DBasia.news – Tottenham Hotspur’s success in beating Manchester City in the 2021-2022 Premier League cannot be separated from the cold hands of Antonio Conte. He seems to have understood how to anticipate Pep Guardiola’s tactics.
In the match which took place at the Etihad Stadium, Sunday (20/2) morning WIB, Tottenham defeated City with a thin score of 3-2. Both teams were involved in a fierce goal chase.
City did dominate possession with a percentage reaching 72 percent. But Tottenham’s tight defense and lightning counter-attack became a nightmare for the hosts.
Both teams closed the first half with the score 1-1. Dejan Kulusevski’s quick goal was answered by Ilkay Gundogan.
Kane restored Tottenham’s lead in the 59th minute. But City seemed to be avoiding defeat when Riyad Mahrez’s penalty failed to be anticipated by Hugo Lloris at the end of the match.
Luck seemed to be more in favor of Tottenham after Kane’s header in the dying seconds of injury time and left Ederon speechless. City did not have enough time to avoid defeat.
This result made Tottenham win home and away against City in the 2021-2022 season. Only Chelsea (2016-2017), Manchester United (2019-2020) and Wolverhampton (2019-2020) have done so for Guardiola’s team.
Conte objects to the notion that the victory obtained was mere luck. He said he needed a thorough preparation to beat City.
“To win a game like this means we have a perfect performance. We are defensively great,” Conte said after the game.
“In the pre-match press conference, I said we prepared well for the game and had a plan. For sure, when you play against Manchester City, you know the possession will be 70% for them.”
“But I always tell my players to keep targeting winning the ball and attacking even in the defensive moments. Then when we have the ball we move the ball really well,” he added.
Tottenham’s first goal is a testament to Conte’s plans. Tottenham took advantage of City’s high defensive line with Son Heung-min’s pace.
This victory also made Conte one of the few managers who has a neat record against Guardiola. He has recorded three wins and only lost two of five meetings.
Conte hopes the victory over City will be a momentum for Tottenham’s revival. The Lilywhites still have a chance to finish in the top four.
“This type of win should give us the confidence to do the job we do. We have to fight hard to stay very close to first position.”