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Dejan Kulusevski was once again the best player on the pitch for Tottenham, and the statistics behind his man-of-the-match display against Manchester City prove just how good he was on the night.

Kulusevski runs the show against City

The Swedish star continued his impressive run of form with another standout performance for Spurs in the 2-1 win over City in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Kulusevski showed clever movement, electric pace, and incredible vision to assist Timo Werner and get the game started early on.

He then laid the ball off perfectly for Pape Matar Sarr to rifle home Tottenham’s second goal against City.

Despite City’s best efforts to get back on level terms, Ange Postecoglou‘s men held firm and sealed the win, and Kulusevski has come out of the game smelling of roses once more after a high-energy, all-action display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Statistics behind Kulusevski’s performance

As per data from FotMob, Kulusevski was the best player on the pitch, picking up an overall rating of 8.5 out of 10 to make him the man of the match.

The 24-year-old was successful with 84% of his passes on the night, completing 16 of 19 attempts. He created four chances overall, and massively outperformed his combined xG and xA of 0.32.

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Kulusevski got one shot on target, but did also miss one big chance, too, albeit down to a great save from City keeper Stefan Ortega. He had 30 touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes, four of which were in the City box.

The winger completed six passes into the final third, and reached his target with his one cross in the game. He was unsuccessful with his one long-range pass, though.

Kulusevski is thriving

Clearly, Kulusevski is a confidence player, and you can tell the momentum he has got right now is absolutely feeding his performances on the pitch. He’s really taken his game to the next level this season, and long may it continue.

He may have seen his team bring Manchester City’s unbeaten run to an end with a win in the Carabao Cup fourth round, but Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou suggests his side still have a long way to go in terms of their growth and the project he is building.

City win doesn’t change anything

We are now 16 months into Ange Postecoglou‘s tenure as Tottenham boss, and though some results have been disappointing from time to time, it has to be said the team has made significant progress in the right direction overall.

Discussing that evolution and the progress his team has made (via Football.London), Postecoglou suggested the win against City is important, but does not change his approach to man management.

He said: “I continue to see growth in this group of players and this team. I want them to have these moments because I know how important it is to accelerate the growth of what we’re doing.

“But for me, personally, nothing really changes. It’s about trying to continually push this group to become the team we want to be.”

Postecoglou predicts more setbacks

Tottenham have struggled for consistency this season and last, but Ange Postecoglou admits this is part and parcel of the process the club is in right now, and that we should expect more negative moments to go with the good, too.

“I’m not going to go for big steps forward or big steps back. We’re the same team we were three days ago. We’re a side that’s growing, we’re developing,” he added. “I’ve seen progress, I’ll continue to see progress, but we’re going to have stumbles along the way. In the same way, we don’t lose our nerve after having a poor one on the weekend. Tonight doesn’t mean that we need to change our approach.”

Everyone stay calm

When we win and when we lose, I think it’s really important for the fanbase to just remain calm and composed and take each game as it comes. A win like the one against City is definitely worth celebrating, and it’s a really good signal of progress, but at the same time, we can’t then turn on the team when they slip up now and again.

We are not even two years into a substantial rebuild here, and we all need to remain patient. But, the whole process has been more positive than negative overall, for sure.

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the EFL Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Let’s take a look at our match report from that Tottenham Carabao Cup win.

Spurs raced to an early lead through Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr, before City managed to pull one back via Nunes just before halftime. Despite City’s dominant possession and attempts, Ange Postecoglou’s side held on to secure a memorable victory.

Carabao Cup Match Report: Tottenham 2-1 Man City

Tottenham started with intensity, establishing a two-goal advantage within the opening 30 minutes. Timo Werner opened his account for the season just five minutes into the match, seizing on a well-placed cross from Dejan Kulusevski to beat City keeper Ortega. This marked Werner’s first goal in all competitions since May 2024, showcasing a revived touch in front of goal that aided to his much-needed confidence.

Spurs doubled their lead in the 25th minute with a spectacular long-range effort from Pape Matar Sarr. Kulusevski, once again involved, played a short corner with Werner before setting up Sarr, who struck precisely from 30 yards to beat Ortega at the near post. By the half-hour mark, Kulusevski had already recorded two assists and four chances created, showing his influence on the game.

