Spurs 3–1 Manchester City: Player Ratings

An incredible 7 minutes saw 3 great Spurs goals as the Lilywhites stunned City to grab 3 points at White Hart Lane. The Lane was rocking for the last 20 minutes of the match as first Dempsey, then Defoe and finally Bale scored to give the Spurs a 3-1 win. It was an incredible and tenacious team performance; the points were well deserved.

Hugo Lloris – 7 – A very secure display from the French goalkeeper, thwarting City’s rare attempts whenever he needed to and generally distributing well.

Kyle Walker – 6 – Looked reasonably solid at the back, offered a little bit going forward but not too much. Made one great run and was unlucky not to score as a result.

Michael Dawson – 7 – Imperious in the air against Dzeko and altogether looked very solid. A true captain’s performance and the passion was there for all to see.

Jan Vertonghen – 8 – A complete monster at the back, not letting City get through him and making some superb tackles. Looked much better than his fellow countryman Kompany.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto – 6 – Not the worst, but not the best. You can see why AVB seemingly doesn’t rate him too highly; he does take a lot of risks. But in general, he played quite well.

Scott Parker – 6 – A lot of effort for not much reward. Decent regarding defensive duties, out of his depth regarding offensive opportunities.

Mousa Dembele – 9 – Colonel Dembele controlled the midfield today, an impressive feat considering his opposition was Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry. OK, mainly just Toure. Only Toure. Anyway, Dembele was sublime.

Clint Dempsey – 7 – Say what you like about this man but he has a habit of scoring important goals at important times. Played reasonably well otherwise, made a great pass into Walker in the first half.

Gareth Bale – 8 – Played like a player who was half-fit, but he survived the 90 minutes and really came into his own out on the right flank in the second half. A great pass for Dempsey and a super run and finish for his own goal.

Gylfi Sigurdsson – 6 – Didn’t offer too much, not through lack of effort but just through lack of service. Subbed off before City crumbled.

Emmanuel Adebayor – 6 – OK, he didn’t look like scoring, but he definitely put in more effort than he was earlier in the season, and he held the ball up quite well. Deservedly subbed, though.

AVB’s substitutions changed the game. Aggressive changes saw the comeback commence.

Tom Huddlestone – 7 – Sprayed superb passes all around the pitch when he came on, the highlight being a great pass through to Bale for the 3^rd goal.

Lewis Holtby – 6 – Great energy, kept the ball moving, allowed us to counterattack and left City reeling.

Jermain Defoe – 7 – His pace and movement up front really destabilised City and he thoroughly deserved his goal, which was beautifully taken.

Onwards and upwards!

COYS