Manchester City remain on course for a fourth consecutive Premier League (PL) title after a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, ending a run of four consecutive top-flight away H2H defeats in the process.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was riled by suggestions that Spurs supporters would want their side to lose this match and prevent arch-rivals Arsenal from winning the title. His team still had a UEFA Champions League place to fight for, and Rodrigo Bentancur provided an early statement of intent when the Uruguyan’s dipping effort was parried over by Ederson in the opening exchanges.
Spurs were playing some positive attacking football, but almost gifted City an opener when Phil Foden reacted to Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s horrible miskick in the box and Guglielmo Vicario was forced into a superb one-handed save.
But those neutrals hoping for a flurry of chances would be left disappointed, as both sides struggled to find their rhythm amid the backdrop of a subdued crowd. Joško Gvardiol looked to change that by adding what would have been a sixth goal in his last eight appearances, but fired over from Kyle Walker’s searching delivery, summing up a first half lacking in quality.
Gunners fans may have been starting to dream about having a first PL title in 20 years in their grasp, but Erling Haaland emphatically burst that bubble with a goal of brilliant simplicity.
Kevin De Bruyne perfectly timed his run from Bernardo Silva’s pass, and laid the ball on a plate for the prolific Norwegian to score from point-blank range. Such was the mental conflict among the home supporters, anti-Arsenal chants began to ring around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after their side fell behind, with a select few even adopting City’s ‘Poznan’ celebration.
Pep Guardiola’s side were not having everything their own way here though, as Ederson was forced off following a hefty collision with Cristian Romero, and Stefan Ortega entered the fray. The German was involved in the thick of the action almost immediately, denying Dejan Kulusevski at his near post to preserve City’s slender lead.
Ortega’s telling moment was still to come, as he brilliantly denied Son Heung-min in a one-on-one situation after Manuel Akanji had been caught in possession – undoubtedly inciting rage among Arsenal fans the world over.
Destiny appeared to be on City’s side, a sense that was confirmed when Pedro Porro brought down Jérémy Doku in the box, and Haaland made no mistake in dispatching the subsequent spot-kick to leave the title looming large.
Guardiola’s stand on the verge of an unprecedented fourth PL title in a row, while, this defeat for Spurs mathematically ends their UCL hopes, but they’ll need just a single point on the final day to secure a spot in next season’s UEFA Europa League.