Despite City’s efforts, they only managed one shot on target out of seven attempts in the first half, entering the break 2-1 down.

Holding Firm in the Second Half

The second half saw Manchester City continue to press, but Tottenham’s defensive organisation and discipline kept them at bay. Kulusevski was a standout performer, creating opportunities for his teammates and contributing defensively. City enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, controlling over two-thirds of the ball, but their finishing let them down as they failed to convert chances.

Werner came close to extending Tottenham’s lead after a swift break, only to see his shot graze the woodwork.

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Bissouma played a crucial role late in the game, clearing a dangerous chance off the line to deny City’s O’Reilly. Despite City’s 1.42 xG compared to Spurs’ 0.88, it was the home side who managed to hold on for the win.

Quarter-Final Spot Secured

Ange Postecoglou’s side showed resilience and determination, keeping their quest for EFL Cup success alive and sealing City’s first loss since the FA Cup final against Manchester United in all competitions. Kulusevski’s creative play was crucial to the victory, silencing critics after a challenging game against Crystal Palace.

Tottenham now prepare to face Manchester United in the next round—a team that marked their last EFL Cup victory in 2008. More details on this exciting tie will follow.

Tottenham Hotspur made it through to the next round of the Carabao Cup with a win over Manchester City tonight, but at what cost? Ange Postecoglou has spoken after the game about injury concerns as Micky Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Timo Werner came off early.

Spurs scrape through against City

If the tie between Spurs and Man City was tough to call before the game, it was even more difficult to predict which way it would go as the game went on.

Tottenham took a surprise lead through a long-awaited Timo Werner goal, and then doubled their lead thanks to a wonder goal from Pape Matar Sarr after a well-worked corner.

Despite their first-half dominance, Spurs were pegged back by a Matheus Nunes goal just before the break. However, neither side could find another goal, and Tottenham progress to the next round.

The only problem is, throughout the game, we saw Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Timo Werner all leave the field with suspected injuries.

Postecoglou offers injury update on Micky Van de Ven

Speaking to the press after the game (via Football.London) Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was asked about any potential injury to his Tottenham players – Micky Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Timo Werner.

He said: “Micky felt something in his hamstring. I haven’t got the full update on him but he definitely felt something and we’ll see how he is.

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“Cuti was a bit tired. I contemplated changing him at half-time but after losing Micky as well I didn’t want to lose another centre-half. He said he felt ok but my gut was telling me there’s no point taking a risk as we had Ben Davies who could come on.

“Timo hasn’t played a lot so I felt it was more fatigue hopefully than anything else.”

Romero and Micky Van de Ven are so important to Tottenham

We have everything crossed that Micky van de Ven is not seriously injured, as he is absolutely crucial to our style of play. Romero didn’t particularly seem to be injured, but it was an odd time to replace him if not. Hopefully, none of these issues are lasting, and we can maintain a fairly small injury list moving into the weekend. Micky Van de Ven and Romero being unavailable would be a disaster for Tottenham, injury or no injury.

Tottenham Hotspur continue their fine form at home against Man City with a 2-1 victory in the Carabao Cup. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the match:

Tottenham 2-1 Man City: Into the Carabao Cup pot

Did someone say Carabao Cup quarter-finals? The first quarters with eight Premier League teams in more than a decade too, so no easy draws. Of course, there is still a long way to go before you can talk about winning the thing, but this was a hugely important night for Spurs in terms of morale alone. You can watch the quarter-final draw live HERE. A Tottenham win over Man City is always stressful though, Carabao Cup or not!

Guts, tenacity, and running through brick walls

It would be wrong to say that tonight was a vintage Ange-ball performance. Sure, the first 20 minutes included some really nice sweeping attacking moves, but it was a rather messy game all-in-all. What Tottenham did really well – which they have often been missing this season – is they dug in and showed real tenacity off the ball. It is always so easy to implode against Manchester City, especially with so many changes to the starting XI and during the match itself. Every single Tottenham player ran through brick walls for the result tonight, and we need to see so much more of that.

