Tottenham Hotspur down Man City – could they win the title?

Tottenham Hotspur were on a high yesterday after beating English Premier League title rivals Manchester City on their own patch. Goals from Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen made sure of a famous 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

Before the match, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino had asked his players to fight “like lions.” They duly delivered on match day, beating the champions of 2014, and now making it 5 wins in a row for the season.

In City’s second home defeat in a row, Tottenham looked the better side, with firm control of the midfield, better pace and penetrating runs from left-back Danny Rose. Harry Kane put away a controversial penalty on 52 minutes, with Eriksen’s winner coming on 83 minutes.

The often brilliant Yaya Toure had a free kick strike the bar but City’s sole consolation came from Nigerian 19-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho’s 75th minute strike. 

In the aftermath of this Valentine’s Day display, pundits now talk of Spurs as the real deal.  Asked if Tottenham could be considered title contenders on Sunday, Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool great Graeme Souness said, “I think they are.” Souness had high praise for Spurs’ spirit and reckons – injuries aside – they could overcome the challenge from Arsenal and Leicester. 

This season’s Premier League has been anything but predictable. Leicester City – only promoted to the top table in 2013 – sit top, with Spurs now only two points behind. Arsenal join them on 51 points, with Man City sitting fourth in the table, four points behind top spot.

Meanwhile, the heartache continues for the great Manchester United. Boss Louis Van Gaal seems under severe pressure after the recent loss to Sunderland, with some papers talking of a reappearance of Jose Mourinho in his place.

Such a dominant force for the last 10 years, United have endured crisis after crisis ever since the departure of all-time great manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Previous manager David Moyes was sacked after 10 months in charge.