Tottenham 1-5 Man City
theguardian
These are the sort of tests that champions pass. Tottenham Hotspur had entered rejuvenated and unbeaten in the Premier League under Tim Sherwood, and determined to make a statement of their own in the race for Champions League football. Manchester City, though, never looked like doing anything other than win and so extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 20 matches and jump to the top of the table.
Tottenham were their equals during the latter part of the first half but City ruthlessly exploited the decision of the officials to dismiss Danny Rose on 49 minutes for a tackle on Edin Dzeko and also award a penalty against him. Rose did appear to touch the ball but nobody in sky blue cared as Yaya Touré scored and Dzeko put the points to bed shortly afterwards.
The first half was shaped by a Sergio Agüero masterclass, in which he scored one and went close on a host of other occasions before he felt his hamstring on 44 minutes to limp off. That was the blot on City's evening.
But the positives, as usual these days, washed over it. Some of City's football was beautiful to watch and there was even a first league goal for the substitute Steven Jovetic as they closed out their latest rout.
Tottenham showed spirit. They complained about the decision to disallow Michael Dawson's far-post finish in the first half for offside against either him or Emmanuel Adebayor, while they fumed about the penalty/red card one-two punch. But there could be no doubt about which was the superior team. City could easily have matched their six-goal margin of victory over Tottenham at the Etihad in November.
Pellegrini's team had arrived on a juggernaut of a run and the confidence coursed their veins from the outset. Sherwood chose not to play with two strikers, instead giving Christian Eriksen a roaming No10's brief, but it was doubtful whether the move thickened up Tottenham in midfield.
City simply got on to the front foot. They look to play their football first and worry about the opposition second. They battered Tottenham in the early running. Gaël Clichy bombed up the left, David Silva flitted with menace and when you have Sergio Agüero, it normally leads to one thing.
The warning shot from Agüero had come in the fourth minute. He got the ball from Fernandinho and switched on the afterburners. Dawson and then Vlad Chiriches were left in his wake before he shot against the top of the far post. The worry in the home seats was palpable.
The Argentine's deadlock-breaker followed a near-miss from Edin Dzeko and it was undercut by trademark explosiveness. The creation was straightforward, Vincent Kompany finding Silva and Silva rolling it into Agüero, who had broken away from Dawson and Rose. The angle, inside the right-hand side of the area, was not friendly and Hugo Lloris was off his line quickly. But Agüero's touch was instinctive and perfect, and the ball was on its way into the far corner.
Agüero seemed to be everywhere. His firm header from Clichy's cross drew a flying save from Lloris while he had another effort cleared off the line by Rose and then fired just over the crossbar. The pity was his early withdrawal.
Tottenham treated the ball like a hot potato in the first 20 minutes but they showed their character to fight back. City are some way from being infallible in defence and one Eriksen corner sparked flutters. Touré also had two head rushes that put him in trouble. Having raked Mousa Dembélé to earn a booking, he tripped Rose to flirt with disaster. Kompany shoved him out of the way when he remonstrated with the referee, Andre Marriner. There was no second yellow.
Niggle crept in. Martin Demichelis went in on Emmanuel Adebayor and was booked, although he felt that Adebayor had left a boot in on him, while Agüero thought that Dawson had elbowed him. He had not.
Rose began to get forward for Tottenham and they nearly equalised when Eriksen's whipped free-kick was turned in at the far post by Dawson, who might have been in an offside position. Adebayor, though, was certainly in front of the last defender and it was he who had been deemed as interfering with play.
The game lurched again on further controversy. When Rose dived in to halt Dzeko, as the City striker went through, it looked, on first sighting, to be a reckless tackle. But replays showed that he got to the ball first. Marriner appeared to take advice from his assistant Scott Ledger before he awarded the penalty and dismissed Rose.
City turned the screw. After Silva had wriggled and struck the post, Chiriches erred and presented Dzeko with a shooting opportunity that he lashed past Lloris. Tottenham's 10 men were game, and the substitute étienne Capoue scored at the second attempt following a corner. But, after Jovetic's deflected shot had beaten Lloris, Kompany had the final word when he turned home after Dzeko's effort had hit Nabil Bentaleb.
