Pep Guardiola tasted defeat in English football for the first time as Tottenham Hotspur's pace and hard pressing combined with their stingy defense, humbled Manchester City 2-0 at White Hart Lane.
Both the goals came in the first half of the game. It was an own goal that put Spurs into the lead. Close to the half-time whistle, Dele Alli doubled the lead, which his side held on to.
Spurs came flying off the blocks in a manner that no team has managed to do against Guardiola's side this season. The City attack barely got a foothold in the game; the pace and power of Spurs regularly caught out the opposition defense.
In the ninth minute, the home side took the lead though an own goal with Danny Rose and Eric Lamela combining on the left flank. Rose's cross had his opposite number, Aleksandar Kolarov caught in two minds, as the Serbian deflected the ball into his own net.
There were increasing signs of the City defence being ripped apart on the counter. Spurs created two such attacks in the first half. On one occasion, Son Heung-Min shot straight at keeper Claudio Bravo, and on the other, Alli, clear on goal, was caught offside.
The second goal, yet again, was a deserving reward for the North London side. Victor Wanyama, who was terrific all evening, slipped a neat ball to Son, who spotted Alli's run, and the English midfielder found the goal from the right.
A shell-shocked but fired up City came back strongly in the second half and looked more like the team that had cruised to 10 straight wins in all competitions at the start of the season. However, they lacked panache with star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne out of action.
Sergio Aguero came close with a shot from the left, which Hugo Lloris parried on to the crossbar. Raheem Sterling was giving Rose problems on the right. Spurs then had a chance to triple the lead when they were handed a penalty 20 minutes from time.
Lamela's kick came at a comfortable height for Bravo, who parried the ball away. City launched a slew of attacks at Spurs, who had taken the foot off the gas somewhat, in the last 10 minutes. Spurs held on to stop the Sky Blues juggernaut dead in its tracks.
Brief Score
Tottenham Hotspur 2 (Alexander Kolarov own goal, Dele Alli) beat Manchester City 0
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