Mauricio Pochettino came out victorious against his Argentine counterpart Manuel Pellegrini, as Tottenham demolished Manchester City in the weekend’s early kick off at White Hart Lane.
Table toppers stunned
A late Eric Dier goal in the first half cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne’s opener for the Citizens before Tottenham ran away with the game in the second half. Toby Alderweireld’s first goal for Spurs came just five minutes after the interval as Tottenham stamped their authority on the remaining 40 minutes of the contest.
First goals of the season for Harry Kane and Erik Lamela completed the rout as a youthful Tottenham side moved clear of Manchester City in an astonishing half of football, in both the attacking and defensive third.
Tottenham moved up to fifth in the Barclays Premier League for a brief time whilst Pellegrini’s men remained top, both positions subject to other results over the weekend of action.
“We can still improve”
After the match, victorious manager Pochettino expressed his delight at the final result but maintained the work is not yet over as his side, with an average age of just 24 years, continues to impress.
The former Southampton boss was “delighted with this brilliant result” having come from behind against the title favourites.
Having seen improvements from a number of his players, Pochettino maintained his side needs to “keep [their] feet on the ground” ahead of trips to AS Monaco and Swansea City in the coming week.
Having made a clear statement during the match, Tottenham fans will be equally delighted with the view from their Argentine head coach that “we [Tottenham] can still improve & have more potential.”
“We must continue working hard”
Pellegrini, on the other hand, was left to reflect on a disappointing second half performance from his side, along with complaints with the officials regarding controversial offside decisions.
Having started the game well, with De Bruyne scoring during a spell of dominance, the former Malaga boss was left to regret a number of missed chances, particularly from Raheem Sterling, but his side “didn’t take them.”
With regard to Tottenham’s opener by Dier, which had more than a hint of offside to it, Pellegrini made his views clear, saying “they [Tottenham] scored with an offside goal.” Pellegrini did, however, give credit to his compatriot in his complimentary comment that “in the second half I think Tottenham played very well.”
The 90 minutes went from bad to worse, with Pellegrini explaining his decision to substitute Yaya Toure in the second half ahead of their vital UEFA Champions League fixture away to Borussia Mönchengladbach during the week. Toure remains a doubt for the trip to Germany, with his manager claiming “Yaya Toure has a problem with his hamstring & couldn’t continue.”
Vital midweek fixtures
Both Tottenham and Manchester City face difficult trips in Europe this week before returning to league action next weekend.
Pellegrini will be looking for his side to bounce back, following three defeats in four matches, whilst Pochettino will be hoping his Tottenham side can continue to build on their encouraging performances in recent weeks.