Well, that was entertaining, knockabout end-of-season fare, with Sergio Agüero’s clinical goal on the break the difference. Spurs had more possession, and made plenty of chances, but couldn’t find a breakthrough as the visiting defence slowly got their act together.
On the day Chelsea took their title, Manuel Pellegrini’s team might not be shouting from the rooftops about a 1-0 win – but that’s a third straight victory, and the brief challenge to their top four status has been snuffed out with minimum fuss. Thanks for joining me. Bye!
FT: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester City
I enjoyed that. City hold on to win, and Sergio Agüero’s solitary strike has as good as guaranteed their top four place, and as good as ended Spurs’ chances of Champions League qualification.
95 mins: Demichelis hooks the ball behind, and Spurs have a final corner... which falls to the first man. And that is that.
94 mins: Milner tries to keep the ball in the corner, and fails, while Kane is booked for a lunge on Silva that we’ll call over-enthusiastic.
93 mins: With three centre-forwards on, Eric Dier wellies a long ball from the edge of his own area, but the City defence holds firm. Two more minutes for Spurs to find that ruddy equaliser.
91 mins: David Silva leads a breakaway, but his puff runs out mid-stride, and Spurs can come forward again. From an excellent Danny Rose cross, Lamela acrobatically sends a shot into the turf, and Hart has to be alert to fend it off. Mauricio Pochettino appeals for a penalty, for Kolarov’s challenge on Lamela. File that one under ‘optimistic’.
90 mins: Five added minutes to come. Paulinho’s lobbed pass almost falls to Adebayor, but the striker can’t get it under control until the angle is against him. City get the ball away.
87 mins: Centre-back Dedryck Boyata is coming on shortly, as City look to see this one out. A bit of focus would help, as Adebayor is allowed to collect the ball in the box from a throw-in, but he can’t create anything from a narrow angle. Agüero is the man to give way, the visitors well and truly shutting up shop here.
85 mins: Agüero and Bony combine well, with Agüero finding Milner, whose right-wing cross lands at the feet of Bony. The Ivorian’s strike whistles wide of the near post.
84 mins: More Spurs pressure, as Lamela and Soldado combine effectively, before the latter tees up Paulinho, whose shot is beaten away by Hart. Emmanuel Adebayor, once of Manchester City, is on for Chadli. Could it happen?
82 mins: ...from it, Lamela curls an inviting cross in, and Paulinho, who looks a shade offside, heads it inches wide! There was no flag. That’s as close as Spurs have come all afternoon.
80 mins: More pressure from City as they search for a second goal, with Kolarov forcing Lloris to use his feet to clear his low cross-shot. Moments later, Spurs head back upfield, and Silva goes into the book for a chop on Paulinho. Spurs have a free kick on the right...
78 mins: As is now tradition, City immediately counter, with Zabaleta racing down the right, and forcing Rose into an awkward challenge inside the area. It wasn’t pretty, but the full back got a clear touch to the ball. No penalty, says Andre Marriner.
77 mins: A first chance for some time for Spurs, as Kane brings Chadli’s cross down, shapes to shoot, then leaves it for Soldado, who sees a thumping volley from six yards superbly blocked by Kolarov. That may be the closest Spurs have come...
75 mins: Nasri does have to go off, after around 15 seconds on the pitch. It looks like a groin problem; Wilfried Bony (remember him?) is on in his place.
73 mins: Nasri is roundly booed by the home faithful, presumably due to his Arsenal connections. Do you want to tell them, or shall I? He races into the box unperturbed, and is tackled cleanly by Fazio – before going down injured. Could be a very short cameo for Nasri, here. As Spurs try to break, Kolarov is all hands with Lamela, and gets a booking.
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72 mins: Changes – Lampard is off, Nasri is on for Manchester City, while Paulinho replaces Mason for the hosts.
70 mins: As if to prove my point, Kolarov hits an absurd speculator from about forty yards, which moves enough in the air to force Lloris into turning the ball behind. City haven’t posed the same threat as Spurs from set pieces, and it comes to nothing.
