After a shocking starting weekend of the Premier League - season 2021/22 - Sunday’s match between Spurs and Manchester City may have been the most tense and gripping for football fans.
Manchester City - current champions of the Premier League - have a very strong, phenomenal team, with their squad containing many world class players. For such a dominating team, it’s strange to say that their record against Spurs isn’t the best, with probably the most memorable defeat would be the Champions League quarter final against (then) Pochettino’s team.
Spurs, on the other hand, is a team with much talent and promise, but is lacking silverware. With Spurs only just qualifying for the European Conference League last season, it’s strange to think that they’re the same team who made it into the Champions League final (for the first time ever), a few years prior.
As a Spurs season ticket holder, I enjoy every game (win, lose or draw), but the one’s I love the best are against top 6 teams, as we really show some fight. The walk between Northumberland Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is always filled with chanting, singing and conversations between families: unity.
Sunday, however, was a special and memorable game for both City and Spurs fans, in different ways for the respective teams/fans. For starters, it was the first game played in a packed stadium in nearly 18 months - one which probably gave each player a little more fight than usual.
First of all, let’s look at the teams played on the night.
Manchester City had a strong but surprising team, with De Bruyne on the bench - although he was assumed injured - and Sterling and new signing Grealish in the starting 11. When Grealish completed his transfer to City, many took to social media to discuss their thoughts, thinking he would be on the bench for most games, which was why many fans were surprised he was starting (even after the Euros).
Spurs, on the other hand, displayed a team which was most of their ‘main’ star players. The only exception was Harry Kane, who caused much controversy in the stadium and media these past few weeks: was Harry Kane skipping training as a protest or have the club been lousy and not released a statement backing Kane? Many were not sure a few weeks back whether Kane would be playing the game in a white or blue shirt, but it looks like neither. On the bench was also Spurs’ three new signings: Gollini (GK), Bryan and Romero - with fans excited to see whether any of them would play.
Out came the players. All Spurs fans had received a flag from the club, to be waved specifically when the players walked out of the tunnel prior to the beginning of the match. As the Star Wars music started, all fans stood on their feet and started waving flags - booing the City players and droning out the sound of the away fans. Then out came the home players, and a sea of white and navy fans started singing ‘come on you Spurs’, with the stadium echoing it back to them. I would love to know what it was like walking out to the scenes, I imagine the players (whatever team) felt thrilled to welcome fans back into football, as it certainly isn’t the same without them. I have been to many, many football games, but this by far was the best as it had the most incredible atmosphere.
It was a long first half, with City dominating the play and possession and Spurs losing the ball. Two Spurs players which did stand out in this half, however, were Skipp and Tanganga, both two Tottenham fans who came through the Academy not long ago. These two made some crucial tackles and saves which may have just got Spurs out of the brink of danger. £100 million signing Grealish also pressed hard, but was denied chances by Spurs’ defence (mainly Tanganga). The referee gave the majority of the free kicks to City (one being just outside the box, with the away team looking likely to score and take the lead) with them also getting a high number of corners.
As the first half finished 0-0, on came the second half. What was said in the dressing room, I don’t know, but Spurs came out of the tunnel and won the ball back a lot easier, as well as creating a lot more chances. With both teams getting more shots on target, Lloris denied City a goal whilst Spurs players missed some sitters, which a loss could’ve resulted in instant regret for missing good chances. However, it was Heung-Min Son who scored in the 55th minute, putting home team Spurs ahead; the fans applauded and suddenly the whole stadium erupted into noises, with away fans encouraging their team to win it back. The last 10 minutes was nothing but chaos, with both teams fouling one another to win the ball back, and the stadium echoing chatter and chants. As Spurs played rough and took the ball to the corner flag, City were trying to cross the ball into the box, which they successfully did but were denied by Spurs defenders and Hugo Lloris. Once the final whistle was blown, the fans went wild - flying their flags and screaming (there were even many pitch invaders trying to get to Sonny). Although both teams had many chances, it was Spurs who took the 1-0 victory; star-man Heung-Min Son fired the ball into the goal. The atmosphere was undeniably perfect, with fans singing in the streets and even in Liverpool Street Station hours after the match; although Spurs won, I think it’s safe to say all fans were happy to be back, and the Tottenham vs Manchester City match was where you wanted to be spending your Sunday evening.
Before I talk post-match stats (etc), I thought that I would mention the chants inside the stadium - some which will likely make the news. The most controversial being 62,000 Spurs fans bellowing ‘are you watching Harry Kane?’ over and over. City did respond with ‘Harry Kane, he wants to leave Spurs’, but Spurs ended the match singing ‘Heung-Min Son, he’s one of our own’ (replacing Harry Kane’s name) - this was also ‘Japhet Tanganga, he’s one of our own’ when Tanganga was subbed.
Personally, I feel delighted that Son is finally being recognised as a true legend; Harry Kane has always been the fans’ player, but for me this was never the case. Son has always been my number one player, and with the Harry Kane situation now coming to light, the media and fans are questioning his professionalism, devotion to the club and selfishness. With the fans now recognising this and seemingly wanting Harry Kane ‘out’, I just hope Sonny gets the perfect chance to flourish and go down as a Spurs legend.
Talking MOTM, there were many contenders but I would have to go with Tanganga. He played a crucial part in stopping Manchester City from scoring, and left Sterling and Grealish on the ground after many tackles were targeted at the two pressing players. I think after this game, he will definitely be considered for all Spurs starting 11’s, and will definitely be a fan favourite. I know Spurs’ defence is usually shocking, but he seemed to turn it around and we actually looked like a team with passion and love for the club and sport.
What did you think of the match? Who was the better team?
More importantly, who was your MOTM?
For me, Spurs deserved to win on Sunday, and showed fight and passion which has not been present for a long while.
By Grace Wells
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