City now just three points from glory
FINALLY, Manchester City look like a team back in control of their destiny. Of course, they had never really lost sight of the prize and their opponents were so far back down the course that no amount of stumbling could prevent them from reaching the finish line victorious.
But for a brief period of just over a week, City have looked tantalisingly vulnerable. Three successive defeats at the most important time of year not only brought a hasty end to talk of their football being the greatest, it also hinted at a superficiality, that their style might have triumphed but their substance had a tendency to wilt under aggressive inquisition.
At Wembley, a stadium and pitch made for Pep Guardiola’s brand of football, they briefly enticed the doubters to summon their
schadenfreude. Yet unlike against Liverpool, unlike against Manchester United, they prevailed. As great teams do.
They now stand at the cusp of achievement. Given their goal difference superiority, a third Premier League title in six years will be as good as theirs when United fail to win a game. Or when they themselves beat Swansea next Sunday, whichever comes sooner.
They looked like champions again — and even Pep acknowledged that this result means it’s only a matter of time before the title is theirs.
‘The way we played the first half after 10-15 minutes, I said: ‘We will be champions’. Not today, tomorrow, it doesn’t matter, we will be champions.
‘These guys are fantastic, awesome — they’re incredible. What they lived through the last week was so unfair but they deserve (the title). We had match one against United, we couldn’t do it, but now we have another one against Swansea.’
Against Spurs, City demonstrated the full gamut of their game. This time, the best aspects sustained them. They were scintillating for 30 minutes, they then invited Tottenham back into the game, they looked terribly ill at ease briefly, they recovered, yet just could not finish, then, finally, they did score the goal that ended the contest.
Suffice to say they did not look like a team in hiding after three successive defeats or one that was spending excessive time tending to psychological wounds.
You thought it might be Spurs who would leap on to the front foot and jab at City’s jugular, that they might attempt to spook them and throw them off their stride.
It was quite the reverse. From the off, City seized the initiative and then refused to loosen their grip.
The only surprise about the opening goal, given the pattern City were weaving, was its creation in the 22nd minute. Vincent Kompany hit a long ball and Gabriel Jesus outsprinted Davinson Sanchez, took a touch, then beat Hugo Lloris.
Three minutes later, there was yet more drama. Lloris sprinted out to close down Sterling, who was touched the ball past him to Sane. The goalkeeper missed the ball, took the man and was wholly out of control and so merited a red card for the awful challenge that ensued rather than the yellow which came.
The foul was committed outside the penalty area but referee Jon Moss gave the spot-kick and Ilkay Gundogan finished it calmly.
Ben Davies was also lucky not to receive a red card for a challenge on Kompany in the 28th minute. But City tend to give you hope. The crowd sensed it. Spurs willed it.
A Kevin De Bruyne foul and the subsequent free-kick saw the ball worked to Dele Alli, who played in Harry Kane. He threaded the ball in for Christian Eriksen and, though Aymeric Laporte dived to block the shot, he was unfortunate in that it rebounded back off the Dane, over Ederson and into the net.
The late goal was enough to rouse Tottenham. They started the second half as City had started the first, swarming in on goal.
Of course, there was a risk of a swift counter and eventually City got their third goal in the 72nd minute. De Bruyne’s corner was deflected out to Jesus, whose strike was met with a firm hand from Lloris. However, Sterling reacted quicker than anyone and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper to restore a two-goal lead.
‘We started the game really badly,’ conceded Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino. ‘City were better and we congratulate them for being so close to winning the league.’