Sports Mole

Bidding to arrest a two-game run without a home victory, Tottenham Hotspur host London rivals Fulham in Sunday's Premier League derby.

Ange Postecoglou's team succumbed to a late leveller in a 2-2 Europa League draw with Roma on Thursday, while their visitors were slain 4-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the top flight.

Match preview

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When stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster pulled off a last-minute wonder save in Thursday's showdown with Roma, the destiny of the Europa League points had seemingly been decided, with Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson's efforts edging Spurs ahead in a frenetic battle.

However, having been denied twice by the offside flag in the second half, Claudio Ranieri's team finally nabbed the leveller that their relentless pressure deserved, as veteran defender Mats Hummels crashed home at the back stick to conclude a chaotic North London night.

The 2-2 stalemate with Roma marked the second Tottenham game in a row where the net bulged four times, but all four of those efforts astonishingly went the Lilywhites' way at the Etihad last weekend, where Spurs slaughtered a capitulating Manchester City side to rise to sixth place in the Premier League standings.

Only three points separates Postecoglou's outfit from Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal and Chelsea before gameweek 12 gets underway, but the crushing of City represents the hosts' only triumph from their last four matches in all tournaments, a sequence that also includes consecutive defeats to Galatasaray and Ipswich Town.

Tottenham have at least found the back of the net in eight straight home games across all tournaments since September's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, one of seven losses that Postecoglou has overseen from 16 Premier League London derbies since taking the reins in 2023.

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Of all managers to have taken charge of at least 10 matches for Tottenham's men's team, Postecoglou is statistically the second-worst when it comes to Premier League London derbies - his 44% loss rate is only marginally better than Glenn Hoddle's 48% in capital clashes.

However, Spurs are hosting a Fulham side reeling from a Craven Cottage catastrophe at home to relegation-threatened Wolves, who fell behind to an early Alex Iwobi effort before going on the West London warpath through Matheus Cunha (2), Goncalo Guedes and Joao Gomes.

Having seen their three-game unbeaten run come to an end in truly disheartening circumstances, Fulham have fallen one point and three places below Tottenham in ninth spot, although Marco Silva's troops remain firmly in continental contention with nearly a third of the season complete.

The only pleasing aspect of last weekend's shellacking for Fulham was that Iwobi's strike made it 13 games in all competitions with at least one goal for the Cottagers, who have not been shut out by any team since losing to Manchester United in the opening Premier League contest of the season.

The Cottagers have also avoided defeat in each of their last seven Premier League London derbies and could go unbeaten in eight for the first time ever, most recently decimating Spurs 3-0 at Craven Cottage in March, but their last league success on Tottenham's turf arrived all the way back in March 2013.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Fulham Premier League form:

Team News

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Postecoglou delivered both good and bad news on toe victim Cristian Romero on Friday, confirming that the Argentine was on the cusp of coming back from his problem but is unlikely to be available for selection on Sunday.

The Argentine should therefore be one of seven absentees for Spurs alongside Mikey Moore (illness), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Richarlison (hamstring), Wilson Odobert (hamstring) and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur, serving the second of his seven-game domestic punishment.

Bentancur completed 78 minutes of the Roma draw in midweek but should now relinquish his place in the engine room to Yves Bissouma, while Johnson's spot in the side is set to come under threat by the returning James Maddison.

As far as Fulham are concerned, they will be without one of their own midfield fulcrums until the New Year, as Harrison Reed underwent knee surgery just over a week ago and is expected to remain sidelined until early January.

Silva has also confirmed that Joachim Andersen will be out for "some games" with a calf strain, while Jorge Cuenca is missing too, but Sander Berge is seemingly OK

Issa Diop will deputise for Andersen in the heart of defence here, while Bernd Leno, Reiss Nelson, Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe can all expect hostile welcomes thanks to their Arsenal connections.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son

Fulham possible starting lineup:

Leno; Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Fulham

Spurs arguably could have had few qualms had Roma returned to Italy with all three points on Thursday, as Postecoglou's depleted backline conceded numerous opportunities to Ranieri's side and should be breached at least once by a goal-happy Fulham.

