Manchester City edge one step closer to their fourth successive premier league title.
Tottenham Hotspur put up a gutsy performance their North London rivals would be proud of, but it comes as no surprise that it would be insufficient to halt the unstoppable Manchester City Machine, who beat them 2-0 to return to the top of the log.
The Cityzens are in a direct shootout with Tottenham’s crosstown rivals Arsenal for the the Premier League title.
And despite the majority of Spurs fans, according to an online poll, preferring their team to derail Arsenal’s title ambitions by losing to City, Tottenham were true to the words of their manager Ange Postecoglou and put up a strong contest.
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However, Manchester City proved too much for them, as two goals from the league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland, earned Pep Guardiola’s side maximum points and set them two points clear at the top of the Premier League standings.
Tottenham started brightly, with Rodrigo Bentancur testing Manchester City’s goalkeeper, Ederson, early on.
However, Phil Foden almost capitalised on a defensive error from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the other end, but Guglielmo Vicario made a superb save to keep the scores level.
These early exchanges set the tempo for then rest of the game, as it was a stiffly contested end-to-end affair.
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, with few clear-cut chances created.
Josko Gvardiol (who has become a reliable scorer for City) came close to scoring Tottenham, but his effort went over the bar, summing up a lacklustre opening period.
The familiar duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland broke the deadlock, as Kevin De Bruyne set up the Norwegian striker with a perfect pass, and Haaland made no mistake from close range to give City the lead.
The goal prompted anti-Arsenal chants from some Tottenham fans in the stands, showing the animosity between both clubs.
He would later seal the victory when the Norwegian converted a penalty after Jeremy Doku was brought down in the box.
The win puts City on the brink of a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title, while Tottenham’s defeat ends their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
Also, Manchester City saw an unlikely hero emerge from their galaxy of superstars to make a potentially defining contribution in their pursuit of an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola was put in a tight situation when City goalkeeper Ederson suffered a nasty blow to the head in a heavy collision at the foot of his post with Tottenham defender Cristian Romero.
He would the introduce Stefan Ortega for a 21-minute cameo of the highest quality, Ortega who has performed with distinction every time he has deputised for Ederson this season may well have finalized City’s sixth title in seven seasons.
When the final whistle sounded and the club stood one win away from being champions again, Guardiola headed straight for Ortega and greeted the German with a kiss on the cheek for his crucial contribution. It was richly deserved.
Guardiola did not hold back with the praise as he said “Ortega is a world-class goalkeeper.
An exceptional, exceptional goalkeeper. Ederson did not have concussion, he had a problem with his eye. He could not see properly so the doctor said I should change.”
Manchester City face West Ham on Sunday which would be their last game that could determine if they would once again retain their title.
