Tottenham Hotspur have done it again at the Etihad, putting two goals past Pep Guardiola’s Man City without reply, and the player ratings are in.
Tottenham player ratings vs Man City at the Etihad
Guglielmo Vicario: The Tottenham number one came up with a couple of big, smothering saves to keep the scores at 0-0 before his teammates went on to score. It will likely be forgotten, but he built the foundations of that result before Johnson even opened the scoring. 8.
Pedro Porro: Really struggled defensively against Marmoush today. Unfortunately, he looked shaky at the back, and was often pushed back into his own half, so couldn’t be a threat going forward either. Almost gave away a chance with a nervy back pass at 0-0. 7.
Cristian Romero: Tottenham had a clear game plan for Romero – mark Erling Haaland no matter what. At times, the Spurs captain was 20 yards deeper than the rest of his defenders to ensure there was no space for Haaland to run into. It was unconventional, but hard to argue with. 8.
Micky Van de Ven: Despite Spurs playing a back four, Van de Ven still pressed the Man City midfield up close to the halfway line. It was a really brave tactic from Thomas Frank, but set the tone for Tottenham’s high press. Perhaps the logic is that Spence and Van de Ven both have very good recovery pace. The Dutchman made a goal-saving block to deny Phil Foden in the closing stages of the game. 8.5.
Djed Spence: Spence is developing into one of the best one-v-one defenders in the Premier League. He may not offer as much going forward down the left side, but there are few wingers who managed to get past him thanks to his strength and pace. We barely heard a peep out of Oscar Bobb. 8.
Joao Palhinha masterminds Spurs win vs Man City
Joao Palhinha: Opened his scoring account for Tottenham to put the Lilywhites 2-0 up. However, it will be his defensive work and calmness on the ball that impressed Frank. Palhinha kept Tottenham ticking at the Etihad, and freed up Bentancur to have more of a roaming role. Why on Earth have Bayern let his man go? He covered every blade of grass at the Etihad! 9.
Rodrigo Bentancur: The Uruguayan seems to suit Thomas Frank’s system down to the ground. Today, he was tasked with starting moves from deep, but also had the license to carry the ball and press high up the pitch. He has such a well-rounded game, so it’s nice to see Spurs getting the most out of it. 8.5.
Mohammed Kudus: Less electric than he was against Burnley, against much tougher opposition, but just as vital on the break as he was against PSG. Kudus is deceptively strong and Spurs used that to their advantage, both with chips down the right channel and in the press. He also worked so hard to track back and defend that lead in the second half. 7.5.
Pape Matar Sarr: All the talk has been about Tottenham signing a number 10, but Pape Sarr has proven time and time again that he is invaluable to this Spurs set-up. He may not ooze creativity, but he turns the ball over for fun and must be a nightmare for centre-backs to play against. Any blade of grass Palhinha missed, Sarr definitely covered it. No idea how he maintains such high energy for 90 minutes every single week. 9.
Brennan Johnson: It’s just what he does! He could be having the game of his life or not touch the ball for 45 minutes, Brennan Johnson seems to pop up with a vital goal no matter what. He has to be one of the best wingers in the Premier League at making those late backpost runs. Should have played Sarr in to make it three, but opted for a shot from outside the box instead. 8.
Richarlison: Once again, the Brazil number nine was a real handful for the Man City defence. He just refuses to give the defenders a moment’s rest, and Tottenham profit from that time and time again. He put Brennan Johnson’s goal on a plate, and pressured James Trafford into gifting Spurs their second. 8.
Substitutes:
Wilson Odobert: Came on and immediately skinned Rodri. Looked a real outlet down the left side. 7.
Dominic Solanke: Came on for the final 20 minutes. Has a lot of work to do to win his place back from Richarlison. Went close to scoring a goal of his own on the break though. 6.
Lucas Bergvall: N/A
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