Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Manchester City take on Tottenham at the Etihad in the Premier League, with Jack Gaughan and Riath Al-Samarrai reporting from the grounds.
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After the surge and the hope came a brick wall and a realisation. If this is to be the season when Pep Guardiola and Manchester City snap out of their slumber, then what a chastening way to realise how much more work is needed.
Where to begin with this debacle of a 2-0 defeat? How to quantify or explain an afternoon that simultaneously revealed a poor defence, an uncomfortable goalkeeper and a Tottenham side that was quite exceptional in exploiting all of the above?
Perhaps that duty should fall on those Spurs fans, who covered a couple of bases with their chant towards the end of this dominant win: ‘It’s happening again, it’s happening again, Manchester City, it’s happening again.’
Now what could that be exactly? Is it the head-to-head record that shows how Tottenham, for all their flakiness, have made a curious habit of beating City in the past five years? That count now stands at eight wins in 15 across the competitions.
Or was it about the bigger picture? Was it aimed at the continuation of last season’s misery, which we had expected to clear after the 4-0 hiding of Wolves and the signing of Tijjani Reijnders?
Naturally, it is too early to be definitive. What we can say is that Reijnders was again solid and City were not. Their aura appears to be gone, based on the savage irreverence with which Thomas Frank’s side pressed them at each opportunity. Led by the excellent Joao Palhinha, they saw City’s frailties and stomped them into the grass of their own backyard.
A big element of that was the City backline, which has always adopted a high position on the field but has been revved to dangerous levels by Guardiola’s new assistant Pep Lijnders. For that point, witness the first goal scored by Brennan Johnson – Tottenham got what they deserved and so did City.
Already proven to be vulnerable to counter attacks, the speed of the goal was testament to how quickly Frank’s Spurs can change gear, but it was also about the welcoming acreage that lives behind Guardiola’s centre-halves. They were asking for it.
We can now move on to areas of individual calamity, which sadly encompasses James Trafford. The biggest selection decision of the day concerned Ederson’s place on the bench, which would signify his time at City is nearly up, but into his spot went a talented goalkeeper who had a horrible day with his feet.
He had survived one mishap early in the match and then endured a shocker for the second goal, when a needlessly convoluted goal-kick routine saw him fluff a short ball to Nico Gonzalez on the edge of his area. It was a bad error that set in train Palhinha’s goal.
So much credit ought to go to Frank, of course. He inherited a team in buoyant mood after Ange Postecoglou’s crowning hour in Bilbao, but low on reasons to trust them. And yet the intensity of their play under him, while similar to what we saw with Postecoglou, has more substance, coherence and direction, especially when they attack off the back foot.
Where once they were the high-line accident waiting to happen, here they had the savvy to exploit one, and in doing so kept back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since 2023. Early days, but it is promising.
For Guardiola, the goalkeeper dilemma will rumble. If his decision to field Trafford over Ederson was proven to misjudged, his two changes to the side that hammered Wolves were initially heading for vindication.
Both Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush came in and each made a quick imprint on the match, often in combination with one another - Cherki was a supply line and Marmoush, cutting in off the left, was his liveliest recipient.
In the frenzy of the opening quarter of an hour, the latter was also central to City’s best chance of going ahead, with a quick reaction to a poor back pass from Pedro Porro. Muscling Porro out of the way, the Egyptian then beat Guglielmo Vicario with a finish across goal from a tightening angle but the shot was a fraction wide.
That dangerous moment was followed by another when Marmoush received a clever flick by Erling Haaland and drilled his shot too close to Vicario. The chances weren’t being converted but they were typical of City’s early frenzy - they were a blur of high-octane movement on the attack.
It’s why, when they’re good, City look brilliant. But the questions still exist about the defence, or rather the high line that appears to have been briefed to go even higher by Guardiola’s assistant Pep Lijnders.
