For the first time in their history, Arsenal fans were in local rivals Tottenham Hotspur’s corner as Manchester City came to town for their penultimate match in the 2023-24 Premier League season on Tuesday (May 14). It started well for the Lilywhites, but Pep Guardiola’s relentless Manchester City eventually found a way to break them. The inevitable Erling Haaland struck twice in the second half to fire Manchester City to a potentially decisive 2-0 victory, putting them two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League rankings. City’s win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was also massive for Aston Villa. It ensured that they would finish fourth in the Premier League this season and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history.
A Bright Start For Tottenham Hotspur
Most Tottenham Hotspur fans inside the stadium were fine with a defeat on Tuesday, as it would deny Arsenal a shot at the title. Ange Postecoglou’s men, however, were in no mood to roll over. They started brightly and tested Ederson just six minutes into the game. Receiving the ball from Brennan Johnson, Rodrigo Bentacur took a couple of touches to set himself up before firing at goal. The Manchester City goalkeeper reacted sharply and palmed it behind for a corner.
In the 17th minute, Heung-min Son, Bentacur, and Pape Sarr combined to carve out bit of shooting space for Johnson. The young striker went for a low drive, but Josko Gvardiol was there to block it. Just past the half hour mark, Johnson had another go, trying to sneak a low shot into the back of the net. Ederson, however, read his intentions and deflected it behind for a corner.
Manchester City also had their chances, the best of which came in the 45th minute. Phil Foden drilled a cross toward Haaland in the middle, but the striker’s attempt struck Micky van de Ven’s leg. Bernardo Silva came barging in to put away the rebound, but Radu Dragusin produced another superb block to deny him.
Heung-min Son’s Miss Ensures Straighforward Win For Manchester City
The Premier League holders struck just six minutes into the second half, thanks to a brilliant piece of play by Foden, Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne. Receiving the ball from Foden, Silva made inroads into the Tottenham area before playing the ball out to De Bruyne. The Belgian maestro cut the ball back from the byline, making for a simple tap-in from Haaland from point-blank range.
Manchester City and Tottenham exchanged a few jabs over the next half hour before the hosts carved a golden opportunity for Son to score. Johnson pounced on Manuel Akanji’s loose pass and played a perfectly weighted through ball for Son to chase. One-on-one with substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, Son tried to lob the ball into the back of the net but failed to get the elevation right. Having made himself as big as he possibly could, Ortega made a potentially title-deciding save to preserve’s City’s lead.
Four minutes later, Foden picked out Jeremy Doku with a brilliant pass, allowing him to charge at the Tottenham goal. Lacking support, Pedro Porro made the blunder of bringing Doku down inside the area, gifting Manchester City a spot-kick. Haaland, who had scored nine of his last 10 Manchester City penalties, dispatched an unstoppable kick to make it 2-0 for City.
West Ham United can still deny Manchester City the title on Matchday 38. However, considering the form City are in, they are unlikely to mess it up at the Etihad Stadium.
