Man City Drop Points In 2-2 Draw With Tottenham
Gabriel Jesus had an injury-time goal ruled out by VAR as Manchester City dropped points at home for the first time since December 2018 with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham.
Sergio Aguero flicked home before Lucas Moura nodded in soon after coming on.
Jesus then swept home in injury time, but it was ruled out for a handball by Aymeric Laporte.
It was a frustrating result for Manchester City in their first home game of the season, particularly after beginning their title defence with a 5-0 win at West Ham last weekend.
The home fans greeted the final whistle with boos directed at VAR as the disallowed goal stirred memories of City’s Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Tottenham last season.
The disallowed goal meant Manchester City failed to win in the Premier League for the first time in 16 games
In April, City needed a goal to secure passage to the last four of the Champions League in their second leg encounter with Spurs at the Etihad.
The hosts thought that had arrived in injury time when Sterling struck, prompting wild celebrations from City boss Pep Guardiola.
But emotions switched instantly as the video assistant referee had the final word, ruling that Aguero was offside when Bernardo Silva diverted the ball into Sterling’s path.
This time, City players wheeled away to celebrate what appeared to be a last-gasp winning goal that would have extended City’s winning run at home in the Premier League to 11 games.
However, those celebrations were cut short when referee Michael Oliver indicated that a VAR review was under way, and the goal was disallowed after replays showed a ball into the box had flicked off Laporte’s arm.
It is the second successive City game in which VAR has played a significant role. The system also overturned a goal by Sterling in their win at West Ham last time out.
Tottenham finished 27 points behind City last season but Mauricio Pochettino’s side strengthened in the summer, giving fans hope that they could challenge for a first league title since 1961.
However, Spurs barely had a touch of the ball in the opening 10 minutes as City enjoyed 74% possession and, even though they did manage to equalise, it was against the run of play as Lamela made the most of a rare opening in the home side’s defence.
But despite the hosts’ dominance, Spurs appear to have a knack of scoring against City.
Prior to Saturday’s game, City had won their previous 15 home games in all competitions, conceding just six goals in the process. But three of those six goals were scored by Tottenham in the 4-3 Champions League game in April.
And Spurs breached their defences once more when Moura headed home from a corner just 19 seconds after coming on as a substitute.
It was a big result for Tottenham, who were beaten home and away by City in the Premier League last season. But despite the result, they were heavily outplayed by their opponents, who finished with 30 shots on goal compared to Spurs’ three.
They will want to be more competitive against their title rivals if they are to challenge for honours this term.