Attack should therefore be the best form of defence for the Lilywhites on Sunday, and while it may not be pretty, we still back the hosts to capitalise on their visitors' recent rearguard vulnerabilities to emerge triumphant and end Fulham's unbeaten derby run.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Roma's Mats Hummels made up for conceding an early penalty by scoring the late equaliser in a 2-2 draw away to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League this evening.

An early penalty from Son Heung-min and a fine finish from Brennan Johnson either side of Evan Ndicka's equaliser saw Ange Postecoglou's side lead 2-1 at the interval, with Hummels not covering himself in glory for the two Spurs goals, and after many second half chances, it took until injury time for the game's next goal.

After passing up many chances throughout the 90 minutes, Roma eventually took control late on, and their pressure finally told, when Angelino's powerful low cross was diverted in from close range by the veteran German defender.

The Giallorossi once against showed promising signs under returning manager Claudio Ranieri, who was handed another tough test tonight after facing Serie A leaders Napoli at the weekend.

Spurs were guilty of wasting numerous chances throughout though, including a five-on-two counter attack which resulted in Johnson blazing over hopelessly from inside the area with the scoreline at 2-1.

Stephan El Shaarawy saw his excellent volley ruled out for offside just minutes after Ndicka's equaliser, before Manu Kone and Artem Dovbyk both had the ball in the Spurs net twice in the space of 60 seconds shortly after half time, but the Ukrainian strayed offside on both occasions.

Both sides struck the woodwork more than once in the second half, in a game that maintained a high attacking tempo throughout, after a breathless first half which also saw plenty of chances.

On face value, a draw appears a fair result, but that sees Spurs fall outside of the top eight for the first time this season, failing to capitalise on leaders Lazio's draw with Ludogorets earlier today.

TOTTENHAM VS. ROMA HIGHLIGHTS

Son penalty vs. Roma (5th min, Tottenham 1-0 Roma)

Hummels dives in recklessly on Pape Matar Sarr with a penalty eventually awarded by VAR and Son steps up to give Spurs an early lead from the spot, sending Mile Svilar the wrong way.

Ndicka goal vs. Tottenham (20th min, Tottenham 1-1 Roma)

Following some positive signs, Roma now have a well-deserved equaliser! Dybala's wonderful delivery from a wide set piece is flicked on inadvertently by the shoulder of Ndicka and in off the bar, and the Giallorossi are level in North London.

Johnson goal vs. Roma (34th min, Tottenham 2-1 Roma)

Hummels is one again at fault, affording too much time and space to Kulusevski on the left, and the Swede is able to cross for Johnson, whose sweeping finish beats Svilar low to his right-hand post.

Hummels goal vs. Roma (90th min, Tottenham 2-2 Roma)

After penning Spurs in their own half for what has seemed like an eternity, Roma have equalised again! The hosts fail to clear from a corner, and Alexis Saelemaekers finds left-back Angelino, who fizzes a dangerous ball across the area, allowing Hummels to tap in from close range to make amends for his first-half errors.

MAN OF THE MATCH - DEJAN KULUSEVSKI

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In an excellent night for attacking players on both sides, Roma's Dybala was superb but was sadly forced off at half time, meaning Kulusevski was the standout individual, creating the second goal and being a constant nuisance to the Roma backline, with effective forward passing and direct dribbling that left more than a few players tied up in knots.

TOTTENHAM VS. ROMA MATCH STATS

Possession: Tottenham 50% - 50% Roma

Shots: Tottenham 24 - 18 Roma

Shots on target: Tottenham 9 - 7 Roma

Corners: Tottenham 7 - 6 Roma

Fouls: Tottenham 9 - 9 Roma

WHAT NEXT?

Spurs welcome Fulham to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in all-London affair, while Ranieri's baptism of fire continues, when they face high-flying Atalanta the following day in Serie A.

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Tottenham Hotspur return to action for the first time since their 4-0 demolition of Manchester City when they welcome Roma to North London on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Ange Postecoglou's side will look to recover from dropping their first points in the league phase away to Galatasaray last time out, while this will be Claudio Ranieri's first European game in charge since rejoining the club as manager for the third time earlier this month.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs. ROMA

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mikey Moore (illness), Will Lankshear (suspended), Richarlison (hamstring), Wilson Odobert (hamstring)

Doubtful: Cristian Romero (foot)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner

ROMA

Out: Eldor Shomurodov (muscle)

Doubtful: Mario Hermoso (muscle), Alexis Saelemaekers (ankle)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Hummels, Angelino; Soule, Baldanzi, Cristante, Zalewski; Dybala, Dovbyk

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here. body check tags ::

Paulo Dybala could return to the Roma starting lineup when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League in North London on Thursday night.

