Tottenham beat Manchester City 2-1 in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, in what was an enthralling game that was ultimately decided in the first-half. Here’s five things we learned.
Timo Werner was as inconsistent as usual
Werner found himself involved in the heart of the action, involved in everything good, and bad, that Tottenham were doing. He scored five minutes into the game, getting on the end of a lovely ball across from Kulusevski. But as the game went on, he started to squander opportunities and lose confidence. It was almost a game that summed up Werner’s career. He started brightly, and was always in the mix, but was ultimately wasteful.
City uncharacteristically sloppy
City were surprisingly poor on the ball, especially in the first half. There were many occasions when a player, with no pressure on him, would give the ball away. Guardiola looked increasingly frustrated with each mistake, but they continued to occur. In the end, with a second fiddle side and silly mistakes throughout, City were simply not at their best.
Spurs were dangerous on the counter attack
Every chance Spurs got to counter City, they took full advantage of. Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson were willing runners all game and the City backline struggled to cope. In the second half, City were playing an even higher defensive line, chasing a goal to draw level, and there were several occasions where Spurs should have done better and could’ve snatched a third to seal the game.
Matheus Nunes shines
Despite City’s lacklustre first-half showing, Nunes was a constant threat on the left and had the better of Archie Gray all game. He also scored City’s first, a lovely finish from a Savinho cross, another who had a good night. Nunes isn’t often deployed as a winger, but with City suffering an injury crisis of sorts with their wingers, and Savinho being stretchered off today, the Portuguese midfielder may find himself playing there more.
Phil Foden struggled to make an impact
Not for the first time this season, Foden really struggled. The Englishman had a poor summer with England and has carried over that form to City. He has started only two league games this season, with just one assist to his name. Tonight was another tough outing for him and he never really got into the game, before being substituted in the 58th minute.