Manchester City defeated Tottenham at Etihad Stadium in an incredible comeback, cutting the distance between Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points.
When Spurs scored twice in the last seconds of the first half to leave Pep Guardiola’s team facing a third straight defeat, it appeared like they were doing fierce north London rivals Arsenal a tremendous favor.
Following Ederson’s sloppy clearance and Rodrigo Bentancur’s robbery of Dejan Kulusevski to give Spurs the lead just before halftime, Emerson Royal headed in a second goal after the City goalkeeper could only parry Harry Kane’s attempt.
The majority of spectators at the Etihad Stadium were discouraged, but City, propelled by the great Riyad Mahrez, came out swinging after the break to completely change the game with three goals in 12 minutes.
In the 51st minute, when Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris failed to catch a cross from Mahrez, Julian Alvarez scored from close range, and two minutes later, Erling Haaland headed in from close range to tie the score for City.
Rico Lewis’ deflection of Ivan Perisic’s shot onto the woodwork nearly gave Spurs the lead back, but Mahrez completed City’s comeback by winning a challenge and beating Lloris at his near post.
After his own goal gave Arsenal a lead in the Sunday derby, France’s experienced Lloris made a mistake once more. . Mahrez completed a brilliant individual display when he raced clear in stoppage time to lift a clever finish over the keeper for City’s fourth.
At halftime, Manchester City exited the field with their heads dropped and their jeering fans angry, mostly because they believed referee Simon Hooper should have penalized Spurs for a slew of infractions and a two-goal deficit.
Following the interval, City came out and just refused to concede as Spurs were unable to handle their offensive diversity. What ensued was a devastating display of force from City.
Mahrez was outstanding, contributing to two goals and helping to score the others, and he keeps up in strong form.
Rico Lewis, 18, who was actively involved before and after the double attack from Spurs that made the Etihad Stadium such a nervous place during the break, is another gem Manchester City has discovered.
History tells us that City, as they were in that decisive title victory against Aston Villa on the final day of last season and against Crystal Palace here earlier this season, can never be counted out at two goals down and Alvarez’s strike so early in the second half had a galvanizing effect on the champions and a demoralising impact on Spurs.
