Christian Eriksen sealed three points for Tottenham Hotspur as they turned up the heat on the top of the table on Sunday.
The great Dane put the belief into Spurs fans’ hearts with a goal in the final 10 minutes of the game after a tense 80 minutes.
Harry Kane scored a controversial penalty to put Tottenham in front after 53 minutes. Ex-Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling was adjudged to have handled the ball.
Manchester City equalised through Kelechi Iheanacho in the 73rd minute with a strong finish inside the six yard box. Yaya Toure came close to equalising with a free kick that was beyond Hugo Lloris but struck the crossbar before Iheanacho equalised.
The first half ended in a draw that saw both teams have very few shots on target. With so much riding on a win at the Etihad, it was understandable that the game was very tight for the first 45 minutes. Son Hueng-min scored a disallowed goal after being ruled offside, netting from a tight angle.
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Sergio Aguero came close from a City corner but eventually fired high over the bar. With Leicester losing to Arsenal in the early kick-off, the two teams were fighting for the advantage.
City almost saved the game in the dying seconds, but the ball was struck high over the bar in stoppage time. Tottenham are now only two points behind Leciester and Man City are effectively eliminated from the title race.
Was it a penalty?
Harry Kane put Spurs in front with a second half penalty thanks to Sterling. Danny Rose delivered a cross that struck Sterling’s arm, but could be judged as a very harsh call from the referee. Sterling went in with a high leg and was looking the other way when the ball hit his arm. One believes the verdict was cruel on Sterling, but conjecture will remain around the decision.
Handballs always seem to be controversial and up for debate and this one was no different. There will be plenty of competing views on this one.
Poor defending for once
Spurs are usually extremely solid at the back with one of the best defensive records in the Premier League, but Iheanacho’s goal was one the Spurs back line will be none too happy with. The Nigerian levelled from the middle of the box with a powerful shot past Lloris in the 73rd minute.
Iheanacho was unmarked, going a way to highlighting Jan Vertonghen’s absence. It was a poor goal to concede, and Spurs would have sourly missed out on all three points if Eriksen had not saved the North London club.
Tottenham needed to win this game
Tottenham Hotspur needed to beat Manchester City in order to stand any chance of winning the Premier League. The top four all played each other this weekend, and with Leicester losing to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, Spurs needed to secure the three points to gain an advantage over the rest of the contenders. City almost secured a comeback in the dying moments of the game, but luck run out at the wrong moment for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
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