Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou responded emphatically to defeat against Ipswich Town before the November international break with a stunning victory at Manchester City. James Maddison scored twice in seven minutes to put Spurs ahead with Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson on target in the second 45.
Scoring four without reply at Etihad Stadium is some achievement for the Lilywhites, made even better by the fact it was a completely deserved victory. Pep Guardiola's side are in a shocking rut of results, having now lost five consecutive games in all competitions, but that should take nothing away from Spurs.
While the hosts had more shots, Tottenham bettered their opponents for efforts on target with Guglielmo Vicario only forced into a few important saves. What would have pleased Postecoglou most though, was that his players did not abandon the system nor game plan.
Part of that involves Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro joining attacks with the latter bagging his second goal of the season. After City lost possession, the Spaniard sprinted up the pitch and was found perfectly by Dominic Solanke which allowed him to remain in stride and sweep home.
Porro may have felt as though he could've netted a brace like Maddison, had a flurry forward ended differently. When Son Heung-min picked up the ball in City's half, he attempted a pass in behind which would have released Solanke but after possession was lost, it was clear the better option was Porro on the far side.
Understandably, the 25-year-old was left unimpressed and proceeded make his anger clear by shouting in the direction of his teammate. And that reaction was proven to be justifiable with Porro smashing home Spurs' third goal of the game.
Though the move did not come off in the first half, Postecoglou will have been delighted that Porro continued making those runs and that his players are demanding the absolute best from each other. In order to fully take advantage of such a result, Tottenham must solve their big consistency issue.