Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur. Premier League.
Etihad StadiumAttendance53,473.
Report and highlights as Manchester City and Tottenham drew 3-3 in an amazing game at the Etihad Stadium. Heung-Min Son scored at both ends before Phil Foden put City in front. Giovani Lo Celso levelled it before Jack Grealish’s goal was cancelled out by Dejan Kulusevski
Sunday 3 December 2023 22:39, UK
Dejan Kulusevski conjured up a 90th-minute equaliser to earn Tottenham a 3-3 draw against Manchester City in a thrilling game at the Etihad Stadium.
Jack Grealish had looked to have come off the bench to win it for the Premier League champions but in a game of high drama, Tottenham, who had led early on through Heung-Min Son, mustered a second equaliser to end their run of three consecutive defeats.
The match had it all from the outset, Son scoring at both ends before Phil Foden appeared to put City in control. But Erling Haaland wasted chances and Pep Guardiola's side also struck post and bar before Giovani Lo Celso made them pay midway through the second half.
Grealish thought he had decided it late on but Kulusevski had the final say to reward Ange Postecoglou's entertaining approach. Spurs move back up to fifth in the table, while City miss the chance to move back to second and are now three points off leaders Arsenal.
The entertainment was the focus but there was time for late refereeing drama when Simon Hooper elected to stop play for a foul on Haaland after briefly seeming to have played on. It denied Grealish the chance to race clear on goal and sparked angry scenes.
Haaland continued his protests against the decision at the final whistle before also tweeting his disbelief at the controversial call.
That was tough on City but it is their trend for slipping up late on - having also dropped points against Chelsea and Liverpool of late - that will concern their supporters. And give the rest of their Premier League rivals hope that the old ruthlessness is not there right now.
"I have the feeling it does not matter the result," Pep Guardiola said of Tottenham's anticipated approach on the eve of the game. "It does not matter the opponent, home or away - they do what they have to do. I like that." If he wanted an open game, he got it.
But it did not begin how City would have hoped as a familiar foe punished them on the counter-attack. Son found himself isolated against the backtracking Jeremy Doku and overpowered the winger before slotting the ball beyond Ederson and into the net.
That gave Spurs something to hang onto but hanging on was never their plan. And besides, the option was only available for a matter of moments until Son inadvertently diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper after Haaland had got a flick on Julian Alvarez's cross.
"Haaland will be licking his lips," Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports before kick-off. Up against two full-backs in the centre of the Spurs defence and with Yves Bissouma as the lone holding midfielder, he certainly had his chances but was unusually wasteful early on.
The goal was gaping when Bernardo Silva fed the ball to him after City won it high up the pitch - a product of Spurs' determination to pass out from the back - but Haaland could only drag the shot wide of the post. It was a let off but the next chance was never far away.
Doku fired against the underside of the crossbar and soon after started the move that put his side in front, feeding Alvarez who had the composure to square the ball to Foden. It was classic City, that willingness to play the extra pass, carving Spurs open.
As admirable as it was that Tottenham were reluctant just to boot the ball away, it only seemed to encourage City. Alvarez hit the foot of the far post after a loose pass by Emerson Royal. Haaland skied another chance when well placed. It risked becoming messy.
Postecoglou recognised that in replacing Bryan Gil with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the start of the second half but the tactics appeared unchanged as Tottenham continued to try to play out from the goalkeeper. Slowly but surely, they were able to gain a foothold.
Guardiola was agitated even before the equaliser, urging his players to pass the ball rather than take too many risks. Instead, Alvarez attempted a lazy ball into Haaland and the ball found its way to Son who set up Lo Celso to curl a shot into the corner.
For City, it was another example of being made to pay for their lax defence of leads. This time, there was time to find a response - with a little help from Bissouma.
The Spurs midfielder turned into trouble in the form of Rodri who dispossessed him and sent Haaland away down the right channel. The striker's shooting may have been uncharacteristically off but he found Grealish to sweep in what looked like the winner.
Not in this game. Brennan Johnson, who worked tirelessly throughout, sent in a cross from the left and Kulusevski rose above Nathan Ake to spark wild scenes of celebration in the away end. That Grealish might yet have won it reflects what an astonishing game this was.
Speaking to Sky Sports about the unusual decision of the referee who appeared to play on before bringing play back with Grealish through on goal, Guardiola was reluctant to discuss it. "Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment," he said.
"It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action.
"It was a good game, that is the most important thing. It was a pity, same as the Liverpool game, I had the feeling that today that we made an incredible performance in all departments, against a really good team and manager and how they play.
"We created a lot of chances, we were aggressive, incredibly concentrated, and the feeling is that we still want to be there.
"It is a pity. Sometimes football is like life, you do not get what you deserve."
"It was an entertaining game, plenty in it, Postecoglou told Sky Sports.
"We were lucky to be in it by half-time, City could have blown us away in that period, a bit similar to what happened to us against Villa last week.
"We hung in there, second half were a lot better, a lot more control and a lot more belief in the team. We got our reward for that which is great for the lads."
On the character his side showed, he added: "It has been there all year, the last few results have hidden that a little but we are at the bare bones a little bit. I have asked players to play in unfamiliar positions but we have still played some decent football.
"I think the character has been there all year but we certainly needed it today."
Going into the game against Liverpool, Manchester City had won all 23 of their home matches in 2023. After that draw and another dramatic late leveller in this 3-3 against Tottenham, they have now failed to win back-to-back Premier League games.
In between, there was a strange night at home to RB Leipzig in which City went two goals down. Before that, there was that extraordinary 4-4 draw at Chelsea. It is not so long ago that they contrived to concede twice to a Wolves team that had one shot on target.
Guardiola is struggling to explain what is happening at both ends. Erling Haaland missed the target when it seemed easier to score and then blazed over the bar from a similar position. Doku hit the crossbar. Alvarez struck the post.
Tottenham were close to being blown away. Instead, they salvaged a point because City's wastefulness coincided with some remarkable ruthlessness of their own. Spurs somehow scored three goals despite their expected-goals tally for the game being just 0.49.
Guardiola refused to blame bad luck. In the press conference after the game, he made the point that his mentor Johan Cruyff insisted that there is no such thing. And there is a feeling that City are allowing lulls in games, drifting a little rather than seizing the moment.
Signs of Lo Celso's equaliser to make it 2-2 midway through the second half might not have been there in the data but they could be felt inside the stadium. Guardiola was agitated. Spurs were playing through City easier than they had been all game.
The City boss insists that he sees the same intensity from his players this season as last but the control is not quite the same without Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan in midfield. They remain formidable but points are being leaked away, nevertheless.
Maintain the right attitude and Guardiola will be confident it will turn. The clean sheets will come. There will be a game in which they score every chance and the mood turns, he insists. In the meantime, their rivals sense an opening. The Premier League title race is on.
Manchester City face a tricky trip to Aston Villa on Wednesday, kick-off 8.15pm. They then head south to play Luton on Sunday, kick-off 2pm - a game live on Sky Sports.
Meanwhile, Tottenham host West Ham in a spicy London derby on Thursday, kick-off 8.15pm. Next up, Newcastle are the visitors to north London on Sunday, kick-off 4.30pm - a game live on Sky Sports.