The elegant attacker played just three minutes off the bench in the 1-0 defeat to Napoli at the weekend, after missing the previous outing against Bologna, and the international break with Argentina.

When on the field, Dybala has been magical for the Giallorossi, contributing to 53 goals in just over two years at the club, but he is not on it enough, starting just seven of Roma's 17 games so far this season.

Dybala also has history with Spurs, as he was the man who scored the winning goal at Wembley when Juventus knocked them out of the Champions League in 2018 - the only previous time they have lost at home to an Italian club in UEFA competition.

The Argentine is one of a number of players who could start behind Artem Dovbyk in attack, with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Matias Soule also in contention to start.

New manager Claudio Ranieri only made one change for his first game in charge, replacing Soule with Pellegrini, but there were big changes tactically, as he has reverted to a 4-4-2 system, binning Juric's 3-4-3 approach.

Nicola Zalewski, Tommaso Baldanzi and Enzo Le Fee have all seen their game time greatly reduced recently, so will hope that the new manager will give them an opportunity to prove themselves here.

Mats Hummels is another player who could return to the fold, because he was not seen for a month after scoring an own goal and conceding five against Fiorentina, but looked much more competent as a second-half substitute against Napoli on Sunday.

Mario Hermoso could also return in defence soon, with Alexis Saelemaekers making good progress in his recovery from an ankle injury too, but Eldor Shomurodov will not be available until next month.

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Hummels, Angelino; Soule, Baldanzi, Cristante, Zalewski; Dybala, Dovbyk

Ange Postecoglou may be forced into starting some of his big-hitters in attack when Tottenham Hotspur face Roma in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Spurs manager has used the cup competitions to hand opportunities to the likes of Wilson Odobert, Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear in attack, but all three will be absent when the Giallorossi travel to North London.

Odobert remains out with a hamstring injury; a nasty virus will leave Moore out of contention, and Lankshear is serving a one-match suspension following his red card in the 3-2 loss to Galatasaray earlier this month.

Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min both started in Istanbul, and may be forced to do so again, with Richarlison also sidelined until the new year.

Dominic Solanke scored off the bench against Gala, and would ideally be allowed a rest in midweek, and the return of Timo Werner could give Postecoglou that option, but Son may also be the one given the night off.

While Spurs' backup options in attack are absent, it is their first-choice players who are missing at the back heading into this one, following the news that Guglielmo Vicario will be out for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery on a broken ankle.

That means Fraser Forster should start in Europe again, but will also be required to face Fulham at the weekend, behind Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies, who have replaced Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

Romero is in contention to return from a toe injury at the weekend, but remains doubtful, while Van de Ven is not expected to be available until mid-December at the earliest.

Rodrigo Bentancur should start as this is a rare opportunity for him to get some game time while he serves a seven-game domestic ban, and the two midfield positions either side of him are up for grabs.

Lucas Bergvall should also get another run out in the team, while any one of Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison could also feature.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner

Click here to see how Roma could line up for this Europa League clash.

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Fresh off the back of their astonishing 4-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend, Tottenham Hotspur welcome a Roma side in disarray to North London in the Europa League on Thursday.

This will mark a return to the British Isles for new Roma boss Claudio Ranieri, whose stint in charge of Leicester City saw them pip Spurs to the title in 2016.

Match preview

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It is almost certain that no team will record a more remarkable scoreline across Europe this season than Spurs' 4-0 thrashing over Man City on Saturday - Pep Guardiola's worst home defeat of his managerial career.

Ange Postecoglou's side are now comfortably the top scorers in the Premier League, and only Liverpool and Man City have conceded fewer, but with just three clean sheets in the league, that suggests why they have dropped so many points.

Spurs are still down in sixth, three points off the top four, with too many disappointing recent results restricting them from moving further up the standings.

