Manchester City 3-0 Tottenham: 5 talking points as Gundogan inspires City to an emphatic win | EPL 2020/21
Manchester City went seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table with an utterly dominant performance. They blew Tottenham Hotspur away with a 3-0 victory at the Etihad.
Manchester City, aiming to secure their fifth Premier League trophy, came into the match on the back of an incredible 15-game winning run in all competitions. The visitors, on the other hand, had lost four of their last five games in all competitions.
Manchester City, as expected, began the game on the front-foot and controlled proceedings in the first fifteen minutes of the game. But it was the London-based club who came closest to opening the scoring as Harry Kane hit the woodwork with a brilliantly taken free-kick.
Manchester City, however, got the lead when Ilkay Gundogan was brought down by a clumsy tackle from Hojberg in the 18-yard box.
Surprisingly, it was midfielder Rodri who stepped up to take the spot-kick and he made no mistake as he found the bottom corner.
Manchester City came out the hungrier of the two sides in the second half and soon got their much-deserved second goal five minutes after the restart, thanks to an in-form Ilkay Gundogan's strike.
Manchester City’s third goal of the evening came soon enough, as Gundogan humiliated Sanchez before firing past Lloris to seal the win for his side.
The result sees City go seven points clear of second-placed Leicester City, recording their 11th straight Premier League win and 16th in all competitions.
Spurs, however, remain eighth and could potentially drop to ninth as early as Sunday morning.
On that note:
Manchester City 3-0 Tottenham: 5 Talking Points
#5 Gareth Bale's Tottenham career has not gone according to plan
Gareth Bale moved back to Tottenham on loan in the summer amidst much fanfare after falling out with his parent club Real Madrid. The Welshman was practically ostracized in the Spanish capital last summer and was at loggerheads with the board, his manager and even the fans.
So when the opportunity arose for him to return to Tottenham, it made sense for all parties involved. Bale, who has scored hundreds of goals over an injury-laden but very successful career, was expected to jump straight into the starting XI at Spurs.
This has not been the case, however, as the 31-year-old has started just two league games all season. Bale oddly finds himself behind the likes of Lucas Moura, Bergwijn and Lamela in Mourinho's pecking order.
He has been an unused substitute in Tottenham's last two league games and was completely absent from the squad in Spurs' FA Cup defeat to Everton earlier this week.
Against Manchester City, he was once again shunned by the manager until the game was pretty much lost.
It must therefore be confusing to most as to why a player with such pedigree and ability is rotting away on the bench while the team struggles.
#4 Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan scores again
Gundogan has never been known to score prolifically, but the German has hit a different level in that aspect this season. The midfielder got his 10th and 11th league goals of the campaign against Spurs, which is more than he managed in his two previous seasons combined.
The first goal was a well-taken strike with his weaker left foot after sneaking in behind the Tottenham defense and latching on to a searching pass from Sterling.
The second was an absolute beauty. The German made a run from deep to beat the offside trap, before controlling a long ball from Ederson with a silky touch and calmly finishing off after spinning the hapless Sanchez to the ground.
Gundogan's goals now further strengthen his status as the top scorer for Manchester City in the Premier League this season.
The Manchester City midfielder has also scored the second-highest number of goals as a midfielder in the league - only Bruno Fernandes has more.