69 mins: Dier again with the early cross from the right, and this time it’s low and accurate, sweeping inches beyond Soldado’s outstretched leg. It’s the sort of game where either team could score in a second. So stick around, yeah?
67 mins: Zabaleta is booked for a spectacularly bad challenge on Chadli, and holds his hands up, as if it’ll make a difference. City have found space in front of the Spurs defence a few times, and Milner is the latest to find the time to set himself, to the right of the area – but his shot is blocked.
65 mins: On second viewing, that’s an excellent bit of goalkeeping by Hart – not many have got the better of Kane this season, but he read the striker well. Fernandinho, again in space approaching the penalty area, skewers a low effort well wide of Lloris’ left post.
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62 mins: The game is picking up momentum again – and City could so easily have doubled their lead here. Agüero rolls the ball horizontally to Fernandinho, who shapes to shoot, then clips a lobbed pass into the striker’s path. His first touch takes him around Lloris, but it’s at an awkward angle, and he fires into the side netting.
60 mins: It’s Harry Kane’s turn to pose a threat, as he finds a yard of space in the box and finds himself in a one-on-one after Demichelis loses his bearings. Kane tries to shift the ball wide of Hart (think Raheem Sterling at Anfield last season), but the big keeper isn’t falling for that again, and saves well.
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59 mins: Agüero is a one-man danger machine, causing Fazio and Dier to flail awkwardly as he nibbles at a long hoof forward from Zabaleta. Between them, they just about deal with things.
57 mins: Agüero and Dier epitomise the end-of-season feel, dancing on the spot for several seconds before Agüero veers left and fires in a shot that’s turned away. Spurs make a change: Soldado is on for Eriksen. Interesting choice.
Here’s Jeremy Dresner: “The slow end of season continental pace of this game suits both teams. There is some half hearted defending and some neat technical football.”
It’s not the most ringing endorsement, but there is a gentle pace to things – until either team get a chance to break, when it descends into all-action park stuff.
55 mins: Kolarov gets forward again, and sees his cross deflected towards the goal line. He has time to try again, but opts to let the ball squirm out for a corner. From it, Agüero’s loose touch finds Lampard, whose powerful shot is blocked.
52 mins: One could argue that the visitors only have two attacking players on the pitch – Silva and Agüero. They might not need anyone else, with the pair linking up well yet again, before Silva tees up Kolarov, who forces Mason into a smart interception.
Spurs get another opportunity to break, but they lack that pair’s incisiveness, and Zabaleta stops the danger with a hefty, clean challenge on Lamela.
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50 mins: Fernandinho is dispossessed by Mason, but City snaffle the ball back, before Milner loses possession, appealing earnestly for handball as he does so. No dice, and Spurs break, with Eriksen finding Kane, whose angled return ball is intercepted by Mangala.
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48 mins: Fernandinho, quiet but not so effective, botches the clearance, then concedes a foul. Spurs take the free kick quickly, working the ball to Dier, who delivers an early cross. Kane is offside. Spurs might want to try something new.
47 mins: Spurs start the second half as they played most of the first, beavering away in front of the City back four, but Milner, quietly effective as usual, robs Kane of the ball and clears.
We're back
No changes for either team.
Half time: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester City
That was a hot mess of a half, with Spurs looking dangerous every time they went forward - but City lead thanks to their go-to guy, Sergio Agüero. Back shortly.
45 mins: One added minute. Ryan Mason is booked for a challenge on Fernandinho.
44 mins: This game is being played at a breakneck tempo that I’m not sure is either team’s doing. Kane drifts out to the left, and delivers a brilliant, curling cross which Mason collects. The midfielder, caught cold by Agüero for the goal, has a chance to make amends – but Hart gets behind his snap shot.
Two Spurs corners follow, from which a white shirt is first to the ball on both occasions, but the breakthrough still eludes the home side.
42 mins: ...City sprint down the other end, and Agüero bewitches the Spurs defence before rolling a pass into Fernandinho’s path. The Brazilian’s low strike flies wide of Lloris’ far post. Bentaleb is booked for shenanigans in the build-up.
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41 mins: Kane stings the palms of Hart from distance, before Milner concedes a dangerous free kick, 25 yards out. He’s also booked for his clumsy challenge on Rose. Eriksen has history with these, but this time he hits the wall...