Here, it was good for squeezing the space on Tottenham’s midfield, but if any side knows the perils of leaving space behind the back, it is the one raised by Ange Postecoglou and now led by Frank.
Palhinha was the first to expose the frailties. As much as we can criticise Daniel Levy’s work in the market, the acquisition of the midfielder from Bayern Munich is looking ever more shrewd – even prior to his goal, he was a menace, both for the precision of his tackling and then the quick balls into those gaps behind.
It set a blueprint that Tottenham continually sought to exploit, as will others across the campaign. In the first instance, Mohammed Kudus was a touch slow when a quicker ball in a two-against-one situation would have sent Johnson clean through on goal.
In the second, Tottenham scored. As with many of their best moves, it came from a rapid counter that travelled the length of the right flank, with the decisive phase coming after Pape Matar Sarr flicked into the path of Richarlison, who in turn curved a ball behind the City centre-halves for Johnson.
The finish was quickly met with an offside flag, only for the decision to be correctly erased by the VAR – John Stones was shown to have been late in stepping out, playing Richarlison on. The Brazilian, apparently deemed expendable in those failed efforts to land Eberechi Eze, made a strong case for more respect with this performance.
His finish in the moments before half-time gave Tottenham a scoreline they deserved – Frank’s side had been exceptional, and improving by the minute. City’s opening 45 minutes? It was characterised by the vulnerabilities of their defence and missed chances, closing when Haaland sent a free header over the bar with the last action of the period. Messy.
Guardiola responded by hooking off Cherki and Marmoush early in the second half – all that early promise had faded, of course – meaning he was three changes down inside an hour, having also lost Rayan Alt-Nouri to injury after 20 minutes of his home debut. The alterations made little difference.
Come the end, at least Trafford was able to salvage something of his performance with a pair of good saves from Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odebert in succession. A little gloss on a hard day.
Eberechi Eze's Arsenal mural has been destroyed ahead of his imminent move to the Emirates.
Arsenal left Tottenham red-faced on Wednesday night when they reached an agreement in principle with Crystal Palace to sign Eze, 27.
Eze had looked Spurs-bound after they spent 10 days negotiating over a deal worth £55million plus add-ons - only for Arsenal to sneak in at the last minute with a bid worth £60m.
The 27-year-old is now on the verge of joining his boyhood club after completing a medical on Friday.
Anonymous artist Northbanksy claimed responsibility for the mural, which depicts Eze in an Arsenal kit.
The art has now been vandalised after it was splattered with white paint on Friday night.
Tottenham fans are reportedly responsible for it after the midfielder opted for a move to their north London rivals.
TNT Sports pundit and former Rangers boss Ally McCoist has questioned Spurs' approach to the transfer.
He said: 'If you [Spurs] are serious, you make an offer. From what I', reading terms were agreed with Palace and the player
'Get a signature. I've been in situations where the manager won't let you out of the room. Get the contract signed'
Arsenal's Sporting director Andrea Berta and manager Mikel Arteta met Eze last month, and he was sold on the idea of moving to the Gunners but an offer failed to materialise at that time.
Eze is a boyhood Arsenal fan and was in their youth system before he was released at the age of 13.
His release clause of £60m, plus £8m in bonuses, lapsed last week.
Daily Mail Sport understands Spurs agreed to Palace's demands on Wednesday and also agreed terms with Eze. At that stage, the player was keen to finalise the move.
However, Palace are understood to have insisted Eze remain available for their Conference League play-off first leg against Norwegian side Fredrikstad on Thursday night.
Arsenal then stepped in on Wednesday afternoon, accelrating the move after Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury.
Manchester City have been left sweating over one of their summer signings after Rayan Ait-Nouri came off injured in the first half of their clash with Tottenham.
The Algerian full-back lasted just 22 minutes at the Etihad Stadium before being forced off with what appeared to be an ankle problem.
He had initially gone down for treatment around the quarter-hour mark, but attempted to continue before eventually signalling that he could not carry on.
