- Dejan Kulusevski scored a 90th minute equalizer to deny Manchester City victory in a six-goal thriller at Etihad Stadium
- Manchester City missed the chance to move back to second and are now three points off leaders Arsenal
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dejan Kulusevski scored a 90th minute equalizer to deny Manchester City victory in a six-goal thriller at Etihad Stadium. Son Heung-min scored at both ends before Phil Foden put City ahead after 30 minutes of play. Giovani Lo Celso brought Tottenham back into the game after the break before substitute Jack Grealish thought he had won it for Manchester City in the 81st minute.
The thrilling match ended in controversy as Simon Hooper blew for a foul on Erling Haaland after initially seeming to have played on. Haaland had shrugged off the effects of Emerson Royal‘s tackle and chipped a pass to Jack Grealish which seemed to set the England international clear when the referee stopped the play.
City players were un happy with Simon Hooper’s decision towards the end of the match. Photo/ Sky Sports.
The referee’s decision to stop play sparked angry scenes at Etihad Stadium and Haaland continued to protest even after the final whistle. Nevertheless, it was fitting both sides got something out of the game given how entertaining it was.
Manchester City missed the chance to move back to second and are now three points off leaders Arsenal following the 3-3 draw against Tottenham. The Cytizens failed to win for a third consecutive Premier League match for the first time since April 2017.
It seems Pep Guardiola’s side are setting a trend for slipping up late on, having already dropped points against Liverpool and Chelsea the same way this season.
Speaking after the match against Spurs, Guardiola said: “I have the feeling it does not matter the result. It does not matter the opponent, home or away – they do what they have to do. I like that.”
The Spanish manager also spoke about the referee’s unusual decision to stop the match after initially playing advantage towards the end of the game.
“I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment. It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action. It was a good game, that is the most important thing.” Guardiola is quoted by Sky Sports.
How The Game Unfolded
Pep Guardiola made one change to the Manchester City team that drew against Liverpool, replacing Nathan Ake with Josko Gvardiol. On the other hand, Yves Bissouma returned in place of Rodrigo Bentancur as Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou continued to use four full-backs in defence and Bryan Gil in the starting line-up.
With each of the last four Etihad editions of this fixture producing at least three goals, everyone expected Sunday’s match to be a thriller. Injury-hit Spurs have been up against it lately but they kicked off on a high note against City, with Son Heung-min opening the scoring inside six minutes.
Son rushed onto Dejan Kulusevksi’s ball on the counter before squeezing it underneath City’s goalkeeper Ederson. The 31-year-old then scored an own goal three minutes later to level the scores 1-1.
Manchester City then began dominating the game and their efforts finally paid off in 31st minute when Foden found the back of the net. In a slick of exchange, Haaland played the ball to Jeremy Doku, who immediately found Julian Alvarez, and he spun around before providing Foden with the pass the lead to the goal.
The scoreline at half-time was 2-1 in favour of the hosts and we had a total of 14 shots, two shots that hit the woodwork and 10 corners. The second period was even more interesting, and it went Tottenham’s way. It started with Lo Celso who used Son’s run to find enough space to restore parity with a sweeping strike that went into Ederson’s net.
Dejan Kulusevski scored a 90th-minute equalizer against City. Photo/ Cartilage Free Captain.
Ange Postecoglou’s men sat back after the goal but were caught in the 81st minute when Jack Grealish tapped in Haaland’s cross. When it seemed the results were going City’s way, Kulusevski steamed in to beat Nathan Ake and bullet in a header from Brennan Johnson’s cross. Kulusevski’s last minute goal ensured points were shared at the Etihad.
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