Man City 1-0 Tottenham: Every player rated as Phil Foden sends champions top of Premier League
Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League thanks to a right 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Phil Foden scored the only goal of a tight game after just five minutes as both sides felt the fatigue of three games in 12 days against each other.
But how did the players rate?
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Manchester City
Ederson – 7 – Had to produce a handful of good saves in the first half to keep City ahead, denying Eriksen and Son. Was much quieter after half-time, but his impact was vital.
Kyle Walker – 6 – Looked to get forward a lot throughout the match but did not do too much to worry the Spurs defence. Was caught out at times defensively too.
John Stones – 5 – Was fortunate not to be punished for an early mistake when giving the ball away in midfield. His partnership with Laporte left a lot to be desired, with Son and Lucas’ pace causing problems.
Aymeric Laporte – 7 – Produced a wonderful last-ditch tackle to deny Son equaliser midway through the first-half. Was much better than his centre-back partner but still fortunate not to be caught out on occasion.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7 – Could just be Man City’s best left-back option after another solid display, not allowing Tottenham to attack down his side.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6 – The Belgian had a quiet game perhaps feeling the effects of Wednesday’s gruelling game. And it was cut short when De Bruyne went down with yet another knee injury, caused by a slip when taking a shot. Is his season over?
Ilkay Gundogan – 7 – Did well in midfield with City looking to control the game from the start, contributing in both defence and attack.
Phil Foden – 8 – Looked ready to show Guardiola why he should be playing more, getting stuck in with challenges in midfield. Opened the scoring early on with a good header at the far post following a well-timed run into the box, catching the Spurs defence unawares.
Phil Foden has scored his first Premier League goal for Man City in his 12th league appearance.
He becomes the club's third youngest Premier League goalscorer. pic.twitter.com/fjzITon7h5
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 20, 2019
Bernardo Silva – 9 – Tottenham’s biggest problem, the Portuguese midfielder was exceptional on the right. Produced a wonderful cross into the box for Aguero to set up Foden’s opener. Enjoyed his time against Davies.
Sergio Aguero – 6 – It was his smart header back across goal which laid the ball on a plate for Foden’s opener. But the forward was quiet for large spells of the game, unable to unlock the Spurs defence.
Raheem Sterling – 6 – Following his exploits in midweek, Sterling had a largely quiet game, not testing Foyth as much as expected. Even after moving central following Aguero’s substitution, the Englishman still could not have the impact he would have been hoping for. Severely frustrated
Substitutes:
Fernandinho (for De Bruyne 38) – 6 – Brought added stability into the midfield and lessened the impact Eriksen was having on the game.
Leroy Sane (for Aguero 66) – 5 – Like Sterling, struggled on the left to get past the partnership of Sanchez and Foyth.
David Silva (for Foden 85) – N/A – A late sub.
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Tottenham Hotspur
Paulo Gazzaniga – 5 – Could not do anything about the opening goal but looked shaky throughout. Added unnecessary pressure to his defence with poor passing and dropped crosses. Did do well to deny Sterling from close range in the second half, keeping Spurs in the match.
Toby Alderweireld – 6 – Fingers could be pointed at the Belgian for his role in Foden’s goal, as he allowed the teenager to run behind him. Improved after that, however, until being sacrificed with Spurs chasing a goal.
Davinson Sanchez – 8 – Dealt well with Sterling and then Sane, after identifying the potential problems for Foyth early on. Tottenham’s best centre-back.
Jan Vertonghen – 6 – Looked slightly hesitant at the back and allowed Bernardo space to cross for Aguero early on. But improved and lined up well in defence to keep City’s attack frustrated.
Juan Foyth – 7 – Thought to be Tottenham’s weak point in defence, Foyth did not have a bad first half, only really being beaten by Sterling once. And he only improved after the break, growing confident and keeping City at bay.
Dele Alli – 7 – In a more defensive role, Alli started quietly but soon reminded everyone of his abilities with some good midfield play.
Eric Dier – 5 – Had very little impact on the game, often going large periods unnoticed in midfield.
Ben Davies – 4 – Struggled against Bernardo all afternoon, constantly on the back foot and allowed the midfielder to cut in for Foden’s goal.
Christian Eriksen – 8 – Ran the show in midfield for Tottenham with some wonderful passes through the City defence. Just missed the killer finishing to make the most of his play.
Son Heung-min – 6 – Had the run on the City defence throughout but his finishing touch was missing.
Lucas Moura – 6 – Had a largely quiet first half but did look to cause City danger from out wide. Could have done more to test the City defence but the service was not there for him.
Substitutes:
Victor Wanyama (for Dier 61) – 6 – Did better than the man he replaced, helping out in defence while also looking to push Spurs forward.
Danny Rose (for Alli 69) – 6 – Came on in a more advanced position to provide more width but also helped Davies defend against Bernardo.
Fernando Llorente (for Alderweireld 78) – 5 – Brought on to try and cause City problems, but could not have the same impact he did on Wednesday.