The international break came at the perfect time, because Spurs' two performances prior to it were woeful, handing Ipswich Town their first Premier League win in over 20 years, and being very lucky to leave Istanbul with a 3-2 loss against a Galatasaray side that could have scored seven or eight.

That result ended their 100% record in Europe, and saw them drop to seventh, but they will fancy their chances of moving back up the standings here, considering they have won seven in a row at home in the Europa League without conceding - scoring 19.

This will be their first ever meeting with Roma, and the home side will hope that they can continue their fine record at home to Italian clubs, because Spurs have only lost once in 10 previous meetings.

The Europa League has not provided many fruitful results against clubs from Italy for Spurs though, winning just two of their eight, and Roma will hope they can extend that underwhelming run, while also arresting a woeful stretch of results of their own.

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Now on their third permanent manager of the season already, the Romanisti have witnessed a dismal start to the campaign across both competitions domestically and on the continent.

Daniele De Rossi was dismissed within four games, and Ivan Juric lasted just 12, reminiscent of his spell at Genoa in 2018 when he won none of his eight games in charge and was sacked after two months.

At 73, Ranieri has been persuaded to come out of retirement to take over at a club where he is loved by the supporters, so owners the Friedkin Group must be wary of upsetting the supporters again with the new manager like they did when they sacked De Rossi.

Ranieri was unable to end their recent losing run, as a 1-0 defeat at league leaders Napoli saw that streak extended to three matches, dropping to 12th, just three points from trouble.

A 1-1 draw with Union SG on matchday four keeps them down in 20th in the UEL standings, with their only win so far coming by a solitary goal against Dynamo Kyiv, a club without a goal or a point as of yet in the Europa League.

Roma's matches only get tougher too, so they are slightly up against it to ensure they remain in the top 24, considering they will face Spurs and AZ Alkmaar away, and Braga and Eintracht Frankfurt at home.

Tottenham Hotspur Europa League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Roma Europa League form:

Roma form (all competitions):

Team News

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Postecoglou's defensive options were decimated even further in the week, when it was revealed Guglielmo Vicario had undergone surgery on a broken ankle, sidelining him for the foreseeable future.

Spurs are already without their two first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, so Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies are set to start again after impressing against Man City.

Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore have been handed opportunities in Europe so far, but neither will feature, with Lankshear suspended following his red card against Galatasaray and Moore currently wiped out with a virus.

Rodrigo Bentancur will almost certainly start to ensure he maintains his match fitness, as his seven-game ban is only for domestic fixtures.

After playing 3-4-3 under Juric, Ranieri opted to revert to a more old-fashioned 4-4-2 in the Napoli defeat, despite making very few changes to the personnel.

Lorenzo Pellegrini returned from injury to replace Matias Soule in the only change from Juric's final game, while Paulo Dybala was only fit enough for the bench.

Mario Hermoso and Alexis Saelemaekers are both closing in on a return to the first team, but Uzbek international Eldor Shomurodov is a confirmed absentee with a muscle problem.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Hummels, Angelino; Soule, Baldanzi, Cristante, Zalewski; Dybala, Dovbyk

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Roma

Roma are in dire straits, and have a woeful record in England, winning just one of their 23 games in the country, and none of the last 15 since winning at Liverpool in 2001, and current form offers very little to suggest they could end that here.

Even Spurs' remarkable inconsistency is unlikely to have much of a bearing on this outcome, considering the hosts have been largely impressive in Europe, and they should make it four wins from five on the continent.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon is allegedly hoping to agree to the mutual termination of his contract.

Back in 2020, Spurs pulled off somewhat of a coup to secure a £27.5m deal for the then-Real Madrid left-back.

Reguilon would subsequently go on to make 67 appearances in all competitions across his opening two seasons with the North Londoners.

However, since the start of 2022-23, the Spain international has not been used by Spurs, instead left to take on loan spells elsewhere.

A total of 40 outings were made for Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford across the following two campaigns, but Reguilon's career has now been brought to a halt.

Reguilon pushing for early Spurs exit?

Reguilon failed to secure yet another move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the summer transfer window, despite being made available.

Despite having a player who was named in the Europa League Squad of the Season for 2019-20 at his disposal, Ange Postecoglou has not selected Reguilon in any of his squads aside from in the EFL Cup.

