From procession to race – it only takes one or two games to change the look of a title race. When a Man City side that hasn’t lost in the league since October hosted a Spurs side that has lost three in a row, it looked like City will continue their march to another Premier League title. But Antonio Conte always has a tactical masterclass up his sleeve, and he implemented one to great affect last night.
From the first whistle, Spurs game plan was set. The 3-4-3 formation would revert to a 5-4-1 without possession to withstand the hosts’ pressure. But on the break, Tottenham were transitioning brilliantly thanks to the link-up between Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. Dejan Kulusevski scored in the fifth minute with his second touch of the game and set the gauntlet for Pep Guardiola.
City exerted pressure and got their reward thanks to Lloris spilling a cross and Gundogan levelling. In the second half, Spurs flipped the script once again with another break away goal. Kane and Son involved with the England captain starting and finishing the move. Kane thought he had his second moments later but VAR found Kulusevski offside in the build-up. A lengthy VAR check rightly awarded City a penalty in stoppage time and Riyad Mahrez made no mistake.
With seven minutes of stoppage time yet to play, it looked like the Citizens might complete the comeback. However, it was Tottenham’s and in particular Kane’s night. The Tottenham striker capped off a memorable performance with a deserved winner. In August, when Spurs beat Man City 1-0, many questioned how far City would go without a striker. Yesterday, Kane once again showed what City may be missing in an otherwise perfect squad.
Title race is back on!
After Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, they were rendered 11 points behind runaway leaders City. But on Wednesday, they have a chance to close the gap to three points. In April, Liverpool visit City. A timely five-match winning streak for the Reds has opened the possibilities of a close race which even now, City are favourites to win. But with a small margin of error, things will be a lot more interesting and City will have to work hard for their meal.
Even when City were 11 points ahead, Guardiola never got carried away. He talked about how good Liverpool are, and how they have been the only team in the past few years to keep pace with them. Pep described Liverpool as “a pain in the ass”. We know Liverpool are capable of going on a run themselves. If they do, we can have a much desired enthralling end to this season’s title race.