Pre Match news
Stuart Pearce makes two changes to his starting up following on from last week’s derby game for a game that sees a City team unbeaten at home and a Tottenham side yet to win away. Hopefully the same will apply come 4:50pm.
Nicky Weaver is fit enough to take his place in goal despite a fine substitute debut from Andreas Isaksson. Elsewhere Stephen Jordan replaces the suspended Ben Thatcher and Paul Dickov makes a welcome return after Bernardo Corradi’s dismisal at Old Trafford.
The Match
Spurs started where they left off from Thursday night’s UEFA Cup tie and almost fashioned a chance within a minute, luckily Berbatov missed his kick following Young-Pyo’s ball in from the left.
City responded well and provided a few bright moments themselves early on without really creating a real chance.
Tottenham could and maybe should have gone in front with a couple of opportunities just shy of the 15 minute mark. Firstly, Defoe and Berbatov combined well before Dunne and Distin made important blocks to keep Spurs out.
The visitors didn’t have long to wait though before grabbing their first away goal from open play all season. A free kick was swung in from the left and the tall Calum Davenport rose well to head beyond Weaver with just 16 minutes on the clock.
It got worse for City after 24 minutes. After earlier shouts from the Spurs fans for Tom Huddlestone to ‘shoooot’, he did just that from fully 20-yards out, as he ran on to Ghaly’s cross and hit a shot that ripped passed Weaver.
The Blues have struggled against Martin Jol’s men of late in the Premiership and the Londoners were playing like a team that knew they had the better of their opponents already.
Matters worsened for Pearce on the half hour as he was forced into a first substitution. Despite being passed fit, Micah Richards’ injury from last week appeared to have flared up again, Stephen Ireland replaced the England man.
City looked rattled and one-time target Steed Malbranque nearly gave Spurs a 3-0 lead when he had enough time in the box to attempt a volley at Nick Weaver’s goal. The City keeper promptly delivered a volley of his own...
Next up at the shooting gallery was Berbatov with a well struck shot from 20-yards that required Weaver to parry the ball away. City were certainly lacking in many areas and looked a completely different side to the one that put up such a fight at Old Trafford last weekend.
An all-round terrible half for City.
HALF TIME: City 0-2 Spurs
Stuart Pearce made a second change during half time, with Nedum Onuoha replacing Georgios Samaras.
It was Spurs who had the first chance of the second 45, as Defoe hammered a shot into the side netting.
City make a better fist of it after the break - surely the Manager must have let his feelings known - and from Reyna’s neat through-ball, Stephen Ireland broke into the area but could only hoist the ball over the bar when under pressure from two Tottenham defenders.
With 27 minutes left City got back into the game with a great goal. Paul Dickov won a little and large battle with Davenport and put in a fine cross for Joey Barton to side-foot volley home at the back post and really lift the crowd.
Shortly after injury put paid to Claudio Reyna’s day giving Ousmane Dabo a chance for a second home appearance. The French midfielder introduced himself with a fine raking cross-field ball as the Blue momentum grew.
Inside the last 10 minutes there only looked like one side were in it, but City just couldn’t get that equaliser, despite the amount of pressure applied to Tottenham.
The howls went up with five minutes to go as Barton appeared to be upended in the box by Malbranque. Referee Styles gave nothing as Spurs clung on to their lead to take all three points back to London.
FULL TIME: City 1-2 Spurs