According to The Sunday Mirror, Reguilon is now ready to formally request his exit from Spurs ahead of the January window.

The report suggests that the ex-Sevilla man is prepared to end his £120,000-per-week contract six months early in order to secure a move elsewhere.

While there is no indication over what stance Spurs will take, there would realistically be a willingness to make what would effectively be a £3m saving during the second half of the campaign.

Who is ahead of him?

Although Reguilon still holds the number three shirt at Spurs, Postecoglou would plausibly consider four alternatives ahead of him.

Destiny Udogie is the standout first choice, while Ben Davies is able to provide backup when he is not covering the injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in the centre.

Tottenham Hotspur return to action on Thursday evening when they play host to Roma in the Europa League.

Ange Postecoglou's side head into this contest on the back of one of their most memorable victories in recent years, a 4-0 demolition of Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

However, there is work to do in this competition with the defeat to Galatasaray on matchday four leaving Spurs down in seventh place in the Europa League table, just three points separating them to 18th position.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Tottenham's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their showdown with Roma, who have just appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new manager.

Cristian Romero

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Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Ankle

Possible return date: November 28 (vs. Roma)

Postecoglou suggested last week that he was hopeful that Romero would be able to return against Roma or Fulham. As such, his participation in this game could be dependent on whether Postecoglou wishes to take any risks on his fitness.

Richarlison

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Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: December 5 (vs. Bournemouth)

Richarlison will once again be unavailable for selection for this fixture due to a hamstring problem, with the Brazil international not expected to be back for Spurs until the early stages of December.

Micky van de Ven

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Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: Unknown

Van de Ven is currently suffering with a hamstring injury, one which Postecoglou has suggested will still take "a couple of weeks" to recover from.

Wilson Odobert

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Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: Unknown

Odobert had just battled back from one hamstring problem before picking up another one, and it was recently confirmed that he has undergone an operation, with the attacker facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Mikey Moore

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Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Illness

Possible return date: November 28 (vs. Roma)

Postecoglou revealed before the Man City game that Moore would be absent through illness and they would not rush the youngster back from a virus. At best, the prospect will feature on the substitutes' bench for this fixture.

TOTTENHAM'S SUSPENSION LIST

Will Lankshear

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Status: Out

Possible return date: December 12 (vs. Rangers)

Lankshear experienced the best and worst moments of his early career against Galatasaray, scoring the equaliser versus the Turkish giants before being sent off in the second half. Therefore, the youngster will sit out this contest.

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly stepping up their attempts to sign Lille attacker Angel Gomes, with the North London club potentially getting a deal done during the January transfer window.

Gomes's contract with Lille is due to expire next summer, and there is currently a host of speculation surrounding his future, with a number of clubs said to be interested in the England international.

Manchester United are believed to be firmly in the running for Gomes, who represented the Red Devils between 2006 and 2020 before leaving for Lille, with the attacker finding it difficult to make the breakthrough into the first team.

However, according to GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham are determined to land the 24-year-old, with Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou hopeful that a deal could be agreed in January.

The report claims that Newcastle United are also in the mix, but Man United and Tottenham are viewed as the two favourites for the playmaker, who played five times in the Premier League during his time at Old Trafford.

Tottenham 'desperate to beat Man United' to Gomes

As it stands, foreign clubs would be able to approach Gomes in January to discuss a pre-contract, but a fee would have to be agreed with Lille in order for the Englishman to move during the winter window.

Gomes is thought to be keen to make the move back to England, as he believes that it would seriously boost his hopes of being involved in the Three Lions squads moving forward under Thomas Tuchel.

Spurs would allegedly be willing to make Gomes one of their best-paid players in order to win the race for his signature, with the Englishman in a strong position to negotiate a high salary from a potential new club.

Gomes has made 129 appearances for Lille in all competitions, scoring nine goals and registering 19 assists in the process, including one goal and one assist in 15 outings during the 2024-25 campaign.

Who will win the race for Gomes?

The attacker may believe that he has unfinished business at Man United, so it would not be a surprise to see the Englishman hold out for a return to Old Trafford, especially to play under exciting new head coach Ruben Amorim.

Gomes is from London, though, and the chance to return to the capital will surely be appealing, while he may also find it easier to earn regular starts at Tottenham than Man United, which will be another factor in his decision.

Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City have lost their fifth consecutive game in all competitions after suffering a chastening 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.

Despite losing each of their last four matches prior to the international break, the Citizens entered this contest in buoyant mood following the announcement of Pep Guardiola's new two-year contract extension on Thursday.

However, it was Spurs who made the brighter start and were by no means affected by the drizzly Manchester weather, as they put themselves two goals to the good inside the opening 20 minutes, courtesy of two delicate finishes from birthday boy James Maddison.

Tottenham rightly had their tails up and pushed for a third against a vulnerable Man City side, who conceded chances in clusters and failed to convert any of their own at the other end - Erling Haaland was denied on two occasions by Guglielmo Vicario.

Man City were trailing by two goals at half time in a league match for the first time since their 4-2 comeback win against none other than Spurs in January 2023, and they were tasked with replicating a similar comeback to preserve their club-record 52-game unbeaten home run lasting over two years.

However, Spurs burst out of the blocks after the interval and scored a third in the 52nd minute when Dominic Solanke teed up Pedro Porro - once on the books at Man City - to fire a first-time strike into the far corner following a free-flowing counter-attack.

Tottenham rubbed salt into Man City's wounds when they added a fourth in stoppage time, with Timo Werner bursting down the left and fizzing a low cross to the back post for fellow substitute Brennan Johnson to slide the ball home.

Although Ange Postecoglou's side never once considered parking the bus and continued to play with a high line, Spurs made themselves difficult to break down throughout the second half and Man City lacked a cutting edge in the final third, while Vicario was in fine form between the sticks and made three superb saves to deny Ilkay Gundogan and Haaland - the latter also clipped the top of the crossbar on the hour mark.

Defeat for City not only represents their third in a row in the Premier League, it means they have set a new unwanted record and it also comes as a huge blow in their quest to retain the title, as they remain five points behind leaders Liverpool, who can move eight points clear with a win over basement club Southampton on Sunday.

As for Spurs, they have returned to winning ways after losing their previous two matches and have climbed to sixth in the table, three points behind Chelsea in third and four behind Man City in second.

MAN CITY VS. TOTTENHAM HIGHLIGHTS

James Maddison goal vs. Man City (13th min, Man City 0-1 Tottenham)

Just a few minutes after Vicario made a superb reaction save with his right boot to deny Haaland at his near post, James Maddison burst up the other end and met a delightful cross from Dejan Kulusevski, cushioning a volley from just a few yards out beyond Ederson.

James Maddison goal vs. Man City (20th min, Man City 0-2 Tottenham)

Maddison added to his tally and put Spurs two goals ahead inside the opening 20 minutes with a delicate chip over Ederson from close range, after receiving an incisive cutback pass from Son Heung-min inside the area, following a intricate passing sequence from the visitors.

Pedro Porro goal vs. Man City (52nd min, Man City 0-3 Tottenham)

Tottenham continued to punish Man City on the transition and a free-flowing counter-attack resulted in Pedro Porro firing a first-time strike from inside the area into the far corner, after receiving a cutback from Dominic Solanke.

Brennan Johnson goal vs. Man City (90 + 3 min, Man City 0-4 Tottenham)

Spurs rounded off a memorable victory at the Etihad with a fourth goal in second-half stoppage time thanks to two substitutes combining. Werner burst down the left flank and fizzed a low delivery towards the back post for Johnson to slide the ball home from just a yard out.

MAN OF THE MATCH - DEJAN KULUSEVSKI

James Maddison understandably deserves a special mention for his first-half brace and impressive display, as does Vicario who made a number of important saves, but Dejan Kulusevski was Tottenham's standout performer and ran the show on the right while also drifting into midfield.

The silky Swede produced a delightful assist for Maddison's opener, while he also completed 100% of his dribbles (4/4), produced three key passes and won five ground duels during a majestic performance.

MAN CITY VS. TOTTENHAM MATCH STATS

Possession: Man City 59%-41% Tottenham

Shots: Man City 23-9 Tottenham

Shots on target: Man City 5-7 Tottenham

Corners: Man City 9-3 Tottenham

Fouls: Man City 19-9 Tottenham

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

Man City will now turn their attention to the Champions League as they will face Dutch outfit Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium next Tuesday.