Tottenham ratings vs Man City: Toothless attack undermines sturdy defence
While Spurs’ defense nearly held up their end of the bargain, the attack struggled to create scoring opportunities during the FA Cup fourth-round clash against Manchester City.
Manchester City broke their hoodoo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a late 1-0 victory. Oscar Bobb’s early disallowed goal for a fractional offside was the closest either side came until Nathan Ake poked home in the 87th minute after Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario failed to clear a City corner.
Defeat in this FA Cup fixture means Spurs will now focus solely on the Premier League in the second half of the campaign, competing in just 41 games this season.
Guglielmo Vicario had a challenging performance, earning a rating of 5. He was at fault for City’s winner when he failed to convincingly deal with a corner before Ake’s decisive poke. Despite a couple of nervy moments when pressed, Vicario did manage to make decent saves from Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku at 0-0.
Pedro Porro received a rating of 7, making an important block to deny Bobb in the first half and standing up well to substitute Doku. His contribution added creativity in possession.
Cristian Romero earned a rating of 7 for his outstanding performance with the ball at his feet.
Micky van de Ven, Spurs’ last line of defense, received a rating of 8. He made several crucial last-ditch interventions, including a block to deny Julian Alvarez a certain goal.
Destiny Udogie, with a rating of 8, covered confidently behind the back four and demonstrated poise when stepping into midfield.
Rodrigo Bentancur, receiving a rating of 7, was composed on the ball and played a crucial role in helping Spurs play through City’s press. His height proved useful in defending corners.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with a rating of 5, nearly cost Spurs a goal at 0-0 when caught in possession, leading to a chance for De Bruyne. On a positive note, he twice dissected City’s back four with clever passes for Spurs’ forward runners in the first half.
Dejan Kulusevski struggled, earning a rating of 4. He found it challenging to get on the ball and make a meaningful impact at No. 10.
Brennan Johnson, with a rating of 5, forced Stefan Ortega into a brave block after running in behind but lacked precision in the final ball.
Timo Werner, with a rating of 5, posed an occasional threat from the left, playing in Johnson and delivering a couple of dangerous crosses.
Richarlison, with a rating of 4, showed no shortage of application but remained anonymous in the box and never looked like scoring.
Substitutes Oliver Skipp (Johnson 72′) and James Maddison (Bentancur 72′) received ratings of 5 each, with only a few opportunities to impact the game during their appearance.
Read Also: Tottenham ready stunning last gasp bid, £80m will seal deal
Read Also: Postecoglou on Tottenham’s remaining transfer window plans
Read Also: Postecoglou discusses how Werner and Dragusin have settled in at Spurs