LONDON — The Tottenham – Manchester City player ratings were really fun to dish out in a tight, tense opening weekend clash in north London as Spurs secured a shock win.
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Heung-min Son scored the only goal of the game in the second half as City started well but Spurs improved and were dangerous on the break throughout the game.
The Nuno Espirito Santo era is off and running with a superb win against the reigning Premier League champions, as Pep Guardiola had the likes of John Stones, Kyle Walker, Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus on the bench due to their late return this summer.
Below are the Tottenham – Manchester City player ratings, as we dish out marks out of 10 for each player based on their performance.
Tottenham player ratings
Hugo Lloris: 7 – One shaky moment when he missed the ball after coming for a cross. Made some good stops in the second half to deny Grealish and De Bruyne.
Japhet Tanganga: 8 – Really good. The natural center back is making the right back spot his own. Defended well v. Sterling one-on-one and some good blocks. His forward play will get better with time and Spurs fans gave him a standing ovation.
Davinson Sanchez: 7 – Some great blocks and clearances and he looked very composed. Positioning was excellent.
Eric Dier: 7 – See above. With Cristian Romero coming in, Dier and Sanchez playing for one starting spot. Dier was solid and his distribution was great.
Sergio Reguilon: 7 – Solid and steady at left back and settled after a shaky start. Wasn’t able to get forward much.
Oliver Skipp: 7 – Really good shift from the youngster. Has improved massively after his loan at Norwich. Won the ball back plenty of times and alongside Hojbjerg, gives Spurs a solid foundation to launch counters.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 8 – His usual combative self. A few surging runs forward and had a chance to score. His type of game.
Lucas Moura: 7 – Nice flick to set up Son’s goal. Involved in lots of crisp forward passing to launch counters.
Dele Alli: 6 – Tried his best to get going and showed quality in stages. Did a lot of good defensive work.
Steven Bergwijn: 7 – Missed a glorious chance to put Spurs 2-0 up with a dinked finish. Worked hard and a threat on the break.
Heung-min Son: 8 – Gave City so many problems on the break. Went close with several efforts, then finished one off superbly. If Kane goes, will Spurs be fine with Son up top?
Substitute
Giovani Lo Celso (77′ on for Bergwijn): 6 – Helped calm things down late on in midfield.
Matt Doherty (82′ on for Tanganga): N/A
Cristian Romero (90′ on for Hojbjerg): N/A
Manchester City player ratings
Ederson: 6 – Did just enough to put Bergwijn off when a big chance arrived. May have done better on Son’s goal, but was he unsighted by Dias?
Joao Cancelo: 6 – A bright start faded. Got into some dangerous positions but final pass, shot and cross wasn’t there.
Ruben Dias: 7 – Made several blocks to keep City in it, and did his best to block Son’s shot for the goal.
Nathan Ake: 6 – Another shaky display. Never looked comfortable and always on the back foot.
Benjamin Mendy: 5 – Couldn’t handle Son and Moura, who kept peeling out to his flank and Spurs got a lot of joy down City’s left. Subbed off.
Fernandinho: 5 – Very poor display from the skipper. Couldn’t stop Spurs’ counters and was sluggish.
Ilkay Gunodgan: 6 – Overrun in midfield. Good block to deny Moura on his own line, but looked off the pace.
Riyad Mahrez: 6 – Should have put City ahead but slipped at key moment. Some nice turns and flicks.
Jack Grealish: 6 – Some surging runs early, fouled a lot. One look at goal with a shot in second half. Booked. Not a great day for the $139 million man.
Raheem Sterling: 6 – Caused problems in the first half with his runs, but Tanganga had his number. Moved more central, but couldn’t get into the game. Subbed off.
Ferran Torres: 5 – Missed a glorious chance in the second half. Hardly had a kick up top in a central role, then moved out to the right.
Substitute
Gabriel Jesus (71′ on for Sterling): 6 – Made some good runs but City couldn’t find him.
Kevin de Bruyne (79′ on for Mahrez): 7 – Linked up well with fellow sub Zinchenko down the left.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (79′ on for Mendy): 6 – Curled a superb shot on goal which Lloris saved brilliantly.
