Phil Foden’s goal in the first half was enough for Manchester City to clinch an important victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Manchester City exacted revenge on Tottenham Hotspur for their Champions League exit, by defeating them 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Having played a pulsating encounter earlier in the week, both teams looked set for another thrilling clash on Saturday, with Tottenham coming close just three minutes in the game, only for Son Heung-min to be denied by Ederson. Two minutes later, City were ahead as Phil Foden scored his first league goal, after a Bernardo Silva cross was headed across the goal by Sergio Aguero.
Spurs reacted strongly to going down, but Ederson was once again at hand to keep Christian Eriksen out. Kevin De Bruyne’s substitution in the 38th minute owing to an injury came as a blow for the Citizens, but they managed to hold on to their lead at half-time, with Ederson once again saving from Son.
FULL-TIME | Yessssss! 3️⃣ points and a clean sheet! ?@PhilFoden's first ever Premier League goal secures us the win!
? 1-0 ⚪️ #MCITOT #mancity pic.twitter.com/2OIqJtx5gX
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 20, 2019
Tottenham had a chance to level the scoreline soon after the restart, but Eric Dier headed over the bar. With 20 minutes left, Manchester City could have killed off the contest, but Paulo Gazzaniga produced a fine low save to deny Raheem Sterling a goal. Lucas threatened the City goal late on, but compatriot Ederson once again stood tall to hand his side an important victory.
The win had fired Manchester City to the top of the table, but Pep Guardiola’s side slipped back to the second place after Liverpool beat Cardiff City 2-0 on Sunday. Here’s how the Manchester City stars fared against Tottenham on Saturday.
Ederson Moraes: 8.5/10
Stood like a wall between the Tottenham players and the Manchester City goal on Saturday. Made a few key saves in the first period to deny the likes of Son and Eriksen and combined well with John Stones to keep Lucas out in the second period. Distributed well from the back. After a dodgy display on Wednesday, the Brazilian shone at the weekend.
Kyle Walker: 6/10
Going up against his former club, Walker got forward well on a consistent basis, allowing Bernardo Silva to drift in and cause problems. The end product wasn’t always there though, while he did leave a few gaps at the back. Got away with a handball shout in the second period.
John Stones: 5.5/10
Returning to the starting lineup after not featuring in the midweek, Stones looked rusty in what was just his second league start since February. Gave away the ball to Son and would have been punished if not for Ederson. Never looked at ease, although he did improve after the break. Needs to do better if City are to pip Liverpool to the title.
Aymeric Laporte: 7.5/10
A strong and solid display from the Frenchman after his disastrous outing in the Champions League encounter. Pulled off a brilliant sliding tackle on Son when he looked certain to equalize for Tottenham. Solid all game, calm and composed with the ball at his feet, showing why he has been City’s best defender this season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 6.5/10
Back from injury, the Ukrainian put in another solid shift at left-back for Manchester City. Might not offer the same quality as Benjamin Mendy in attack, but was still a decent outlet, while staying solid at the back. A reliable, committed display.
Kevin De Bruyne: 5/10
After making a bright start to the game, the Belgian picked up an injury while attempting to shoot and had to come off just 38 minutes in. A blow for the Citizens.
Ilkay Gundogan: 6.5/10
Composed in possession, sharp with his passing, the German did well to absorb pressure early in the game. Tried to influence the game further forward after De Bruyne’s injury, making a couple of darting runs forward, but seemed to grow tired as the game progressed.
Phil Foden: 8/10
Great anticipation and awareness to be at the right place at the right time to head home his first ever Premier League goal. Was a livewire all game long, providing a creative presence for Manchester City while not shying away from the defensive side of things, snapping into some crunching tackles. Impressive.
Bernardo Silva: 8.5/10
The star of the show for Manchester City on the day. The Portuguese attacker was a real handful for the Spurs defence to contend with. Constantly caused problems with his forward runs and the quality on the ball, highlighted by the delectable cross leading up to Foden’s goal. Showed great energy and managed to test Gazzaniga on one occasion as well. Brilliant.
Sergio Aguero: 7/10
Got the assist for the only goal of the game with a fine header across the goal to feed Foden. Dropped deep and worked hard for the team’s cause, without really being a threat in front of goal. Seemed to have picked up a knock early in the second period that he struggled to shake off and was replaced by Leroy Sane for the final 25 minutes.
Raheem Sterling: 6.5/10
Not the Englishman’s best performance compared to how brilliant he has been of late, but was still a threat going forward on the day. Had a great chance to kill the game off in the second past, but was denied by Gazzaniga.
Substitutes
Fernandinho: 6/10
Replaced the injured De Bruyne a little before half-time.
Leroy Sane: 6/10
Came on for Aguero in the 66th minute.
David Silva: N/A
Replaced Foden with five minutes of normal time left to be played.