Tottenham were their equals during the latter part of the first half but City ruthlessly exploited the decision of the officials to dismiss Danny Rose on 49 minutes for a tackle on Edin Dzeko and also award a penalty against him. Rose did appear to touch the ball but nobody in sky blue cared as Yaya Touré scored and Dzeko put the points to bed shortly afterwards.
The first half was shaped by a Sergio Agüero masterclass, in which he scored one and went close on a host of other occasions before he felt his hamstring on 44 minutes to limp off. That was the blot on City's evening.
But the positives, as usual these days, washed over it. Some of City's football was beautiful to watch and there was even a first league goal for the substitute Steven Jovetic as they closed out their latest rout.
Tottenham showed spirit. They complained about the decision to disallow Michael Dawson's far-post finish in the first half for offside against either him or Emmanuel Adebayor, while they fumed about the penalty/red card one-two punch. But there could be no doubt about which was the superior team. City could easily have matched their six-goal margin of victory over Tottenham at the Etihad in November.
Pellegrini's team had arrived on a juggernaut of a run and the confidence coursed their veins from the outset. Sherwood chose not to play with two strikers, instead giving Christian Eriksen a roaming No10's brief, but it was doubtful whether the move thickened up Tottenham in midfield.
City simply got on to the front foot. They look to play their football first and worry about the opposition second. They battered Tottenham in the early running. Gaël Clichy bombed up the left, David Silva flitted with menace and when you have Sergio Agüero, it normally leads to one thing.
The warning shot from Agüero had come in the fourth minute. He got the ball from Fernandinho and switched on the afterburners. Dawson and then Vlad Chiriches were left in his wake before he shot against the top of the far post. The worry in the home seats was palpable.
The Argentine's deadlock-breaker followed a near-miss from Edin Dzeko and it was undercut by trademark explosiveness. The creation was straightforward, Vincent Kompany finding Silva and Silva rolling it into Agüero, who had broken away from Dawson and Rose. The angle, inside the right-hand side of the area, was not friendly and Hugo Lloris was off his line quickly. But Agüero's touch was instinctive and perfect, and the ball was on its way into the far corner.
Agüero seemed to be everywhere. His firm header from Clichy's cross drew a flying save from Lloris while he had another effort cleared off the line by Rose and then fired just over the crossbar. The pity was his early withdrawal.
Tottenham treated the ball like a hot potato in the first 20 minutes but they showed their character to fight back. City are some way from being infallible in defence and one Eriksen corner sparked flutters. Touré also had two head rushes that put him in trouble. Having raked Mousa Dembélé to earn a booking, he tripped Rose to flirt with disaster. Kompany shoved him out of the way when he remonstrated with the referee, Andre Marriner. There was no second yellow.
Niggle crept in. Martin Demichelis went in on Emmanuel Adebayor and was booked, although he felt that Adebayor had left a boot in on him, while Agüero thought that Dawson had elbowed him. He had not.
Rose began to get forward for Tottenham and they nearly equalised when Eriksen's whipped free-kick was turned in at the far post by Dawson, who might have been in an offside position. Adebayor, though, was certainly in front of the last defender and it was he who had been deemed as interfering with play.
The game lurched again on further controversy. When Rose dived in to halt Dzeko, as the City striker went through, it looked, on first sighting, to be a reckless tackle. But replays showed that he got to the ball first. Marriner appeared to take advice from his assistant Scott Ledger before he awarded the penalty and dismissed Rose.
City turned the screw. After Silva had wriggled and struck the post, Chiriches erred and presented Dzeko with a shooting opportunity that he lashed past Lloris. Tottenham's 10 men were game, and the substitute étienne Capoue scored at the second attempt following a corner. But, after Jovetic's deflected shot had beaten Lloris, Kompany had the final word when he turned home after Dzeko's effort had hit Nabil Bentaleb.
