Mahrez inspires City comeback as Spurs collapse in second-half

The visitors had gone two goals up at the break. 

BLUE MOON: Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez celebrates scoring their side's fourth goal against Tottenham. Picture: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

MAN CITY 4 

TOTTENHAM 2

MANCHESTER City may ultimately surrender their Premier League crown this season but at least, in striking duo Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, they have two players who suggest they will go down with goals and plenty of excitement.

The pair were each on the mark as City fought back from a stunning two-goal deficit against Spurs, before Riyad Mahrez, one of the few players in Pep Guardiola’s squad currently operating at or near his peak powers, netted a winner just after the hour and his second of the night in the final minute.

In the week Guardiola had joked that many more defeats would have fans chanting “Pep out!” “Pep in” was the message the serial winner admitted he would rather hear and, on the evidence of this return to winning ways, that sentiment will be widely echoed by most neutral, as well as City, fans.

Eight breathtaking minutes at the start of the second half announced that recent reports of City’s demise may have been slightly exaggerated.

And the two strikers signed by Guardiola this summer were instrumental in the recovery, Alvarez and Haaland scoring within two minutes of each other as the defending champions stormed back from a two-goal deficit.

After 51 minutes, and an electrifying start to the half from City, Mahrez worked his way to the by-line and tried to find the head of Ilkay Gundogan with a dangerous cross which Spurs initially defended.

Defended, but did not clear. The ball broke to Alvarez, who impressed so much in Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar last month, and he made no mistake in sweeping the ball in from eight yards.

City were back, trailing 2-1, but had the sort of momentum that opponents have been so accustomed to experiencing in recent years on trips to the Etihad. And two minutes later, there was more of the same.

Again, it was a lightning attack that caught out Tottenham’s back three and Rodri’s clever chip forward was headed on by Mahrez for Haaland to head into an open goal from no more than six yards.

That ended a run of 333 minutes without a goal for the prolific Norwegian - a relative drought by his astonishing standards - and made it 28 goals in 25 games this season.

There had been no sign of the “old” City as they limped to the internal - literally in the case of impressive youngster Rico Lewis - two goals in arrears.

Yet they were now in full flow and about to go for the kill, with Mahrez delivering what looked like being the decisive blow on 63 minutes - making it three goals in a dozen minutes for Guardiola’s men.

Rodri was again involved, playing a cross-field pass for the Algerian winger who easily cut past Ben Davies before drilling a low shot past Hugo Lloris at his near post - another moment the French international will not want to see replayed after his weekend own goal.

In the 90th minute, Ederson’s long ball was misjudged badly by Spurs sub Clement Lenglet and Mahrez was able to sprint through and beat Lloris for his second, and City’s fourth.

It was a far cry from earlier events when the game, and possibly City’s entire season, looked to have pivoted spectacularly in the final minute, and injury-time, of the first half.

Only twice before in his illustrious coaching career - once at Bayern Munich; once in his second season with City - has a Guardiola team lost three consecutive games.

But as the half-time whistle blew, City appeared on their way to following an EFL Cup defeat to Southampton and derby loss to Manchester United with an even more costly reverse that could have been the final nail in their Premier League coffin.

And, to compound matters, both Spurs goals were entirely self-inflicted by City.

In the 44th minute, Ederson should have dealt with a back-pass comfortably, as he has so many times before in his City career, but played an ill-advised short pass to Rodri, inside the home area.

He was immediately pressured by Rodrigo Bentancur with the ball breaking to Dejan Kulusevski who blasted it into the net with the hapless Ederson helpless.

It was a moment that had Guardiola literally slumping to his knees - a snapshot if ever there was one for City’s current problems,.

And they were about to get worse.

Two minutes into added time, Bentancur played a hopeful long ball forward for Harry Kane to chase and, although John Stones did well to put in a recovering tackle, he failed to clear the danger.

Tottenham’s attack persisted and ended with Kane muscling past Rodri on the by-line easily, hammering the ball at Ederson and the keeper deflecting the ball straight to Emerson Royal who finished with aplomb.

A night that had started with the defending champions eight points behind impressive - and increasingly runaway - leaders Arsenal was deteriorating by the minute.

The evening had started with City on the front foot, and Guardiola naming a starting line-up that featured Haaland and Alvarez for just the second time; their first experience together having ended in a 6-0 win over Nottingham Forest in August and that duo scoring five of them.

There was not the same efficiency here, with Haaland missing two good chances late in the first half, just before Spurs’ scoring spree - chances which, to be frank, he routinely grabbed during his early-season rampage through the Premier League.

But Spurs were clearly up for the fight - as City’s teenage fullback turned midfielder Lewis would testify after he was on the receiving end of numerous bad fouls in the first half.

And, even after conceding twice, Spurs had a glorious chance to regain the lead on 59 minutes when Kulusevski raced through and crossed for Ivan Perisic whose effort was blocked by Lewis onto the City cross-bar.

Man City (4–2-3-1): Ederson 4; Lewis 8 (Walker 83), Akanji 6, Stones 5, Ake 6; Rodri 7, Gundogan 6 (Silva 80); Mahrez 9, Alvarez 8, Grealish 7; Haaland 7 (Dias 90). Substitutes (not used): Phillips, Cancelo, Laporte, De Bruyne, Ortega, Foden.

Tottenham (3-4-2-1): Lloris 4; Romero 6, Dier 6, Davies 5 (Lenglet 78, 5); Royal 7 (Richarlison 78, 5), Bentancur 7 (Bissouma 75, 5), Hojbjerg 7, Perisic 5 (Sessegnon 69, 5); Kulusevski 8, Son 6; Kane 6. Substitutes (not used): Doherty, Sanchez, Tanganga, Sarr.

Referee: S Hooper 5