Tottenham Hotspur progressed into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup following a breathless 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Ange Postecoglou, who has always delivered silverware in his second season with clubs, oversaw a huge triumph for his side as Spurs took on the Premier League champions in the last eight.
Goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr sent Spurs into a 2-0 lead before Matheus Nunes pulled one back just before half-time to set-up a tense seond 45. Eight-time winners City are out, although Pep Guardiola won’t be particularly concerned given the hectic nature of their schedule.
How the match unfolded
While neither side were full strength, both sides littered their respective starting XIs with recognisable faces Postecoglou changed half of the team that lost at Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Erling Haaland earned a breather after scoring again for City at the weekend.
Werner was one of the returning players to Postecoglou’s XI, and the under pressure German handed Tottenham an early lead. Spurs cut through City’s press and broke down the right through Dejan Kulusevski, who laid it on a plate for Werner to finish with uncharacteristic aplomb.
City failed to settle into their usual groove and struggled to break beyond Spurs’ intensity out of possession with underhit passes compromising multiple build-up sequences. They were still half-asleep when Sarr curled home the hosts’ second with a pinpoint curling finish from 20 yards.
Guardiola’s team eventually kicked into gear after the 30-minute mark, starting to impose themselves on their hosts which forced Spurs’ defensive line to deepen. However, a lack of cutting edge in Haaland’s absence meant Guglielmo Vicario wasn’t tested, but their two standout performers of the first-half, Savinho and Nunes, combined to halve the deficit and ensure the visitors carried all the momentum into half-time.
Chances arrived for Spurs at the start of the second-half, but Stefan Ortega – yet again in this ground – was on hand to deny Lilywhite hopefuls. The City shot-stopper smartly denied Brennan Johnson and Kulusevski, while Werner came within inches of scoring his second after breaking behind the City defence.
The hosts continued to keep Guardiola’s men at arm’s length, but their inability to polish off the Premier League champions ensured City had a sniff as the game entered its final stage.
City did craft a moment, but Yves Bissouma was on hand to deny a certain goal off the line which secured Tottenham’s place in the quarter-finals.
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 6/10 – Limited himself to just one or two “what is he doing out there?!” moments, and impressed with the ball at his feet.
RB: Archie Gray – 6/10 – Nunes gave him the runaround in the first-half, but Gray steadied himself and fought back in the second-half. Composed in possession throughout, helping his side escape a couple of difficult spots.
CB: Cristian Romero – 7/10 – Snapped into challenges and was rarely beaten. Looked well on his way to producing a shut-out performance before he succumbed to a potential injury at the start of the second half.
CB: Radu Dragusin – 8/10 – Never looks particularly comfortable in possession, but he relished having to defend his box in the second half. This was a gritty and encouraging display.
LB: Micky van de Ven – N/A – Forced off early on with a hamstring injury.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – 9/10 – Usually an elegant customer in possession, but Bentancur stood out for his work without the ball in this one. Read the game superbly well, especially when asked to defend the channels. A top performance.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – 7/10 – Took his goal brilliantly, and you have to think his first half booking played a major role in his half-time withdrawal given the confidence he manifested.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski – 8/10 – The free man. Tottenham had joy accessing their star playmaker, but Kulusevski deserves credit for constantly finding space within City’s defensive structure to get on the ball. Often made the right decision when he did have possession.
RW: Brennan Johnson – 6/10 – It was his lovely flick which set Kulusevski on his way in the build-up to Werner’s opener. Performance probably peaked there, in truth.
ST: Dominic Solanke – 7/10 – Ran himself into the ground and was harshly treated by referee Rob Jones. Didn’t have a sniff of Ortega’s goal but did the dirty work excellently.
LW: Timo Werner – 8/10 – There were a couple of squandered chances, but this was the performance (and goal) he desperately needed. Constantly found himself in behind City’s backline, and Guardiola would’ve been pleased to see the back of him, forced off injured midway through the second half.
Substitutes
SUB: Destiny Udogie (14′ for Van de Ven) – 6/10
SUB: Yves Bissouma (46′ for Sarr) – 7/10
SUB: Ben Davies (52′ for Romero) – 7/10
SUB: Richarlison (69′ for Werner) – 7/10
SUB: Mikey Moore (69′ for Johnson) – 5/10
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Pedro Porro.
Manager
Ange Postecoglou – 8/10 – His side responded from Sunday’s drab defeat, and we should once again praise the Spurs boss for making a change at half-time which allowed his team to assert more control.
GK: Stefan Ortega – 7/10 – Had little chance with Spurs’ first-half goals, but he kept City in the game after the restart with a couple of strong right palms.
CB: John Stones – 6/10 – City’s shape meant Stones was forced to defend out wide against Werner, which he didn’t particularly enjoy. Didn’t seem to have control of his backline throughout but did steady his team in possession.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6/10 – Was a late inclusion in the starting XI as he replaced Manuel Akanji and only lasted 45 minutes before he was withdrawn himself. Had a fairly quiet first-half.
CB: Nathan Ake – 6/10 – The Dutchman looked more comfortable when he drifted into a more central position – which he did after half-time after having a few issues defending wide areas in the opening period.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 4/10 – Off the pace in N17. Gundogan lost Kulusevski in the build-up to Tottenham’s opener and was sloppy on occasions in possession. Off at half-time.
CM: Rico Lewis – 7/10 – Grew into the game and became metronomic in the second-half. A canny performance in the middle of the park.
RM: Savinho – 8/10 – Oof. Just a pleasure to watch. Worms his way out of tight spaces like he’s Harry Houdini, only doing it with the flair of your favourite Brazilian footballer. Teed up Nunes’ goal at the end of the first half.
AM: Nico O’Reilly – 6/10 – The teenager was careless with the ball early on and overwhelmed physically at times, but he did settle and offered some guile with the ball after half-time.
AM: James McAtee – 6/10 – Offered some craft between the lines, but didn’t have too much of an impact in and around the box.
LM: Matheus Nunes – 8/10 – Nunes’ carrying was City’s primary outlet in the first half, constantly beating Gray down City’s left. He’s in a rich vein of form, and that goal – a smart finish at the back post – won’t do him any harm.
ST: Phil Foden – 5/10 – Utilised up top in Haaland’s absence, but didn’t offer too much. A few neat touches here and there. That was about it.
Substitutes
SUB: Mateo Kovacic (46′ for Gundogan) – 6/10
SUB: Josko Gvardiol (46′ for Dias) – 6/10
SUB: Bernardo Silva (59′ for Foden) – 5/10
SUB: Jacob Wright (63′ for Savinho) – 5/10
SUB:Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (74′ for Ake) – 6/10
Subs not used: Ederson (GK), Erling Haaland, Manuel Akanji, Farid Alfa-Ruprecht.
Manager
Pep Guardiola – 5/10 – Life without Haaland. City should’ve been beaten by a few more here, with his team performing at their typical level for no more than 20 minutes. At least the kids got a run out.
Player of the match: Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham)
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