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39 mins: Two extremes in quick succession for City, as the sublime Agüero twists and turns, testing Lloris with a low shot, before the ridiculous Mangala robs Joe Hart of the ball and wellies it out for a throw-in. Joe Hart has some choice words for the defender, which are picked up by the pitchside microphone.
37 mins: Lloris heaves a long throw out towards Dier, who brings the ball forward with a neat exchange of passes, before delivering another early cross that deflects through to Hart. The full-backs have perhaps offered Spurs’ greatest threat; I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
35 mins: The visitors have looked slick enough going forward, but that composure needs to spread to the back four if Spurs are going to be kept out all afternoon. They’re popping the ball around at the moment, with Spurs retreating slightly since Agüero pulled their collective pants down.
32 mins: So nearly 2-0, as Fernando is first to a ricochet that bounces invitingly along the edge of the area. His low shot is bound for Lloris’ left-hand corner, but Rose gets a vital touch to steer it wide!
30 mins: Spurs go straight back down the other end, Kane outfoxing Mangala on the right before Demichelis dispossesses him in the area. There are howls for a penalty, but it was a clean challenge. From the corner, Fazio gets to the ball first but can’t find the target.
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GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City (Agüero)
Ten seconds later, City lead. Hart’s throw finds Silva, who scurries down the right flank and slots a perfect pass into Agüero’s path. The striker collects the ball, looks up and fires past Lloris at his near post. That was lethal.
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28 mins: More Spurs pressure, as Dier volleys wide from Rose’s cross. From the corner, Kane’s flick richochets off Kolarov and into Joe Hart’s arms.
26 mins: Lamela dances around the City defence, looking to thread the ball through to Kane or Eriksen. It’s cleared, but the visiting defenders, particularly Mangala, have been wholly unconvincing.
24 mins: Bentaleb fires well wide of Joe Hart’s near post, as Spurs continue to offer more attacking threat. Lloris so nearly gifted City the lead there, though.
22 mins: This is interesting. Zabaleta hits a hopeful long ball upfield, which Lloris comes to clear ahead of Agüero – but the keeper slips, and completely misses it! Agüero races through with Fazio in hot pursuit, and goes down in the area with the defender inches behind him. Andre Marriner is unmoved. There looked to be faint contact between the players’ boots – but Agüero didn’t help his cause by throwing himself to the floor.
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20 mins: Harry Kane would be the first English player since Kevin Phillips, in 1999-00, to finish as the top flight’s top scorer. Prior to that, an Englishman had at least finished joint top in every Premier League season. Damning. The game? It’s slowed down, with City enjoying a spell of gentle possession.
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17 mins: Lampard surrenders the ball in midfield, and Eriksen and Mason combine before City can clear. Spurs continue to push, with Rose and Dier deep in City territory. The ball is worked through virtually every Spurs outfield player, before Dier picks out Kane with an excellent early cross. The striker is offside, though.
15 mins: Erik Lamela, peripheral in the early stages, is lucky to avoid a booking for a late clip on Silva. City lose possession, and Kane has a pot shot from 25 yards that flies low and wide. An open start, to say the least.
13 mins: City have grown into the game after that shaky start, and Hugo Lloris is called into action twice – first to turn away a dangerous James Milner cut-back, then to get a clean(ish) punch on the resulting corner. The ball is worked to Lampard who fires over under pressure.
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11 mins: After his corner is cleared, Kolarov leathers in a cross from the left which falls to Agüero, in space on the right of the area. The striker sets himself, then pings a missile of a cross-shot wide of Lloris’ far post. What a terrific finish that would have been.
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9 mins: Agüero gets involved for the first time, making a nuisance of himself and causing confusion in the Spurs defence – but it’s cleared for a throw-in, which City waste.
8 mins: Zabaleta makes an uncharacteristic error, letting the ball slip out of play on the right flank. Both teams lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation that should, in theory, offer defensive solidity.
6 mins: City try to steady things with a spell of possession, but Spurs are quicker to the loose ball in the early stages. The visitors’ pastel blue affair is not massively dissimilar to Spurs’ white kit. City have not one, but two perfectly good away kits – am I missing something?
