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