Manchester City are well and truly in a rut.
Pep Guardiola prolonging his stay at the Etihad Stadium during the international break counted for naught Saturday, as his side lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur, extending the worst run of his managerial career with a fifth straight defeat.
The rout also marked the heaviest home loss that Guardiola has suffered as a manager and ended City’s 52-game unbeaten run at the Etihad.
James Maddison finished two slick moves, Pedro Porro lashed home after another well-worked attack, and Brennan Johnson rubbed salt into City’s wounds in the dying moments. The hosts were plagued by poor finishing, wayward passes, heavy touches, and confusion and chaos without the ball.
Pep’s unprecedented losing streak
| Competition | Fixture | Result |
|---|---|---|
| League Cup | Tottenham (a) | 2-1 loss |
| Premier League | Bournemouth (a) | 2-1 loss |
| Champions League | Sporting CP (a) | 4-1 loss |
| Premier League | Brighton (a) | 2-1 loss |
| Premier League | Tottenham (h) | 4-0 loss |
There was a reminder of what City were missing before kickoff. Rodri, widely tipped as the club’s most important player, made it onto the pitch in a pre-match ceremony to recognize his recent Ballon d’Or win. The midfield didn’t acquit itself well in the absence of Rodri – and also without Mateo Kovacic, who was recently ruled out for up to a month – and the defense was often anxious and exposed.
City certainly have injuries – Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, and Jeremy Doku are also unavailable – but Spurs face a similar predicament. Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended, and attackers Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are injured. Most notably, the injuries to first-choice center-back pairing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero threatened to destabilize Ange Postecoglou’s team. But Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies kept Guardiola’s side at bay without too much trouble.
Making it look easy
Despite their struggles, City started strongly. But they were undone by a quality passage of play. Dejan Kulusevski continued his excellent campaign when he outfought Josko Gvardiol and lifted a sublime cross for Maddison to neatly cushion past Ederson with his instep.
Gvardiol’s miserable outing continued when he gifted Spurs possession with a woeful blind pass in his own defensive third. Maddison played the ball to Heung-Min Son and ran to receive a return pass on the other side of the South Korean before chipping over Ederson.
City had chances in the opening period – Erling Haaland had four attempts at Guglielmo Vicario’s goal – but, generally, their attacks lacked zip due to a lack of ideas and movement.
And nothing changed. In fact, things got much worse.
Kulusevski’s slick footwork and strength, and a tidy one-two with Son, was enough to carve through the center of City’s lineup. The Swedish attacker effortlessly spread a ball to Dominic Solanke, who then cut the ball back for Pedro Porro to smash into the corner in the 52nd minute. It seemed easy, and Spurs were certainly responsible for some impressive play, but City were affording the visitors plenty of space and losing duels all over the pitch.
Haaland hit the crossbar from a near-impossible angle, but City offered little else after Porro’s emphatic finish.
Spurs were afforded the rare luxury of sitting on a comfortable lead and conserving energy at Manchester City, making less ventures forward themselves. Kulusevski was denied the goal his performance deserved when Ederson slapped away his shot following a three-on-two breakaway in the 66th minute, but Johnson turned a comfortable victory into a thumping when he converted from close range in added time following another rapid counter-attack.
Tottenham have taken more points (24) from Guardiola’s Manchester City than any other Premier League team, winning seven matches. Saturday’s slump was City’s worst Premier League home defeat since a 5-1 reverse to Arsenal in 2003.
Spurs lost 2-1 to Ipswich Town before the international break.
“To come to City at their place is a daunting prospect. It challenges every part of you,” Postecoglou said post-match.
“A bit of everything today. We had to be disciplined and work hard – and play decent football – and we did that. Our football was the difference today. Outstanding performance,” he added.
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