Manchester City Fans Arrive in Hordes
The majestic Etihad Stadium in Manchester was lit to its fullest. A sight to behold in sparkling blue. The fans had turned in hordes to witness their heroes and their Champion Manager Pep Guardiola, expecting a special Saturday evening treat. However, dark clouds were hovering in the sky above. The signs were not good. The treat was destined to turn sour.
High Stakes for Both City And Spurs
The stakes were high as Manchester City took the field after 4 straight losses against Tottenham Hotspur, the most consistently inconsistent team. Manager Ange Postecoglou did not look sure enough. A slugfest was on the cards.
Maddison Nets a Brace as Manchester City Flounder
City began with lot of purpose and Erling Haaland almost scored in the early moments. But then fortunes changed rather quickly. Kulusevski set up James Maddison with a great cross, piercing the City defense. Maddison made a cool finish and against the odds the Spurs were ahead in the 13th minute. City continued their runs into the Spurs territory without any luck and 7 minutes later a lovely exchange of passes between Son and Maddison left to the second goal. Maddison again striking from close range. City were 2 goals behind already.
READ Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur Tonight in the EPL
Not Erling’s Night
Erling Haaland missed three chances of scoring in the first half. On another day the big Norwegian would have been sitting on a hat-trick, but it was not to be. Phil Foden too had a clear sight of goal but he missed too. It was not happening for City. The defense too was caught napping twice.
Vicario, The Impermeable Wall Denies City
The second half was no different for the Champions. Erling Haaland hit the cross bar and none of the other expected goal scorers found the target and if at all they did, they were denied by a majestic display of goal keeping by Spurs’ Guglielmo Vicario. He was incredible in goal and stood like an impermeable wall. The defense too from Spurs was spot on, cramping City for room.
Spurs Give More Pain, As City Defenses Collapse
With City unable to score the frustration began to set in and Tottenham capitalised. Pedro Porro scored in the 52nd minute with a powerful strike and then Brennan Johnson added more pain to the misery by scoring in stoppage time for the Spurs. The defenses of City collapsing yet again.
A Brutal Punch
The 4-0 scoreline was a brutal punch on the face of Manchester City. Their worst run ever under Pep Guardiola. All the talk of a turn around just blew away in the Tottenham Hurricane. The dark clouds had spelled a bad omen for the hosts. They could neither score nor defend. It appeared as if the wheels were coming off the City carriage.
Guardiola Caught In A Serious Storm
Huge problems for Guardiola who signed a contract extension for two years, as City sank to their 5th straight defeat. And with City slated to travel to Liverpool next Sunday, times look challenging for the Champions.
City’s losing trend looks difficult to buck.
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