Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester City
Premier League titles are won with results like this, make no mistake.
SBOBET fans know that, Premier League 2018 betting odds reflect that and, who knows, perhaps Riyad Mahrez’s early goal will be crucial when the Premier League 2018 news is compiled.
By the closing stages, this may have been three points ground out for the reigning champions at Wembley, but they thoroughly deserved it to return to the top of the table.
Highlights of the game
The first task on arrival was to see the state the pitch after the NFL players of Jacksonville and Philadelphia strutted their stuff all over it the previous day.
The answer was expected but it could have been worse.
The second task was to see the team news.
Dele Alli was fit enough to be named on the substitutes bench after a four-match absence with a hamstring injury, but defenders Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen were still absent.
Christian Eriksen was also on the bench with Mauricio Pochettino opting for a ‘dogs of war’ style midfielder trio of Victor Wanyama, Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier.
That phrase is meant as a compliment as Spurs, presumably, attempted to stifle some of City’s creativity. However, there was no doubt the hosts were missing four key players.
This was always going to be the acid test for Spurs
Perhaps under-appreciated, their tally of 21 points so far is mightily impressive. It is their highest after nine matches of a Premier League season, helped by a backs-to-the-wall victory at West Ham last time out—a match they had dropped points in on more than one occasion during recent campaigns.
To put into context, the Spurs were hoping to win more than seven of their opening 10 fixtures of a top-flight campaign for only the third time.
They began 1960-61, the season they won the league and cup double, with 10 straight victories, and had eight wins at the same stage of the 1963-64 season.
They also had the incentive of knowing victory would move them above the reigning champions.
Yet, there is a general feeling the Spurs remain off the pace compared to some of their rivals, and to concede a goal after just six minutes was an obvious blow for Pochettino’s side as they chased a fourth consecutive Premier League clean sheet.
It was not a typical City goal.
Goalkeeper Ederson kicked the ball long and, after Kieran Trippier missed a header, Raheem Sterling took possession.
Making his 200th Premier League appearance, the winger cut the ball back to Mahrez who swept it first time past Hugo Lloris.
In pointing to the sky, the Algerian’s gesture was clear amidst the heartbreak of his former club Leicester City.
The Spurs remain spirited and Toby Alderweireld headed at Ederson in what was to prove their only effort on target. Harry Kane went close from long range, but there was no denying City were on top as Lloris denied Mahrez a second by tipping the ball onto the post.
Ederson thwarted Kane, David Silva tested Lloris and Spurs went in a goal behind but still in the contest.
The stats would have given them hope as no side has won more Premier League games when trailing at the break than Spurs (34).
Yet, it remained City in the ascendancy as Sterling saw a shot cleared off the line and Sergio Aguero—searching for his 150thPremier League goal—was twice denied by Lloris.
The sight of Aguero going off and being replaced by Kevin De Bruyne summed up City’s incredible strength in depth, but there was still only one goal in it.
At a far-from-full Wembley, which will remain their base for a while longer yet after a further delay before they relocate home to the ‘new’ White Hart Lane, the home fans urged their side on to create a golden chance and it arrived 10 minutes from time.
With seven goals and three assists in his last 10 games, Erik Lamela was an ideal man for the opportunity to fall to, but the Argentine fired over the crossbar after good work from the recently introduced Ali.
With it, the understrength Spurs’ best chance had gone and City had equalled the club league record of six consecutive clean sheets, set from May to September 2015.
Key statistics
Spurs have lost just three times in the past 21 Premier League games at Wembley (won 15, drawn four, lost three). Two of those defeats have been against City.
City have now gone 10 top-flight matches unbeaten from the beginning of a campaign for the fourth time in eight seasons.
They last lost a game in the Manchester derby in April.
This fixture has produced a Premier League-high 60 goals in 15 matches since the beginning of 2011-12.
Spurs have lost 11 of the most recent 16 league meetings with City, including both fixtures last season.
Manchester City have won consecutive Premier League away fixtures against Spurs for the second time.
Pochettino’s first competitive match, first competitive defeat and first competitive win as a manager all came for Espanyol in separate matches against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2009.
Guardiola has lost just two of his 14 managerial clashes with Pochettino (won eight, drawn four, lost two). In so many ways, their teams reflect their beliefs as players.
Top of Form
What’s next?
After what was the first of five fixtures in 12 days, amazingly Spurs are in action again in less than 48 hours.
Spurs travel to London neighbours West Ham for what could well be a feisty League Cup clash.
They then go to Wolves on Saturday night in the Premier League before entertaining PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on November 6.
City have a day extra to recover before hosting Fulham, also in the League Cup, and then welcome Southampton to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
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