Son and Lo Celso take Tottenham top with win over Manchester City

For José Mourinho, this was the definition of a plan coming collectively. There was the satisfaction of introducing Giovani Lo Celso within the sixty fourth minute and seeing him rating Tottenham’s second purpose nearly instantly, with his first involvement. But it went deeper than that, as Spurs obtained the outcome to hold them to the top of the Premier League desk.

Lo Celso’s purpose was only one a part of Mourinho, within the vernacular of his commerce, doing a quantity on Manchester City and his rival and counterpart, Pep Guardiola.

Spurs set as much as comprise City and they contained them. They set as much as punch on the counter and they punched on the counter, with each of the objectives coming from fast and direct strikes as City dedicated males forward of the ball.

Son Heung-min obtained the opener early on, following Tanguy Ndombele’s ball over the top, and Lo Celso completed after Spurs went from box-to-box by way of two gamers. The glorious Toby Alderweireld cleared from the sting of his personal space to Harry Kane, who was simply behind midway, and he drove the break earlier than passing to Lo Celso, who had bent a intelligent run up the within left channel.

Guardiola’s group seemed to play their regular recreation, hogging possession and carrying the struggle to their opponents. But it was all a bit of flat and predictable and, time and once more, they ran aground on Spurs’s defence, by which Eric Dier additionally impressed. Guardiola had signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday, blowing away a darkish cloud, however there was no fast tonic.

City stay in mid-table with a lot to ponder, not least the query about the place the objectives have gone. They have scored simply 10 in eight league video games this season and it’s a far cry from their days of operating up cricket scores.

Kevin De Bruyne stays their most important man nevertheless it has come to really feel as if there’s an excessive amount of of a dependency on him; that the artistic burden, within the absence of David Silva, is just too heavy.

City had arrived in London with one of many meanest defences within the league however Spurs went forward with their first ahead thrust and it was all too simple. Ndombele turned sharply in midfield, dropping his shoulder to ease away from Bernardo Silva, and he seemed immediately for Son, who had discovered a big seam of house up the left. City’s centre-halves had been drawn to Kane, who had dropped deep – a characteristic of the sport – and João Cancelo obtained throughout too late. Son shot by way of Ederson’s legs for his ninth league purpose of the season and eleventh total.

Spurs nearly scored once more on 13 minutes after a break that includes the nonstop Steven Bergwijn, who performed forward of Gareth Bale, and Son. Kane turned Son’s cross into an empty web however he had strayed offside. The sample, although, was set – City pushing excessive and probing; Spurs digging in and biding their time.

City had their moments within the first half and they thought that they had equalised within the twenty seventh minute just for VAR to identify a handball by Gabriel Jesus earlier than he laid off a Riyad Mahrez cross to Aymeric Laporte, who lashed previous Hugo Lloris. City would protest in numbers to the referee, Mike Dean. The choice was proper nevertheless it appeared to rattle them.

Spurs’s defensive mettle was examined and that they had the solutions. Alderweireld, who could be pressured off in direction of the top with a severe muscle damage, made an impeccably timed problem to halt Jesus whereas Moussa Sissoko obtained again to thwart Ferran Torres on one other event within the first half.

Rodri additionally headed straight at Lloris from a De Bruyne free-kick – an enormous probability wasted. At the opposite finish, Rodri tracked again on 26 minutes to dispossess Bergwijn after Kane had led a counter, which featured an overlap by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. The defensive midfielder was considered one of Spurs’s stars, bringing tenacity and stability to the group.

De Bruyne obtained himself into good areas on three events within the first quarter-hour of the second half solely to flash one shot facet and see the opposite two blocked by Dier.

Spurs maintained their risk on the break, with Son’s contact too heavy from a Kane move on 63 minutes after Ederson had left his line. City knew all about Mourinho’s tactic of dropping Kane again in an effort to create areas for the vast forwards, to select them out himself at instances, however they had been nonetheless damage by it. Kane made the distinction and, when he arrange Lo Celso, City had been damaged.

Guardiola obtained Raheem Sterling on in its place however not Sergio Agüero and his group’s frustrations had been summed up on the finish when Lloris saved at point-blank vary from Rúben Dias.

One 12 months after his appointment, Mourinho has Spurs the place he needs them. He will journey to Chelsea subsequent Sunday with optimism.