Tottenham and Manchester City played out a thrilling Carabao Cup fourth-round tie tonight, and we’ve watched closely to offer player ratings for every Spurs star involved.
There was a weight of expectation on the Tottenham players going into this game, with fans hungry for a cup run, and Pep Guardiola openly admitting he would not be taking the Carabao Cup seriously.
Spurs were 2-1 up at half-time thanks to goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr, but came under intense pressure from City late in the first half.
After the interval, Tottenham created a number of chances but were unable to put them away, while City turned the screw looking for an equaliser. But, it wasn’t to be, and Spurs progress to the next round. Let’s take a look at those Tottenham player ratings for their respective performances in the win.
Tottenham player ratings at full-time
Guglielmo Vicario: Had to settle for an observatory role for much of the game. Couldn’t have done much about the goal, distributed fairly well, but pretty quiet overall. Got a big touch on a cross late on to divert the ball away from danger. Absolutely flapped at a corner and looked hopeless shortly after. 6.
Archie Gray: Really struggled defensively and simply could not cope with Matheus Nunes. He lost his man for City’s goal, and was caught in possession a number of times. Did grow into the game though and managed to push forward more in the second half. 6.
Cristian Romero: A pretty uneventful night for the Spurs skipper, who had little to do in the first half and then was brought off just five minutes after the break. 6.
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Radu Dragusin: Put in a brilliant first-half display, mopping up everything that came his way, putting his body on the line, and covering a lot of ground. Stood out less in the second half, but still a really strong showing from the defender. 8.
Micky van de Ven: Had to leave the field after just 13 minutes when he picked up a hamstring injury. It would be unfair to judge him on that outing. N/A.
Pape Matar Sarr: A stunning goal for Sarr to double Tottenham’s lead, but he had to be replaced at half-time after picking up a yellow card after a number of clumsy fouls. 7.
Rodrigo Bentancur: An imperious display in the middle of the park, and Bentancur finally looked like the kind of player who can really control a game again. Big tackles, effective passes, incredible work rate. Could not ask for more. 9.
Dejan Kulusevski: Continues to show why he is Tottenham’s most important and influential player right now, with two brilliant assists in the first half, and a number of exciting runs and good catches created in the second. 9.
Brennan Johnson: Had one good chance that was well-saved by Ortega in the City goal, but simply wasn’t making the right runs to get involved in the game. Has to do better when making runs into the box to get ahead of his man. 4.
Dominic Solanke: Aside from some decent hold-up play, Solanke was pretty much invisible for Spurs. Was he getting enough service? No. But sometimes, as a striker, you have to make things happen yourself, and he didn’t do that. 4.
Timo Werner: Will be delighted to have got his goal, and could and should have had more, to be fair. Just couldn’t quite apply the right finishes and the right passes in crucial moments, but a very promising display from the German. 7.
Substitutes
Destiny Udogie: Played almost the entire game, and did fairly well to contain the City threats down his side, while still managing to get forward and support in attack. Did get caught in possession for the build-up to City’s goal, though. 6.
Yves Bissouma: On for Sarr at half-time. Picked up a yellow card ten minutes into the second half. Failed to really make his presence felt in the middle of the park, but did offer some solid moments in breaking up play and calming down the game. Put in a huge goalline clearance late on to save Vicario’s blushes. 7.
Ben Davies: On for Romero just five minutes into the second half. You’d barely even notice he was playing, which is a good thing, all things considered. 6.
Mikey Moore: Replaced Timo Werner with just over 20 minutes to go. Struggled to get into the game down the right-hand side, with Josko Gvardiol keeping him at bay with relative ease. Poor passes from the youngster, too, who will be disappointed with his involvement tonight. 5.
Richarlison: Replaced Brennan Johnson with just over 20 minutes to go. Came out of the traps ready to make an impact, carrying the ball well, holding it up, pressing with energy, winning fouls, and getting Spurs forward when they needed a lift. Missed an absolute sitter when gifted an opportunity by City, though. 7.