“Sacked in the morning” was the ecstatic taunt from Tottenham fans aimed at Pep Guardiola when Pedro Porro’s third was rammed in under a classic Mancunian downpour that had abated by the end of Manchester City’s fifth consecutive defeat.
The right-back prospered as Ange Postecoglou’s men did all evening: by ransacking the champions who, despite Guardiola’s defiance that he is up for arresting the slide, were clueless, as illustrated by Brennan Johnson’s added-time fourth, when, for a countless time, City fell to the quick break.
You have to go back to 2006 for the last time City suffered five reverses in a row. That dire run ended after six defeats and do not bet against Guardiola’s iteration matching this – Feyenoord are here on Tuesday – as his famed tactical brain is drawing a blank and he admits to a “fragility”.
Before kick-off, Rodri’s Ballon d’Or triumph was honoured, the Spaniard presented in front of a huge neon sign that spelled his name in white bulbs. When he was injured against Arsenal in September, his manager vowed to solve the key absence from the No 6 role. At the moment Guardiola is failing.
City had been careless in the four previous losses, lacking the ruthlessness that cuffs aside foes, and they were again. Three of the reverses were 2-1, the other 4-1, so of their total 41 goals in 17 outings in all competitions – 22 in 11 league fixtures – four came in the defeats.
This showed how the attack had dipped, while being breached 10 times told the defence’s tale. To try to remedy the latter Guardiola drafted in John Stones and Manuel Akanji from the loss at Brighton last time out, with Bernardo Silva coming into midfield for Matheus Nunes, who was a substitute alongside the also-dropped Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Mateo Kovacic absent through injury.
But inside 13 minutes Spurs raided this reshuffled City pack. Dejan Kulusevski, after mugging Josko Gvardiol along the right, skipped infield and dropped the ball perfectly for James Maddison, whose run closed with a volley past Ederson.
What followed from Gvardiol and for City was just as bad. This time the left-back’s loose pass was collected by Maddison, who found Son Heung-min. The No 10 curved behind his captain to take a return for a one-two as sweet as the dink over the diving Ederson and that was a second on his 28th birthday. “I will remember this one,” Maddison said.
Gvardiol scrunched his face in despair and Guardiola discarded his jacket. Before and after the goals, Erling Haaland’s normal unerring aim was off, the No 9 missing the target completely or crashing the ball where Guglielmo Vicario or Ben Davies’s legs could repel it.
City, as per recent form, could not grip midfield and throttle the visitors. Instead, Tottenham were a flowing white wave, as when the unmarked Dominic Solanke tingled Ederson’s fingertips from mid-range, as Son did earlier from the left.
Spurs’ 4-2-1-3 posed City’s narrow (and rare) 4-3-3 questions they struggled to answer, Guardiola’s middle trident of Rico Lewis, Ilkay Gündogan and Silva his solution to Kovacic and Rodri being unavailable.
During a team pow-wow on 40 minutes while Vicario received treatment, Guardiola was a whirl of thigh slaps and semaphored instructions, but Son was soon in again and only his indecision saved City.
Nathan Aké jogged on for the injured Stones for the second half and Guardiola swapped Silva and Savinho to the right and still he scratched his head as Savinho ceded possession. Next, the 53-year-old appeared lost when the rampant Spurs registered the third. City, again, broke down deep in the opponent’s half and, from here, they were skated through, as Kulusevski passed to Son down the left who returned to the Swede. His sliced ball to Solanke had the No 9 in behind on the opposite wing, he teed up Porro and the defender made zero mistake.
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The rain, falling all day, became a deluge that soaked the devastated Guardiola. City’s response was to probe. Haaland skimmed the bar on swivelling, and Gvardiol’s shot was blocked and a later volley skied, and you wondered about Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness as, despite being a substitute, he was not called for. Once more the counter nearly pierced City, only Ederson’s reflexes palming away Kulusvski’s effort. Guardiola, on 74 minutes, sent for De Bruyne and Jack Grealish, who replaced Lewis and Savinho.
But despite rallying, City remained toothless, and Spurs, comprehensively, deserved a victory to follow up their one in the Carabao Cup. After signing a new two-year deal last week, this was a sour day for Guardiola.
