Man City relinquish advantage against Tottenham: Concerns for City’s Premier League title hopes, reduced pressure on Frank
LONDON — Manchester City faced a significant setback in their Premier League title aspirations as Dominic Solanke’s scorpion kick enabled Tottenham Hotspur to recover from a two-goal deficit, resulting in a 2-2 draw on Sunday.
Rayan Cherki opened the scoring for City in the 10th minute, and Antoine Semenyo extended their lead just before halftime as Spurs squandered possession twice in their own half.
Spurs appeared lacking in confidence during the first half but underwent a transformation after the interval, with Solanke scoring in the 53rd minute. Tottenham surged forward in search of an equalizer, which arrived in spectacular fashion when Conor Gallagher’s right-wing cross went behind Solanke, who skillfully flicked the ball over City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with his right boot.
City manager Pep Guardiola introduced Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush late in the match as they sought a winning goal, but Spurs came closest to scoring again, with Donnarumma thwarting attempts from Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons.
The final outcome leaves Manchester City six points adrift of leaders Arsenal, who secured a comfortable victory over Leeds United on Saturday. — James Olley
Man City’s title aspirations diminish in another unexpected turn
Another weekend brings another shift in momentum.
Initially, it was Man City’s loss to Manchester United. Then, it was City’s victory over Wolves alongside Arsenal’s home defeat to United. This weekend, Arsenal managed a comfortable win against Leeds United while City faltered at Tottenham.
The key takeaway is that Arsenal has increased their lead at the top to six points, regaining momentum under Mikel Arteta. After leading 2-0 at halftime, City’s draw at Spurs will be perceived as a significant missed opportunity for Guardiola.
If City performs as anticipated against Newcastle on Wednesday, they will have a Carabao Cup final to anticipate in March. However, City’s next Premier League match is against Liverpool at Anfield, while Arsenal will host Sunderland 24 hours earlier.
This season has been unpredictable, but the upcoming weekend already suggests that Arsenal could be nine points clear by Sunday night.
Guardiola has never been one to make bold trophy predictions during the first half of a season. He consistently states that he wants his team “to be there” when the final stretch begins. They are barely holding on, but it is approaching a point in the season where a significant gap becomes unmanageable. — Rob Dawson
Under-pressure Frank can credit Solanke for alleviating stress on Spurs coach
Spurs manager Thomas Frank’s primary justification for their disappointing recent performances has been a lengthy injury list, which again totaled 11 players in this match. He may ponder how different the situation would be had he not lost Solanke for over four months due to an ankle injury.
This marked only Solanke’s sixth appearance since his return — and just his third start — yet he brought a level of sharpness that no other striker at the club currently possesses. Following crucial goals against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, Solanke now has four goals in those six matches, with the second being a moment of pure brilliance.
There is no denying that Spurs are currently struggling with attacking cohesion. A consistent critique of Frank is that the football being produced under his management is rather uninspiring.
Thus, it is a significant boost for a beleaguered manager that Solanke can inject this kind of effectiveness into a misfiring attack. Frank remains under considerable pressure, but the situation would have been far worse had it not been for the England international spearheading Spurs’ comeback from a two-goal deficit. — Olley
Man City’s persistent defensive vulnerabilities exposed by Tottenham
Acquiring Marc Guéhi midway through the season was a significant achievement for Manchester City — but it hasn’t resolved all issues.
Guardiola’s best teams would typically go two goals ahead and then control the game. This iteration of City seems unable to maintain the same level of dominance.
The shift in momentum after halftime was stark, and City struggled to adapt. Without Donnarumma in goal, they would have likely lost the match. They cannot attribute the lapse to Rodri’s absence, although the former Ballon d’Or winner is still adjusting to his physical capabilities following a serious knee injury.
From City’s perspective, both Tottenham goals were preventable. Solanke’s second was a wonderfully creative finish, but Nico González — who had just come on as a substitute — will not want to see a replay of his involvement in the buildup.
One could argue that this has been on the horizon. City kept clean sheets against Wolves and Galatasaray last week, but both teams had promising moments in the second half when they could have scored.
Unlike the other two, Tottenham capitalized on their period of dominance. — Dawson
Spurs silence skeptics with determination to pursue victory
This match inevitably brings to mind Tottenham’s 2023-24 season when Manchester City visited needing a win to maintain their lead in the title race. Then-Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou expressed surprise at some home fans appearing to be content with their side’s loss that day, as it meant their north London rivals Arsenal would be denied a first league title since 2004.
The circumstances were different this time — City arrived seven points behind Arsenal — but it was once again reasonable to question how many in the crowd would have been quietly satisfied with a defeat here. A notably subdued atmosphere prevailed during a first half dominated by City. Boos echoed at halftime, but the stadium reflected more apathy than anger as they witnessed yet another disappointing home display.
However, the second half was a stark contrast. The intent displayed by Spurs’ players was unquestionable; they were unrecognizable in the second half and could have even secured a late victory.
There is still a long way to go in the title race — that game in 2024 occurred in mid-May — so this result may not feel as critical to those Spurs fans concerned about Arsenal’s impending success. Nevertheless, Tottenham could have easily capitulated here, but instead, they mounted a comeback — doing their fiercest rivals a valuable favor. — Olley
Cherki demonstrating his value at Man City
There were uncertainties surrounding Rayan Cherki when he joined from Lyon in the summer. Questions arose about his attitude and whether he could adapt to Guardiola’s system.
It’s only February, and many of those concerns have been addressed.
One can observe in the way Guardiola engages with him that he is a player who both delights and frustrates the City manager in equal measure. He has previously stated that he wants the Frenchman to enhance his work rate off the ball and to excel at the fundamentals as much as he does with the tricks and flicks.
What remains indisputable, however, is Cherki’s production. He is one of only five players from Europe’s top five leagues to record more than 10 goals and more than 10 assists since the commencement of the FIFA Club World Cup. The others are Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, and Luis Díaz. It is commendable company to keep.
Not even a year into his tenure at City, Guardiola will believe he can extract even more from Cherki, but already the £40m transfer to acquire him appears to be an exceptional deal. — Dawson
