Premier League: Three reasons why Manchester City beat Tottenham
Manchester City took on Tottenham at Wembley or rather a pitch that looked a lot like Wembley after a group of huge NFL players used it as their boxing ring. Nonetheless, the reigning Champions faced Tottenham for the last match of Matchday 10 with a brilliant chance to go to the top of the table, level on points with Liverpool and only goal difference separating them.
The match was set in the aftermath of the events that took place at Leicester City with a minute of silence before kick-off. But with Guardiola only making two changes after his side beat Burnley 5-0 last weekend, while Mauricio Pochettino amid rumors of a move to Real Madrid made three changes to the side that drew to PSV over the week things were going to get interesting.
In the end, it was a simply 1-0 victory after a mistake from Kieran Trippier allowed Raheem Sterling to get in behind the defensive line, and play Riyad Mahrez goalside. In the end, it was Pep Guardiola and his side that showed their resilience as Champions as they hung on for most of the game, but while the scoreline should have been a lot bigger in their favor, it looks like the former Barcelona boss has some work to do ahead of their next clash.
Here are three reasons why Manchester City beat Tottenham:
#3 Raheem Sterling can be an absolute menace
He divides opinion, not just among the media but also among fans and critics alike, especially given the sheer fact that he is only 23 years old. The Englishman joined the Citizens from Liverpool just over four years ago and since then has had more than his fair share of ups and downs for Manchester City. However, last season, he was simply unstoppable at times and alongside Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero, the 23-year-old went on to score 23 goals and produce a further 17 assists in all competitions.
This season, he has continued his form, struggling against Liverpool and failing to score or assist only against Wolves and the Reds. Other than that, Sterling has managed a stunning return of either a goal or an assist in any of his last 9 Premier League appearances. However, against Tottenham, he showed exactly why Real Madrid are paying close attention to his contract situation, with him causing more than a few problems for Kieran Trippier.
The former Liverpool star forced the full-back to make a horrendous error before coolly playing in Riyad Mahrez to open the scoring for the away side. He may not have had his shooting boots on, with a few blocks to stop him from doubling the lead, but Sterling still caused problems both in the first half and the second.