Phil Foden’s goal seals THREE HUGE POINTS for Manchester City against Spurs
Phil Foden - Man City
Manchester City had the final laugh in the trilogy against Tottenham Hotspur with a 1-0 win in the Premier League after going out of the UEFA Champions League on away goals rule to the North London Club. Phil Foden’s goal keeps Manchester City’s destiny in their own hands as they look to defend the Premier League crown with just four games to go.
Mauricio Pochettino went with three central defenders at the back, which was a clear indication that his team was set up to defend deep and hit City on the counter. After two exhausting games, both managers made a few changes for this important Premier League fixture in the context of the title race and the top 4 race. Pep Guardiola made three changes to his side by starting Phil Foden, Oleks Zinchenko and John Stones. The Ukrainian left-back was missed by City in the Champions League fixtures against Spurs after he picked up an injury against Cardiff City and was calming influence in this game.
Pochettino selected Gazzaniga, Foyth and Davies giving some much needed rest to Lloris, Rose and Wanyama – two of whom were brought in as substitutes later in the game. John Stones looked confused early on and his mistake led to a chance for Son who scored thrice against Man City in two weeks. Ederson was present to deny the South Korean this time. Soon after that, Man City carved Tottenham open at the other end of the pitch.
Bernardo Silva was a delight to watch through out the game except once when he got nutmegged by Alli. The Portuguese midfielder beat two Spurs defenders and then crossed the ball delightfully to Sergio Aguero. The City striker unselfishly headed the ball towards Phil Foden at the far post who sent the ball into the goal with a flying header. Although Man City grabbed an early lead, there were signs of nerves shown by the players, coaching staff and the fans after what had happened three days earlier.
Man City looked dangerous and Sterling should have extended City’s lead but Spurs created a few chances of their own. Ederson had to deny Eriksen, Lucas Moura and Son to preserve City’s lead. Pochettino brought on Llorente whose goal knocked Man City out of the champions league but the tall Spaniard couldn’t grab the equalizer.
Both teams had a credible penalty shout. Vertonghen had brought down Bernardo Silva and the Spurs captain seemed to have caught the Portuguese midfielder slightly. On the other end of the field, when Dele Alli tried to control the ball, it had hit Walker’s arm from close range. Referee Michael Oliver turned down both appeals and a former Premier League referee in the Premier League studio confirmed both were not penalties. He explained that European football has less tolerance compared to English football. While VAR might have seen atleast one of the incidents as a penalty in the Champions League, it might not be the same case next season in the Premier League even with VAR. He believes both of Michael Oliver’s penalty decisions were right by the Premier League standard.
Man City have passed their toughest remaining challenge and up next, they face Man United in the Manchester derby. If City get all three points from the derby, Liverpool fans should start worrying whether Man City would drop points with just three games to go. Man City have their destiny firmly in their own hands, thanks to 18 year old Phil Foden’s header.
LosMejor's Editorial Team includes a team of experts who cover the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. The Editorial team is headed by Deepak Selvan.
Saudi Arabia-led consortium completes Newcastle United takeover 
Ronaldo to Man Utd: How the homecoming happened 
Harry Kane: I will be staying at Tottenham this summer 
Can PSG recoup their ‘Messi money’ through just shirt sales? 
Haaland was Chelsea’s first choice but Dortmund’s crazy valuation made the Blues turn to Romelu Lukaku 
Txixi-nomics: Man City can afford both Jack Grealish & Harry Kane