Five things we learned from Tottenham 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Man City
Tottenham Hotspur continue their fine form at home against Man City with a 2-1 victory in the Carabao Cup. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the match:
Tottenham 2-1 Man City: Into the Carabao Cup pot
Did someone say Carabao Cup quarter-finals? The first quarters with eight Premier League teams in more than a decade too, so no easy draws. Of course, there is still a long way to go before you can talk about winning the thing, but this was a hugely important night for Spurs in terms of morale alone. You can watch the quarter-final draw live HERE. A Tottenham win over Man City is always stressful though, Carabao Cup or not!
Guts, tenacity, and running through brick walls
It would be wrong to say that tonight was a vintage Ange-ball performance. Sure, the first 20 minutes included some really nice sweeping attacking moves, but it was a rather messy game all-in-all. What Tottenham did really well – which they have often been missing this season – is they dug in and showed real tenacity off the ball. It is always so easy to implode against Manchester City, especially with so many changes to the starting XI and during the match itself. Every single Tottenham player ran through brick walls for the result tonight, and we need to see so much more of that.
Timo Werner… scores a goal!
Timo Werner so often does everything right, up until the finish. This evening, he finally managed to curl one past the keeper and give the timing of his run the ending it deserved. Yes, he did go on to miss another big chance which would have put the game to bed, but he was a big reason behind why Tottenham made it through to the quarters. He deserves a lot of credit this evening.
Rodrigo Bentancur Man of the Match
It may go largely unsung, but I thought Rodrigo Bentancur had a superb game this evening. Not only did he keep Spurs ticking over in the middle of the park, but he also found some lovely little passes between the lines to set the likes of Kulusevski, Werner, Johnson and Solanke away. Not content with just being an asset on the ball, some of his tracking back was also phenomenal tonight. Time after time he came in with crucial interceptions and tackles to prevent dangerous Man City attacks. That battle between the Uruguayan and Bissouma for the first-choice pivot role is getting very interesting.
Micky Van de Ven injury again
Around 10 games into the season, and a Micky Van de Ven hamstring injury. Where have we seen this before? Ange Postecoglou started the Dutchman at left-back against Man City but he only lasted 14 minutes before holding his hamstring following a sliding tackle. Van de Ven was in tears as he hobbled straight down the tunnel. Spurs fans will be praying it isn’t a long-term problem. Either way, a fast, left-footed centre-back should be job number one for the January transfer window.
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