Nathan Ake was quickly introduced in his place, leaving Pep Guardiola with an early reshuffle at the back.
It is a particularly untimely setback for Guardiola, with Ait-Nouri having impressed on his first Premier League start for City last weekend. The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 victory away at his former club Wolves, where he was heavily involved throughout.
He had 97 touches of the ball and topped the match charts for tackles (six), clearances (six) and interceptions (three). He also found time to register two shots going forward in a commanding all-round display.
City had paid £33.7million to prise him away in June, with Ait-Nouri describing the move as a 'dream come true'.
'I am incredibly happy and honoured to have joined Manchester City,' he told club media upon his arrival. 'City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the chance to play for the club is a dream come true.
'I am also excited about working with and learning from Pep and his coaching team and getting to train and play alongside such a world class group of players. Joining City is also a very proud moment for my family too. Now I can't wait to get started and to play in front of our supporters.'
City's Director of Football Hugo Viana hailed the signing at the time, insisting that the Algerian international had been a long-term target.
'Rayan is a player that as a club we have been following closely for quite some time and we are delighted he has joined us,' Viana said.
'He already has extensive Premier League experience and has also demonstrated his quality at international level with Algeria. We feel sure that he will be an excellent addition to our squad and that working alongside Pep and his coaching staff will help develop his game even further.'
Manchester City may reportedly turn to a £70million-rated replacement for Savinho in the event that the Brazilian winger joins Tottenham.
Tottenham’s interest comes after their failed attempts to attract Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, who is poised to join London rivals Arsenal for £68m after completing his medical.
City have no intention of letting Savinho depart easily, but in the event that he issues a formal transfer request - and Spurs come with an acceptable offer - Pep Guardiola and his recruitment staff may look to alternatives.
Among those being closely monitored is Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who has been strongly linked with a move away from the Bernabeu, according to ESPN.
But City may not be the only Premier League giants in for Rodrygo; if Liverpool miss out on Alexander Isak's signing this summer, they could turn to the winger as an alternative.
As well as City and Liverpool, Arsenal had previously been linked to Rodrygo this summer, but they are now reportedly unable to fund such a deal after investing more than £260m elsewhere in the squad.
Rodrygo scored 18 goals and claimed nine assists in the 2023-24 season as Madrid won the treble.
But he failed to follow it up last season, only bagging six times and providing six assists in LaLiga.
He has scored just once in his last 25 matches, last netting against Atletico Madrid in March.
Meanwhile, Savinho only joined City last summer in a £38m deal from Troyes, one of the French clubs in the City Football Group network.
He had already made a huge impression in La Liga while on loan at Girona, where he notched nine goals and 10 assists in 41 appearances and was named in the division’s Team of the Season.
The potential exit would mark another significant shift in City’s attacking ranks, which have already seen the departure of Jack Grealish to Everton this summer.
Tottenham, on the other hand, are desperate to make a statement signing with James Maddison's ACL injury leaving them short-handed.
Thomas Frank claims the white noise of the transfer market and the agony of near misses for top targets such as Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White will not distract him.
It's the line they all peddle but Frank is convincing. He worked successfully as head coach at Brentford, trusting others to drive recruitment because that was their area of expertise and is more than happy to keep it the same way at Tottenham.
He is involved in the process and notes 'a lot of similarities' between his new club and the one he left in June, but maintains the same rule that he keeps well clear of transfers once negotiations kick in.
Frank's area of expertise is on the training pitch. That commands his focus and his work in this field thus far at Spurs has been impressive. Two positive results and two strong performances using two distinct tactical systems against two opponents from different ends of the tactical spectrum.
First Paris Saint-Germain, the European champions, slick and brimming with confidence they are changing plans for nobody. They may have been a little rusty after a month on holiday but were still packed with quality when Spurs ran up against them in the Super Cup.
