hero-image

Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Manchester City: Five Talking Points

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City - Premier League
Who's no. 1, Pep?

Manchester City stand on the brink of a third Premier League title after bouncing back from a horrendous last 10 days or so, to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Wembley.

Three consecutive defeats on the trot seemed to knock some wind out of their sails. But the Skyblues rolled back the time and turned in another display that has propelled them to new heights this term.

Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan gave the visitors a two-goal cushion inside the first half-hour, but Cristian Eriksen halved the deficit before the break. PFA award nominee Raheem Sterling then popped up with another strike deep in the second half, which effectively sealed the tie.

City are now just a win away from their coronation as the champions. Here are some of the talking points from the match:

#1 Manchester City back to their rip-roaring self

Manchester City back to their best
Manchester City back to their best

Consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United threatened to derail an otherwise smooth-sailing campaign. Pep Guardiola was in the eye of the storm for several tactical shortcomings in those games and was also made to wait in his maiden English league title pursuit.

But here, Manchester City looked like their earlier selves. The ferocity, the robustness, the dominance, everything seemed to return to their game after briefly deserting them. Jesus and Gundogan gave a 2-0 lead even before the half-hour mark - just the response Guardiola was looking for after a distressing week.

And even if they did take their foot off the gas a bit after the German's penalty, the visitors had enough in their tanks edge past the in-form Spurs.

If there were any doubts again here, Sterling put it all to bed by settling the tie. The result leaves City needing just a win in the next game - or a West Brom victory at Old Trafford later today, which is very unlikely - to claim the championship they've earned with aplomb.

You may also like