1 Manchester City: Werner and Sarr goals keep Spurs in contention for EFL Cup glory

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the last eight of the EFL Cup, as goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr earned them a narrow win over a partially youthful Manchester City on a night when both teams picked up injuries.

The two sides were rotated, City more so, with Pep Guardiola turning to his talented youngsters. And the experience difference told as Spurs created far more chances.

The excellent Werner opener the scoring on the counter-attack, before Sarr curled in a sublime second to give a rampant Tottenham a deserved 2-0 lead after just 26 minutes.

Premier League

Palace down Spurs for first Prem victory of season

But City gradually got a hold on the game and pulled one back on the stroke of half-time through Matheus Nunes.

City had more of the ball in the second half and built pressure as Spurs dropped deeper, but it was still the home side who had the better of the chances, twice missing one-on-ones.

A superb goal-line clearance from Yves Bissouma kept his side ahead in the last significant moment of the match, and the Spurs squad were all smiles as they marched into the quarters.

Tottenham will hope that Micky van de Ven’s hamstring injury is not too serious, while Manchester City will await an update on Savinho, who was taken off on a stretcher in the second half.

Talking Point – A fascinating match

There were so many interesting threads to this game, with City blooding a bunch of impressive-looking youngsters. Yet they still fielded a relatively strong defence that struggled to contain Spurs on the break.

Werner’s excellence on the left side earned him a standing ovation when he hobbled off, but much of the interest from a Tottenham perspective came from tactical tweaks – the hosts started with three centre-backs and something resembling a double pivot in midfield.

Quietly, Ange Postecoglou continues to make subtle changes to his team’s set-up. Will it help steer them to silverware?

Player Of The Match – Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham)

Tottenham’s No. 10 was central to everything they did all evening. He provided two assists and could well have had a goal of his own, only to be denied by Stefan Ortega.

But his performance was far more than just that – he ran things for Spurs on the break, popping up all over the pitch and playing the full 90 minutes, working his socks off until the final seconds.

Player Ratings

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario 6; Gray 6, Romero 7, Dragusin 7, Van de Ven 6; Sarr 8, Bentancur 7, Kulusevski 9; Johnson 6, Werner 8, Solanke 7. Subs: Udogie 7, Bissouma 7, Davies 6, Moore 6, Richarlison 6.

Manchester City: Ortega 7; Lewis 7, Stones 6, Dias 6, Ake 6; Gundogan 4, McAtee 6, O'Reilly 6; Savinho 7, Nunes 7, Foden 6. Subs: Kovacic 7, Gvardiol 7, Silva 6, Wright 6, Simpson-Pusey 6.

Match Highlights

Key Stats

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