City let two goal lead slip as title gap grows

Manchester City drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur after leading 2-0 at halftime.
Arsenal’s lead at the top is now six points, but Pep Guardiola said City still have “hope” in the title race.
Guardiola was unhappy with the build-up to Dominic Solanke’s first goal and questioned why it was not penalised.

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City still have “hope” in the Premier League title race after they dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, leaving them six points behind leaders Arsenal.

City were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, but Spurs hit back in the second half through a Dominic Solanke brace. City held on for a draw with help from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who produced a string of saves.

“As much as the chance is there the hopes will always be there,” said Guardiola. “It happens. I know that these types of games always in the past, there is a way to win and today it didn’t happen.

“We have difficulties for many things, but the players are coming back and I saw an incredibly good spirit with many things.”

Guardiola also pointed to refereeing decisions, focusing on Solanke’s first goal. Replays showed Solanke making contact through the back of Marc Guéhi’s leg during a scramble in the penalty area as the ball was forced over the line.

“If a central defender does it to a striker it’s a penalty,” said Guardiola. “The momentum in the Premier League when you concede a goal, it happens. You cannot control it.

“That will be our lesson and once again that will make us stronger and better, especially for many players in the future.”

The second-half dip has become a talking point for City in recent matches, with Guardiola acknowledging the pattern when asked about it after the final whistle.

“You’re right,” said Guardiola when asked about the trend. “We talked. As a manager, you can change something in the second half. When you play really poor in the first half, you can make some substitutions if something didn’t work.

“They had two or three free kicks [in the first half] but the rest was good. We started the second half really well but it was the goal that changed a little bit.”

City’s next Premier League match is away to Liverpool as they try to keep pace with Arsenal at the top.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.