The LAST Word
In the match preview, I couldn't decide whether SFL would stick with the 4-4-1-1 that did well against Newcastle or revert to the 5-3-1-1 away formation that won at Forest.
In the end, he opted for the 4-4-1-1 but sprung a slight surprise by giving Tats his first PL start on the right. E=MC² dropped to the bench to make way as SBMCTA (Solomon Brandon Michael Clarke Thomas-Asante) moved over to the left. There was no place for Tchouna or Gboho on the bench after rumours of them complaining following the Newcastle match. SFL won't take that sort of nonsense.
City started brightly as MVE and Tats combined well on the right, only for Tats' shot to be blocked. That was all undone as Spurs got into the game and Madders scored a worldie, with City again conceding from outside the box.
It's becoming a habit now, but blimey, have there been some good finishes against us!
Kudus beat Dasilva and laid the ball back to Madders. No one had tracked his run, leaving him in acres of space. He hit it first time and it looped into the top corner, leaving Rushie with no chance. Madders celebrated in a sort of muted way, which he explains more about in the reaction below. To be fair to him, it was his first start and goal since his ACL injury in April 2025, so you can surely forgive him some sort of celebration.
Madders was pretty much running the show at this point, as no City player could get near him, but it remained 1-0 at half-time.
City started the second half brightly as well, but this time their endeavour was rewarded. Yirenkyi broke from halfway inside the City half in a way he hadn't done all game. He really looks a player when he does that. He got to just past the halfway line and played the ball out to Rudy on the left. Rudy got to the byline and played the ball into Yirenkyi, who had carried on his run to level with the six-yard box. He played it back to Rudy, whose shot was probably going out for a throw-in! Instead, the ball smashed against the chest of SBMCTA and back into the path of Rudoni, whose shot was partially saved by the left hand of Kinsky, but not well enough to keep it out. Cue the mask celebration. Great assist from BTA!
At this point, City really needed to keep things tight and let the Spurs fans start getting on their players' backs. However, City conceded just nine minutes after scoring.
The ball was played into Marmoush 25 yards out, with MVE too tight to him. He rolled MVE, catching him in the face as he did so, and rifled a shot past Rushworth into the goal. There's an argument that it should have been a free kick for catching MVE in the face. SFL certainly thought so. There's also an argument that Rushworth could have done better after getting two hands to it. I'm not sure on either, to be honest.
SFL made substitutions, with Awoniyi, Onyeka, E=MC², KKH and Hamer all entering the fray. In truth, though, they had little impact and only served to make City look more disjointed.
Spurs wrapped up all three points with a scrappy goal, a flick with the outside of the boot from the edge of the box by Ben Davies. The ball squirmed under Rushworth's outstretched arm, which was a poor effort, to be fair, as Spurs became the first PL team since 2023 to score three goals from outside the box.
So that was that. You can't help feeling that had City stayed at 1-1 for longer, they would have got at least a point from the game. The second goal was a bit of a killer. It got the Spurs fans back into the game and took some pressure off Spurs.
Pinnock and Thomas acquitted themselves well in defence, but Dasilva and MVE didn't have great games, MVE in particular. He was at fault for the second goal and also gave the ball away far too much.
Cherif and SBMCTA both played well, full of running and enthusiasm. Rudoni again showed his quality, whilst Tats had a good first half but faded somewhat in the second, probably not a surprise given his lack of game time.
Rushworth was definitely at fault for the third and arguably could have done better with the second. City have certainly had some great finishes against them, but seven goals conceded from outside the box will be a disappointment to him, although they certainly weren't all his fault. City need to start getting tighter on the edge of the box and stop the shots in the first place.
Onwards we go to two huge games against Fulham and Sunderland. A minimum of four points needed, you would think.
Highlights:
Official Highlights
Reaction:
Official Reaction - SFL, Grimez and Rudy
Post match press conference:
Madders on his celebrations and City:
Reports:
BBC
BBC Ratings
CCFC
Stats:
vLogs:
Thanks Ben!