Frank knew what to expect and planned accordingly. A back three, strength and physicality throughout, strong defensive lines and very little appetite to dwell in possession or pass the ball out at the back.
He called it a 'special operation' and for an hour it was successful. They took positives from their aerial menace and goals from set pieces despite losing the trophy on penalties.
When Burnley descended on North London three days later it could hardly have been more different and yet their plan was also obvious.
Scott Parker built promotion from the Championship on a miserly defence with few risks, hustle in the press and pace on the break. He was not about to throw off any shackles for a tricky away fixture in the Premier League.
Frank switched accordingly to a back four with three changes loosening the style. Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Brennan Johnson added zip and adventure at the expense of power, nous and reliability.
The home crowd would demand Spurs dominate unfancied opponents, so he backed his team to navigate their way from deep, through the Burnley press, playing almost everything short from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario whose distribution had been long and direct against PSG to wipe out their threat from high turnovers.
Again, there were tricky spells but overall, it worked nicely. Three goals from open play, three points and an early marker from flexible Frank the antithesis of predecessor Ange Postecoglou, an evangelical purist who simply refused to yield on his principles until it was too late to save his job.
The Dane reaffirmed what those who knew him said when he moved across London from Brentford, that he has a pragmatic football brain. He searches for the way to win. He is sensible and tactically astute, capable of forming a plan to challenge any opponent using the available assets.
'I'm very direct as a person,' said Frank on the matter on Friday. 'I try to be very clear. I say 'no' and 'yes' and 'this I want'. I believe in simple messages and try to create a narrative about each game.
'There are probably two or three key areas that will win us the game or hopefully maximise our chances of winning. But there are a lot of other areas that will affect it.
'Those key areas will change. Against Burnley we were big on crosses for example and numbers in the box. Obviously, set pieces against PSG was a big thing.'
Next up is Manchester City. Frank is keeping his 'key areas' to himself but it is safe to assume his gameplan will be closer to PSG than Burnley on the sliding scale.
'I'm always thinking how can we tweak a little bit inside our principles,' said Frank, who has enjoyed success against City while at Brentford, taking seven points from eight games.
Tottenham can also boast a fine recent record against the dominant force in the Premier League for most of the last 10 years. They have won five of the last 10 against City and losing only nine of 23 against them under Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City though will be harder to predict than PSG or Burnley, header to predict than they would have been in their pomp even, because they are a team in flux.
For years under Guardiola, they played with the supreme confidence to take on allcomers without changing style. This season is different. They too are finding a new shape with an influx of new signings.
So, although Frank and his staff will have done their homework and enjoyed a full week of tactical preparation, they cannot be certain if Guardiola will play exactly the way he did against Wolves last week or has something else up his sleeve.
Rodri is fit and there are options aplenty. That is the advantage of City's power in the market. They have spent more than £300million in 2025 but that won't trouble Frank. His job is to beat them on the pitch not in the market.
Morgan Gibbs-White has revealed that complications with his fiancée's pregnancy played a crucial role in his decision to reject a move to Tottenham and commit his future to Nottingham Forest.
The 25-year-old midfielder was at the centre of one of the summer's most dramatic transfer sagas, with Spurs convinced they had triggered his £60million release clause in July.
A medical was even scheduled, only for the deal to collapse after Forest threatened to report Tottenham to the Premier League over what they believed to be an illegal approach.
Forest resisted multiple approaches from Spurs — including a second bid above the £60m clause — before Gibbs-White performed a dramatic U-turn and signed a new three-year deal until 2028, described by the club as a 'statement of intent' from owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Gibbs-White explained that the decision went far beyond football. His partner, Britney De Villiers, recently gave birth to their second child after a difficult pregnancy.
'Every footballer has personal goals and personal ambitions that they want to achieve,' Gibbs-White said. 'Mine is winning trophies, playing in the World Cup, playing in the Euros, playing Champions League football, just to be able to reach the maximum that I'm able to reach.