Timo Werner… scores a goal!

Timo Werner so often does everything right, up until the finish. This evening, he finally managed to curl one past the keeper and give the timing of his run the ending it deserved. Yes, he did go on to miss another big chance which would have put the game to bed, but he was a big reason behind why Tottenham made it through to the quarters. He deserves a lot of credit this evening.

Rodrigo Bentancur Man of the Match

It may go largely unsung, but I thought Rodrigo Bentancur had a superb game this evening. Not only did he keep Spurs ticking over in the middle of the park, but he also found some lovely little passes between the lines to set the likes of Kulusevski, Werner, Johnson and Solanke away. Not content with just being an asset on the ball, some of his tracking back was also phenomenal tonight. Time after time he came in with crucial interceptions and tackles to prevent dangerous Man City attacks. That battle between the Uruguayan and Bissouma for the first-choice pivot role is getting very interesting.

Micky Van de Ven injury again

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.

Things do not get any easier for Tottenham following their defeat at Selhurst Park, with some extremely challenging fixtures on the horizon for Ange Postecoglou’s men.

Spurs have to pick themselves up after harrowing loss

The defeat at Selhurst Park came as a huge blow for Postecoglou’s side just as they were looking to build some momentum and move up the table.

The performance raises some serious doubts about the Lilywhites’ consistency and about their ability to grind out results away from home.

The issue for Spurs is that they may not find it easy to bounce back from this defeat as some tough fixtures await them over the next few weeks.

Tottenham next five fixtures

Spurs now have to pick themselves up for a big Carbao Cup round of 16 clash, with Manchester City visiting the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday.

Following that game, the Lilywhites have a huge six-pointer in the race for the top four, with Aston Villa next to visit North London.

Postecoglou’s men then face a tough away game against Galatasaray in the Europa League before hosting Ipswich Town in the Premier League and making the trip up to the Etihad to take on the champions.

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Tottenham fixtures

October 30 vs Manchester City (H) at 8.15pm – Carabao Cup

November 3 vs Aston Villa (H) at 2pm – Premier League

November 7 vs Galatasaray (A) at 5.45pm – Europa League

November 10 vs Ipswich Town (H) at 2pm – Premier League

November 23 vs Manchester City (A) at 5.30pm – Premier League

How this compares to some of their rivals

The one saving grace for Tottenham is the fact that many of their rivals also have a tough run of fixtures coming up in November.

That potentially could mean that Spurs may not find themselves a long way adrift of the top four places even if they do not pick up wins over the coming weeks.

Chelsea’s next five fixtures:

October 30 vs Newcastle (A) at 7.45pm – Carabao Cup

November 3 vs Manchester United (A) at 4.30pm – Premier League

November 7 vs Noah (H) at 8pm – Conference League

November 10 vs Arsenal (H) at 4.30pm – Premier League

November 23 vs Leicester City (A) at 12.30pm – Premier League

Aston Villa’s next five fixtures:

October 30 vs Crystal Palace (H) at 7.45pm – Carabao Cup

November 3 vs Tottenham (A) at 2pm – Premier League

November 6 vs Club Brugge (A) at 5.45pm – Champions League

November 9 vs Liverpool (A) at 8pm – Premier League

November 23 vs Crystal Palace (H) at 3pm – Premier League

Manchester United’s next five fixtures:

October 30 vs Leicester City (H) at 7.45pm – Carabao Cup

November 3 vs Chelsea (H) at 4.30pm – Premier League

November 7 vs PAOK (H) at 8pm – Europa League

November 10 vs Leicester City (H) at 2pm – Premier League

November 24 vs Ipswich Town (A) at 4.30pm – Premier League

Antonio Conte is personally getting involved to ensure that Napoli beat Tottenham Hotspur to the signature of an emerging Serie A star.

Tottenham big fans of Serie A wing-back

Spurs are reportedly keen on adding a left-back to their squad in January, and one player who has caught their attention is Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu, who has dazzled in the Italian top-flight since last season.

Multiple outlets have reported over recent weeks that Spurs and Chelsea have both scouted the Denmark international and are considering making offers for the youngster in January (FiorentinaNews).

However, it now turns out that Conte is determined to ensure that he beats both of his former clubs to the signing of the 20-year-old.

Antonio Conte meets with Patrick Dorgu

This information has been carried by Fabrizio Romano, who reveals that both Tottenham and Chelsea failed with approaches for Dorgu in the summer.

He confirms that both London clubs are still on the left-back’s trail, but they are now having to contend with competition from Serie A leaders Napoli.

In fact, Conte has allegedly chatted with the young wide-man personally, likely in an effort to convince him to move to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

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How much will Dorgu cost?

It was reported by The Mirror last week that having tied Dorgu down to a new contract recently, Lecce will demand a big fee for the teenager.

The report suggested that it might need an offer of over £30m to prise the defender away from the Italian club during the winter transfer window.

The publication added that even though Spurs were at the front of the queue, Chelsea might have an advantage as the Dane grew up supporting the West London side.

Tottenham Hotspur may make a shock move for a young Arsenal player who is impressing on loan in Spain at the moment.

Spurs look to raid North London rivals

Not many players in history have made a direct move from Arsenal to Spurs or vice versa, but it looks like the Lilywhites have their eyes on pulling off an unlikely transfer.

Tottenham are thought to be on the lookout for a goalkeeper, and according to Fichajes, one player who has caught their eye is Gunners shot-stopper Karl Hein, who is impressing on loan at Real Valladolid this season.

In fact, the report describes Spurs’ interest in the 22-year-old shot-stopper as an ‘obsession’.

Spurs set for transfer battle

According to Fichajes, it is not just Tottenham who are keen on Hein but also their London rivals, Chelsea, with both clubs viewing the goalkeeper as a potential long-term option between the sticks.

The youngster’s reflexes and agility, along with his composure on the ball under pressure have impressed the scouts of both the Blues and Spurs.

Hein is said to fit the profile of goalkeeper that Ange Postecoglou’s men are after as they look to sign a successor to Fraser Forster, whose contract with the club runs out next summer.

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Arsenal’s stance explained

It is explained that Arsenal are aware that the Estonia international is attracting interest from their London rivals, and they have a big decision to make regarding the player.

Mikel Arteta’s men are expected to make a call on whether to cash in on Hein or potentially keep him on as an understudy to David Raya.

The publication adds that an offer of around €15m-€20m (£12.5m-£16.6m) may convince the Gunners to part ways with the goalkeeper.

Ange Postecoglou does not doubt that Manchester City will have a strong team out on the park this evening, no matter who Pep Guardiola decides to play.

Pep Guardiola has hinted at rotation

Man City travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening for the Carabao Cup round of 16 clash, with the winner of the clash being just two games away from a big Wembley final.

The game is undoubtedly the tie of the round but based on the comments from the two managers, we might see both sides name a weakened side.

Guardiola made it clear ahead of the clash that he will not risk any of the players who are not 100 per cent fit and added that some academy players will be handed a chance (The Standard).

Ange Postecoglou is not under any illusions

However, Postecoglou has no doubts that irrespective of who starts for the Premier League champions, they will be an extremely hard side to beat.

He pointed out that Guardiola has a formidable record in the Carabao Cup despite rotating his squad.

When asked about City potentially playing kids in today’s game, the Tottenham boss told Football.London: “I don’t know but if you look at Pep in this comp he has always pretty heavily rotated, and they won in four in a row didn’t they?

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“He’s not playing his kids. No disrespect to Pep’s kids. These are good players. They’re at City. They have a pretty good programme. Pedro [Porro] was part of that so… if you’re part of the City infrastructure you’re a good player.

“We’re expecting a tough game. But irrespective of who they put out we want to win. We want to stay in this competition and put in a strong performance.”

Postecoglou making himself an easy target for criticism

Postecoglou himself has made it clear that he will rotate his troops, much like he has done for all the midweek games so far this season.

That might not go down well with a lot of Tottenham fans, who see this clash as potentially being bigger than the upcoming Premier League game against Aston Villa.

If the Australian does name a weakened side, he would be making himself a target for intense criticism if his side were to be knocked out this evening.