Premier League: Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur - 5 Hits and Flops as Foden's goal hands City the win
Manchester City rode an early goal by youngster Phil Foden to beat Tottenham Hotspur for the second time this week.
Coming days after their disappointing exit from the UEFA Champions League, Manchester City put it across to Tottenham through a fifth-minute goal by Foden and held on to take three points from the game.
The game on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium wasn't a topsy-turvy affair like the 4-3 result midweek and wasn't nearly as exciting as it. However, in the context of the Premier League standing, City were able to go above Liverpool on top of the table by a point with 86 points in 34 games.
Liverpool visit Cardiff City on Sunday with a chance to reclaim the top spot but before that, let's look at the hits and flops from the game -
Hit - Phil Foden (Manchester City)
In just his second Premier League start this season, after playing the full game against Cardiff this April 3, the 18-year-old Foden became the cynosure of all eyes with his impressive display against Tottenham on Saturday.
The run that Foden made to get his goal speaks of the remarkable game-sense the teenager possesses.
Bernardo Silva, the Man of the Match undoubtedly, did all the hard work, chipping the ball into the centre for Sergio Aguero in the fifth minute of the match. Aguero spotted Foden at the other post and selflessly headed it across with Foden left with the task of just nodding it home.
Apart from the goal itself, Foden's combination with Bernardo gave the Tottenham defence a difficult time at the Etihad. Bernardo's quick movement and Foden's knack of running into those spaces helped City create quite a number of chances throughout the game.
The biggest takeaway from Foden's performance was his hunger to contribute more and more to the team. In the 85 minutes he spent on the pitch, Foden covered 11.53 km, the most for any City player and took 59 touches.
Foden, however, still has to work on his finishing with the foot. In the middle of the first period, Foden received the ball from Bernado at the edge of the box, shifted the ball between his feet and unleashed one towards Paulo Gazzaniga with his weaker left foot, which was easily blocked.
In the second half, Sergio Aguero had his shot blocked by Jan Vertoghen and with the Manchester City players busy asking for a hand ball while the chance was alive, Foden had a chance to put it across the back of the net. However, he fluffed the opportunity and shot wide.
Yet, it was a promising display by the 18-year-old who is only going to improve in the coming days.