'Obviously in the summer, everybody's seen what was going on and whatever. But away from that, it was a really difficult period for me and my fiancée.
'Having my second child, but there were a few complications with all of that. I believed in being professional, showing up every day and letting everything else take care of what it needs to do. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.
'I'm delighted with my decision, more than happy. I think my fiancée is even more happy because she didn't get to carry on with all the stress.'
Gibbs-White missed the start of Forest's pre-season training camp in Portugal to be with his partner, who described her experience as a 'high-risk pregnancy' on social media from a hospital bed.
He returned to action on July 14 and featured in multiple friendlies before opening the new campaign with 84 minutes in Forest's 3-1 victory over Brentford.
The England international, who has won four caps, insists his heart is now set on continuing his journey with Forest after helping the club qualify for Europe last season.
'With everything that happened this summer, it was like it hit home a bit,' he continued. 'I've been through a lot with this club these past three years, and to feel like I was going to miss out on what we achieved last season sort of broke me a little bit.
'And I wanted to go through this next stage with Forest and play Europa League football with them, because me and a few others were the ones that, three years ago we came in, this was our goal to stay in the league and try and push up.
'It's a home from home, so I sort of had that broken-hearted feeling, like when you split with your first childhood girlfriend.'
Since joining from Wolves for £25m in 2022, Gibbs-White has become a key figure at the City Ground, producing seven goals and eight assists in the Premier League last term as Forest surged to a seventh-place finish.
He added: 'I've got to look at what's best for myself and my family. And I feel like every decision I've made, I've made it on my own back and the help of my family. I've not once regretted any decision that I've made in my career so far, so I'm going to stick to what I believe and everything happens for a reason.'
For Tottenham, Gibbs-White's U-turn was the first of two high-profile frustrations in a bruising window. Just weeks later they thought they had Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze secured, only for Arsenal to hijack the deal at the last moment.
The double setback rekindled old anger among fans towards chairman Daniel Levy, who has faced criticism for failing to get deals over the line despite Spurs' clear need for creativity following James Maddison's long-term knee injury.
The pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho remains ongoing, but the mood in north London is one of lingering regret.
Tottenham Hotspur have sparked anger among local residents after unveiling plans to build a £2million sports facility in an area of 'beautiful' ancient woodland.
The club are constructing a new women's academy, featuring a clubhouse and 11 pitches, in Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, north London.
Enfield Council and City Hall have approved Spurs' plans but they have attracted the fury of residents, who are campaigning against the construction and fear it will destroy the local area.
One campaigner, Caroline Day, accused the club of 'using the growing interest in women's football as an excuse to destroy a park'.
'In every way ethically, they are lacking compared with the other clubs,' she told Metro.
Those opposed to the project claim 16 hectares of green space will be lost, along with rare species of wildlife and vegetation, as a result of the plans, with Spurs aiming to develop an area previously used as a golf course.
They also point out how the club's main training ground, Hotspur Way, is located close to Whitewebbs Park.
A crowdfunder aiming to raise £30,000 to fight the plans has been launched. Some of those who have joined it are Spurs fans who claim they will be giving up their memberships with the club unless they perform a dramatic u-turn.
A total of £23,000 has been generated so far and there are still two weeks remaining on the crowdfunder.
The campaign group Guardian of Whitewebb have already taken Spurs to the High Court after arguing the development would have no benefit to the community.
'A lot of our supporters are Spurs fans who feel let down by a club they have put so much energy into supporting,' added Ms Day.
In a statement reported by The Sun, Tottenham said the project would 'improve local access to nature and habitats, and provide new facilities for visitors, community groups, and sports clubs'.
Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with Crystal Palace to dramatically hijack Tottenham's move for Eberechi Eze in a deal worth around £60million - and it has now emerged that the player has been sold on joining the Gunners since a meeting with key club figures last month.
Spurs have been in negotiations with Palace over Eze for the past 10 days as they tried to agree a move worth £55million plus add-ons.
