James Trafford nightmare, Omar Marmoush bright – Man City ratings v Tottenham
Pep Guardiola’s side suffered at the hands of Tottenham once again as Man City faced their first defeat of the new Premier League campaign.
Brennan Johnson opened the scoring after 35 minutes, and when City appeared to be heading into the half-time break with a one-goal deficit, James Trafford’s mistake handed Thomas Frank’s side another boost.
Attempting to play out from the back, the new goalkeeper passed the ball straight into Pape Sarr, before work from Richarlison eventually led to Joao Palhinha burying the ball for Spurs’ second.
Erling Haaland missed from four yards out as he attempted to drag City back into the game, and Guardiola’s side created very little else at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, 23 August, to lose 2-0.
James Trafford drops Man City clanger v Tottenham
James Trafford – 2
Gifted Spurs a goal in the first half, an inexcusable moment from the new signing. Man City fans will be crying for Gianluigi Donnarumma now.
Rico Lewis – 5
Lewis’ attacking ability was completely stripped by Spurs’ counter-attacking tactics. Not helped by a lack of support on the right flank.
John Stones – 6
Despite the two goals, Stones remained a leading figure in defence. City fans have missed him at the back, and hopefully, he can get a good run of games now.
Ruben Dias – 5
Spent more time battling with Richarlison off the ball than he did anything else. Was clearly kept occupied by the Brazilian striker.
Rayan Ait-Nouri (On for Ake 23′) – N/A
Injured early in the first half, the game could have been a very different story had to stayed on the pitch.
Tijjani Reijnders – 5
A far cry from his performance against Wolves. Was rarely involved at the important moments, but appears to be a key figure in the team moving forward. Just an off day.
Rayan Cherki invisible in home debut
Nico Gonzalez (Off for Rodri 75′) – 6
As a replacement for Rodri, Gonzalez is certainly beginning to find his feet in the Premier League. Could not make a key impact moving forward but remained solid at the base of midfield.
Rayan Cherki (Off for Silva 54′) – 4
Created one big chance, busted out a couple of silky skill moves, but was overall ineffective.
Oscar Bobb (Off for Foden 75′) – 6
Continued to probe the Spurs defence, making sharp runs into the penalty area. Final ball was lacking, though Guardiola will be glad that he stayed this summer.
Omar Marmoush – 7
One of City’s brightest sparks at the Etihad, missing a massive chance early in the game, but was brilliantly denied by Guglielmo Vicario.
Erling Haaland marked out of the game by Tottenham duo
Erling Haaland – 3
Could do very little against Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Missed an effort from four yards out, and barely got another chance throughout the game.
Substitutes
Nathan Ake (On for Ait-Nouri 23′) – 6
Added some much-needed stability, but failed to make much of an impact in the final third.
Bernardo Silva (On for Cherki 54′) – 3
Was an extremely frustrating figure, losing possession several times and missed a key chance in the closing stages.
Jeremy Doku (On for Marmoush 54′) – 5
Injected a bright spark into the game, flying down the left flank, but failed to deliver a much-needed final ball at the Etihad.
Rodri (On for Gonzalez 75′) – 6
Showed some real danger after replacing Gonzalez. Will surely take more time to get back to his usual self, but nearly scored an all-important goal to get City back into the game.
Phil Foden (On for Bobb 75′) – 6
Extremely creative, a huge nuisance to Spurs in his limited time on the pitch.