4 mins: The pratfalls continue apace, with Demichelis and Mangala holding a dreadful line, allowing Kane to wander through on goal – but his low, early shot zips past Hart’s right-hand post.
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3 mins: City look ragged at the back already, with Eric Dier left alone by Mangala at a corner. The defender heads wide when he really should have scored. Question: is Eric Dier the poshest-looking player in the Premier League?
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2 mins: It’s Spurs who have the first opening, and it’s a decent one too. Eriksen flicks the ball through to Chadli on the right, with fellow wide man Lamela in plenty of space – but his low cross is underhit, and is cut out smartly by Kolarov.
1 min: City take possession early on, with Fernando, Kolarov and Silva linking up. Plenty of noise from the Spurs fans.
Peep
Here we go. Both teams are in their usual attire; Spurs in white, City in sky blue. City can virtually clinch a top four place with a win; a Spurs victory will move them to within four points of fourth-placed United. It’s 21-20 to Kane in the top scorer race. Game on!
A couple of stats to fire at you pre-kick off, Ray Winstone style. Christian Eriksen has scored more winning goals than any other Premier League player this season, while City haven’t won away from home since 11th February. GET ON IT! Or something.
Fernando: a modern-day Jamie Pollock?
Speaking of Jamie Pollock – here’s a two-touch finishing masterclass from the very same:
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Ten minutes until kick-off. Incidentally, both teams will be captained by their goalkeepers today; Joe Hart because Vincent Kompany and vice-skipper Yaya Touré are both out, Hugo Lloris because he is Spurs’ captain.
The last five results in this fixture have been 3-0, 0-0, 1-5, 3-1 and 1-5. Anyone care to make a prediction? Didn’t think so.
Here’s a few pre-game pictures...
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What happens to City’s natty gold Premier League badges now? I assume they get to wear them until the end of the season. If I were Manuel Pellegrini, I’d be going round the dressing room, ripping them clean from every shoulder. I’m not sure that’s his style, though.
Blue is the colour
Chelsea are Premier League champions, breaking a four-year Manchester strangehold on the trophy, after a 1-0 win at home to Crystal Palace. Jacob Steinberg has more.
Team news
One change for Spurs, with Danny Rose replacing Ben Davies, who was injured in the 2-2 draw with Southampton. For City, Yaya Touré is out of the squad altogether with a hamstring injury, with Fernandinho coming into the team in his place, while James Milner replaces Jesus Navas in a solid-looking five-man midfield.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason; Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane.
Subs: Chiriches, Paulinho, Soldado, Adebayor, Yedlin, Vorm, Stambouli.
Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov; Fernando, Fernandinho; Milner, Lampard, Silva; Agüero.
Subs: Sagna, Nasri, Dzeko, Caballero, Bony, Clichy, Boyata.
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands)
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Preamble
Hello. They’ve got a fair bit in common, do Spurs and City. Understated, inscrutable South American manager? Check. Illustrious local rival against whom all progress is inevitably measured? Check. Capable of playing incisive, inventive attacking football? Check. Capable of playing like a gaggle of disorientated strangers? Check.
Doomed to fall narrowly, inevitably short of this season’s lofty ambitions? Check. Squad packed with expensive recruits, now at their clubs for the best part of two seasons, but still unconvincing to various degrees? Check. At times this season, overly reliant on the efforts of one of the league’s two best strikers? Check.
Though I may not say it to Diego Costa’s face, Harry Kane and Sergio Agüero should really lead the line in any team of the season. With Costa’s spectacular initial impact waning due to injury, these two are in a straight fight for the Golden Boot. Kane has delivered as a reliable goal-getter for Spurs, where players with far greater reputations have failed miserably. Agüero, meanwhile, has again made the exceptional seem ordinary, clocking up 27 goals in a stuttering City season.
For today’s visitors, the imminent coronation of Chelsea as league champions will finally end a title defence that never truly convinced; Spurs’ doomed push for a top four finish won’t end today, but anything less than a win will render their chances purely mathematical.
Team news is coming soon - kick off is at 4pm BST.
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