However, after Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury, the Gunners' need for another attacker saw them turn to Eze.
Arsenal had earmarked signing the 27-year-old England international earlier in the window and knew they were his preferred destination but, following their £63m outlay on Viktor Gyokeres, they had wanted to concentrate on outgoings before adding another left-sided attacker.
But with Havertz set to be absent for an extended period, after suffering his injury in Arsenal's win at Manchester United on Sunday, the Gunners acted to steal Eze from under the nose of their fierce rivals.
Sporting director Andrea Berta and manager Mikel Arteta met Eze last month, and he was sold on the idea of moving to the Gunners but an offer failed to materialise at that time.
Eze's release clause of £60m, plus £8m in bonuses, lapsed last week.
Daily Mail Sport understands Spurs agreed to Palace's demands on Wednesday and also agreed terms with Eze. At that stage, the player was keen to finalise the move.
However, Palace are understood to have insisted Eze remain available for their Conference League play-off first leg against Norwegian side Fredrikstad on Thursday night.
Arsenal then stepped in on Wednesday afternoon.
Tottenham moved for Eze after James Maddison was ruled out for the majority of the season with a serious knee injury.
Talks had been progressing but stalled as Palace scrambled for a suitable replacement, with Spurs even understood to have proposed offering forward Richarlison as part of the deal to help negotiations progress.
But with Eze now expected to choose Arsenal, Spurs' inability to close the deal will prompt further criticism from fans, after the club missed out on Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White this summer.
There is dismay at Tottenham at how things have unfolded, but a belief that there is little more that they could have done.
The club remain interested in Manchester City winger Savinho and Brentford's Yoane Wissa but both clubs are reluctant to sell. Eze has been training with Palace ahead of tonight's game, along with Liverpool target Marc Guehi.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, boss Oliver Glasner said: 'They will play a crucial part for as long as they're here.'
Arsenal look set to beat bitter rivals Tottenham to the signing of Eberechi Eze after making a stunning late move for the Crystal Palace star, according to a report.
Eze had seemingly been on the brink of joining Spurs, who considered offering Richarlison as part of the deal.
Daily Mail Sport revealed that Spurs are exploring a part-exchange involving Richarlison plus cash for Eze.
In a stunning development, Arsenal have now formally come to the table with a £60million offer and the 27-year-old has told the Gunners he wants to join them, according to The Athletic.
The publication reports Arsenal are willing to meet the conditions of a deal for Eze and could now snatch the highly-rated midfielder from under the noses of their fiercest of rivals.
Arsenal have returned to the market for a forward player after Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury.
And it now appears they are on the verge of pulling off one of the deals of the summer, just as it looked as though Eze was heading to the other half of north London.
Arsenal had retained an interest in Eze despite Spurs being in pole position to land one of the most in-demand Premier League players of this transfer window.
Spurs will pursue other targets should they lose out on Eze, with Yoane Wissa high on their list.
The Brentford star, however, has his heart set on a move to Newcastle, whose improved offer of £35m plus £5m in add-ons was rejected on Wednesday.
Eze, a boyhood Arsenal fan, started both the Community Shield win over Liverpool and the 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday despite uncertainty surrounding his Palace future.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner said on Wednesday Eze and Marc Guehi, who is wanted by Liverpool, would both play in their Conference League play-off first leg against Fredrikstad at Selhurst Park on Thursday.
'Many of you were surprised they started against Chelsea,' Glasner said.
'You may be surprised they will start tomorrow because of all the rumours.
'But they are committed to the team, they have a contract here and want to play a crucial part in our success.
'They will play a crucial part for as long as they are here. If they leave, they want to leave as the guys who gave 100 per cent to Crystal Palace.
'This is what they have done since they signed many years ago and this is what we expect from them until the end.'
Signing Eze would take Arsenal's summer spending beyond £200m, following the arrival of the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke.