Tottenham Hotspur failed to beat Manchester City despite a strong second half performance as Erling Haaland’s first half goal was enough to secure all three points for the visitors.
The Norwegian striker returned to the team and made an instant impact as he gave his side the lead in the 12th minute of the game.
Spurs made a poor start to the game and failed to control the momentum as Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the first half. Vicario kept Tottenham in the game as they went into the break with just a goal down.
Whatever Ange said at half-time worked as Spurs came out a different side in the second half and dominated majority of the remaining 45 minutes of the game.
And while they made several chances, they failed to put them away. Wilson Odobert missed one just ten minutes into the second half, as he poked his effort wide after a great ball from Pedro Porro.
The biggest miss came right in the dying moments of the game, with Porro putting in a cross which hit Son’s back before falling for Pape Matar Sarr. The midfielder had the golden opportunity to score but he headed his effort over the bar from point blank range to Ange Postecoglou’s disbelief.
There were some positives for Ange as Djed Spence put in yet another superb performance after coming on for Destiny Udogie in the second half.
Pep Guardiola slaps Djed Spence and offers him a word of advice
His performance was appreciated by Pep Guardiola as well, who as per journalist Jay Harris, slapped him playfully in the face to seemingly praise him.
Pep Guardiola just playfully slapped Djed Spence in the face and kept pointing to his chest?
I think that was his way of complementing Spence
— Jay Harris (@jaydmharris) February 26, 2025
And Pep Guardiola, in his post match interview, revealed what he said to the fullback (quotes via Spurs insider John Wenham):
‘Why do you run too much? You should be more calm’. [Destiny] Udogie is quite similar, the pace of this team is difficult to… Maybe Liverpool, but they are unbelievable, unbearable, and everytime they have the ball and run, they’re unstoppable; Spence, Pedro Porro, Udogie, [Dejan] Kulusevski, [Heung-min] Son. It’s an incredibly physical team with a clear idea, they play really good. They played without [Cristian] Romeo and [Micky] van de Ven; two of the best central defenders in the league…”
Pep Guardiola on what he said to Djed Spence at full-time: "'Why do you run too much? You should be more calm'. [Destiny] Udogie is quite similar, the pace of this team is difficult to… Maybe Liverpool, but they are unbelievable, unbearable, and everytime they have the ball and…
— Lilywhite Rose (@Lilywhite_Rose) February 26, 2025
Spence has been in fine form for Spurs in recent games. He was excellent against Man United, earning praise from Gary Neville and put in another strong performance against Ipswich Town, which he capped off with a superb goal.
While Ange Postecoglou has not always been a fan of the player, Spence has forced the manager to change his stance on him.