23rd November, 2024
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Manchester City’s struggles continued on Saturday as they endured a crushing 4-0 defeat at the hands of visiting Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium.
The loss marked City’s fifth consecutive defeat across all competitions, with three of those coming in the Premier League.
This is City’s biggest defeat at the Etihad ever. They last lost a competitive home game by four or more goals in February 2003 when Arsenal won 5-1 at Maine Road.
The match began with City showing some promise, but Tottenham seized control early on. In the 13th minute, Dejan Kulusevski delivered a pinpoint cross into the box, which James Maddison expertly converted with a strike into the left post, putting Spurs ahead 1-0.
Just seven minutes later, Heung-Min Son played Maddison through with a perfectly weighted pass. Maddison produced a sublime chipped finish, doubling Tottenham’s lead to 2-0.
Manchester City had opportunities to respond, with Erling Haaland coming close on several occasions. In the 22nd minute, Haaland drove into the box and unleashed a powerful shot that narrowly missed the left post.
Moments later, Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke was denied a goal by City goalkeeper Ederson, who pulled off a stunning save to keep the deficit at two.
The second half brought no respite for City. In the 53rd minute, Pedro Porro capitalised on a well-timed pass from Solanke, showing remarkable composure to slot the ball into the left side of the net and extend Spurs’ lead to 3-0.
City’s star striker, Haaland, came agonisingly close again in the 60th minute, but his effort rattled the crossbar.
Ilkay Gundogan and Haaland both forced Tottenham’s goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, into crucial saves, but they could not find a breakthrough.
Tottenham sealed their commanding victory in stoppage time. Timo Werner’s assist found Brennan Johnson, who tapped the ball into an empty net in the 93rd minute, completing the 4-0 rout.
The defeat leaves Manchester City facing growing questions about their form, while Tottenham celebrated a confident performance that underscored their Premier League ambitions.
