It was once again another fast start from Tottenham Hotspur when they took on Man City on Sunday evening. Taking the lead after four minutes at the Etihad Stadium two seasons ago in their late 3-2 win, this time Spurs opened the scoring after six minutes.
Following a Man City corner, Tottenham broke at pace and got their noses in front courtesy of Son Heung-min. Starting the move with a sharp turn from Bryan Gil on the edge of his own area to bamboozle Phil Foden and play in Dejan Kulusevski, the Swede set Son free with a long ball over the top that the Spurs captain expertly finished off after getting the better of Jeremy Doku.
Rewind a few seconds to Kulusevski picking out Son and footage shows Destiny Udogie, who made a run inside of the ex-Juventus man, pulling up just before the halfway line and putting his hands out in disappointment thinking that his team had passed up such a good opportunity with Doku looking on course to pip the South Korean to the ball. However, Son had other ideas and got ahead of his marker to nudge the ball forward before advancing into the box to net.
At that point, Udogie had jogged on a couple more yards over the halfway line and stopped as he waited in anticipation before celebrating after Spurs’ No.7 had netted beyond Ederson. The quick move demonstrated that there are no lost causes and that Postecoglou has players in his team, especially Son, who can create moments of magic even when things don’t look to be falling their way.
Spurs’ lead didn’t last for long after Son’s own goal and Foden’s close-range finish on 31 minutes had turned the game in City’s favour. The Lilywhites rallied back from that, though, and managed to leave with a point in the bag after goals from Giovani Lo Celso and Kulusevski either side of Jack Grealish’s finish with nine minutes remaining.
A very important point for Tottenham after losing their last three games, Postecoglou hailed the players’ mental strength when speaking to the media after the 3-3 draw.
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“Yeah but to be fair to this group I think they’ve shown that from the first game,” he said in his post-match press conference. “I think the past three games have masked that a little bit. I don’t think it’s been a question of character, I think it’s just been more a question of lacking a bit of conviction, whether that was in the Chelsea game or Wolves away or Villa at home. We were well on top in those games, particularly the Villa and Chelsea games with the quality of football but we just lacked a bit of conviction.
“We’re going through a tough period absolutely in terms of personnel, players playing in positions they’re not familiar with and at the same time me not wanting them to compromise on the team we want to be so it’s not easy. I always feel that if you can get through these tough periods in the manner which I think you need to and that is trying to stay true to what you started, trying to work on the team you want to become, you come out of it stronger, irrespective of the knocks you get along the way.
“I guess a day like today, if nothing else, gives the players a bit of belief in themselves as people more than players, that you know what, they do have that character and belief that even in the toughest of circumstances not to lay down.”
After what happened on Sunday against Man City, Udogie may find himself carrying on his run even if the chance looks to be gone from now on going on what Son did at the Etihad Stadium.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
