Manchester City vs Tottenham: Riyad Mahrez inspired Manchester City to a comeback after scoring two goals and providing an assist against Tottenham on Thursday night.
Erling Haaland ended his goal drought as Manchester City avoided a back-to-back defeat with a win against North London side Tottenham.
The victory now moves Manchester City five points closer to the consistently strong Arsenal side.
Manchester City’s first chance came after Rico Lewis tested the most-capped French goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, whose quick reaction saved the ball from going into the net.
The North London team took a 2-0 lead in the first half after Dejan Kulusevski scored in the 44th minute due to Ederson’s ugly pass to Rodri, who was under pressure from Tottenham players.
It is the second time in 10 matches that Tottenham will score the first goal.
In the 45+2 minute, Emerson Royal, who hasn’t scored a single goal this season, capitalized on Ederson’s save to make it 2-0. Pep Guardiola felt agitated and couldn’t bear the performance of the team.
Tottenham who did a double over Manchester City last season, were on the course of winning their fifth match in six against the Premier League champions.
There must have been a serious discussion between Pep Guardiola and his boys in the dressing room after halftime as they looked stronger in the second half.
Manchester City reacted quickly in the second half with Julian Alvarez scoring in the 51st minute of the match. In the 53rd minute, Riyad Mahrez passed to Erling Haaland, who ended his goal drought with a beautiful header.
The Norwegian is on course to lift the Premier League’s golden boot. His goal against Tottenham makes it 22 goals in the league.
Mahrez completed the comeback after doing a little trick on Tottenham defender and decided to hit the ball aggressively. The deflected ball went past Hugo Lloris in the 63rd minute.
Ivan Perisic came close to equalizing for Tottenham, but Rico Lewis’ interception made the ball hit the goal post with Manchester City surviving the late scare.
There was a call for handball in the box on Tottenham’s Richarlison, but VAR intervened to stop an undeserved penalty for Manchester City.
The Algerian, who was named the man of the match, completed his moment of magic after darting on a Clement Lenglet to make it four goals for Manchester City.
What next for Manchester City and Tottenham
Wolverhampton Wanderers will travel to Manchester City on January 22, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. It is an opportunity for Manchester City to close the gap on Arsenal, who face a well-organized Manchester United side.
For Tottenham, it is going to be a London Derby as they face Fulham at Craven Cottage on January 23, 2023, at 9:00 p.m.
In a bid to start moving closer to the Champions League spot, Antonio Conte needs to get his team back to the top four.
