Tottenham mounted an impressive second-half comeback to pull off a 2-2 draw against Manchester City at home, delivering a boost to their rivals Arsenal’s title pursuit.
Manchester City appeared to be on their way to an easy victory after first-half goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo put Pep Guardiola’s side firmly in control.
Despite being booed off at half-time, Spurs found hope through a contentious own goal by Marc Guéhi in the 53rd minute, which sparked a revival. The equalizer came from Dominic Solanke in the 73rd minute, who executed a brilliant back heel.
Though both teams had chances to snatch a winner, the match ended in a draw, leaving Manchester City six points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
This comeback was crucial for coach Thomas Frank, who had been under pressure to gain the fans’ support. While the result marks only two wins in the last 15 league matches, it at least stopped the trend of home defeats.
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Arsenal’s commanding 4-0 victory over Leeds the previous day added pressure on City, who faced a diminished Tottenham squad missing 11 players, including central defender Micky van de Ven.
This situation allowed Radu Dragusin to make his first start in a year after recovering from a serious knee injury. Unfortunately for Tottenham, they fell behind within the first 11 minutes.
After Semenyo put pressure on Guglielmo Vicario, City regained possession from Yves Bissouma, and Cherki capitalized, creating space to fire a shot into the bottom corner.
The Spurs defense was caught off guard, and City could have doubled their lead soon after, but Haaland missed an open chance, lifting the ball over the crossbar.
As frustration grew among the home fans, Cherki skillfully navigated past Dragusin but saw his strong shot brilliantly saved by Vicario, although a goal-kick was awarded instead.
Spurs showed some offensive spark when Solanke set up Xavi Simons for a block, but just before half-time, City struck again.
Dragusin’s attempt at a chipped pass was intercepted by Rodri, who set up Semenyo to curl the ball into the net, making it 2-0.
Amid the boos ringing out at the break, Frank replaced captain Cristian Romero with Pape Sarr, who was brought in to strengthen the team’s 4-2-3-1 formation, leading to an improved performance.
Conor Gallagher missed a shooting opportunity, and Destiny Udogie was denied by a superb save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The breakthrough for Spurs finally came in the 53rd minute under controversial circumstances, as Simons played a lovely pass into Solanke, who inadvertently kicked Guehi’s leg en route to an own goal that made it 2-1.
After a VAR review for potential offside and a foul, the own goal was upheld, igniting celebrations among the Tottenham fans and prompting Guardiola to receive a booking from the referee.
Seizing the momentum, Frank introduced attackers Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel in the 68th minute, and just three minutes later Solanke sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a fantastic back heel goal, leveling the score at 2-2.
Tottenham pressed for more, with Simons feeding Odobert, but Donnarumma’s crucial save kept City in the game. Simons then attempted a shot that required a sprawling save from the City goalkeeper.
City, now ranked second, pushed hard for a late winner, with Tijjani Reijnders missing a couple of key opportunities. However, Tottenham substitute Sarr played a defensive role, thwarting efforts from Guehi and Haaland, ensuring the points were shared.