EPL 2017/18: Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur - 5 Talking Points
Final Score: Manchester City 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Goals: ?lkay Gündo?an 14' (Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne 70' (Manchester City), Raheem Sterling 80' (Manchester City), Raheem Sterling 93' (Manchester City), Christian Eriksen 90+3' (Tottenham Hotspur)
The Citizens extended their winning run to 16 games as they continue to exceed expectations and emphasise the gulf in quality between them and the rest of the Premier League.
City finished the first half 1-0 up but could have had a much bigger lead due to limiting Tottenham and keeping a lot of the play in the final third. They didn't make the most out of a few big chances with Sterling and Gündo?an being guilty of that.
Tottenham started the second half with a lot more intensity which was noticeable in their passing and pressing off the opposition. City weathered the storm, though, and restricted them to a few half-chances. The rest of the match just showed the difference between them as City started to control the game and create clear-cut chances which they converted.
Here are the five main talking points of the match:
#5 Tottenham's injuries affect the team's balance
Spurs were without Victor Wanyama, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sánchez for this match. The first two are injured while the Colombian defender was still suspended. This affected the team significantly because it limited how Mauricio Pochettino could set up the team as well as impacting their midfield strength.
Wanyama would have been ideal for this match because of his ability to break up opposition attacks, and this would have freed up Harry Winks to be more ambitious. Alderweireld's absence was clear because he is their best defender and the unavailability of Sanchez meant Eric Dier has to start as a centre-back.
Dier is significantly better as a defensive midfielder and Mousa Dembélé took his place in midfield. The Belgian thrives on carrying the ball upfield rather than acting as a defensive screen. Therefore, these three absences had a major impact on Tottenham's starting eleven because of the chain reaction they caused.