LONDON — Tottenham and Manchester City collide in north London on Tuesday with a very strange situation swirling around Spurs’ penultimate game of the season.
WATCH TOTTENHAM v MANCHESTER CITY LIVE
If Spurs win they will hand their bitter rivals Arsenal the advantage in the Premier League title race heading into the final day of the season. Ange Postecoglou has said he and his players are focused on winning the game to boost their own European hopes (their 2-1 win at home against Burnley this weekend kept their top four hopes alive) and isn’t focused on the fact that most of Spurs’ fans want their side to lose this game so that Manchester City have a better chance of pipping Arsenal to the title.
Manchester City brushed aside Fulham 4-0 at the weekend and if they win their final two games at Tottenham and at home against West Ham on the final day, they know they will be top-flight champions for a record fourth-straight season. But one slip up and Guardiola knows Arsenal are ready to pounce.
How to watch Tottenham vs Manchester City live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET, Tuesday (May 14)
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Watch live online via NBC.com
Tottenham vs Manchester City score: 0-1
Haaland 52′
Tottenham vs Manchester City live updates! – By Joe Prince-Wright at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Erling Haaland taps home and City lead! – Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City (52nd minute)
There it is. De Bruyne crosses and Haaland is on hand to tap home. Man City’s fans in the away end go wild. Some fans in the home end celebrate. This is weird.
Big chance for Son at the near post
Johnson crosses and Son tries to flick home at the near post but Ederson saves.
Vicario denies De Bruyne brilliantly
Spurs give the ball away on the edge of their own box and De Bruyne turns and smashes a shot towards the bottom corner which Vicario pushes away brilliantly.
Half time: Tottenham 0-0 Manchester City
Such a strange, subdued atmosphere here because Spurs fans don’t know how to react as they don’t want to win to give Arsenal the edge in the title race. Despite that Tottenham have played well. Very solid in this 4-2-4 formation. Man City have been impacted by the lack of intensity in the game and have created a couple of chances but Foden was denied and Gvardiol volleyed over.
Spurs can’t make most of three vs two
Tottenham break through Heung-min Son and they have a three vs two situation but can’t pick the right pass. They were almost in just before half time there.
Red-hot Gvardiol volleys over
Walker’s cross to the back post is volleyed over by Josko Gvardiol. The Croatian defender has been in incredible goalscoring form in recent weeks and that was a good chance. He should have worked Vicario.
Ederson saves at the near post after a cross is whipped in
Spurs are looking dangerous here. Ederson pushes a cross wide with Spurs players lurking. They aren’t playing with a number nine but are getting players up the pitch early when they break and overloading City in the wide areas.
Brilliant save from Vicario
Hojbjerg makes a mess of a spinning ball and plays it straight to Foden who smashes on goal form six yards out but Vicario saves superbly. What a stop. Spurs’ fans applaud but not as loudly as usual.
Subdued atmosphere
It kind of feels like a preseason friendly? The home fans aren’t really sure what to do. They’re not getting too excited when their team does something good. They aren’t too bothered if City are on top. Aside from the anti-Arsenal songs, there haven’t been any songs yet from the home fans. Weird.
Ederson saves well from Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur is found on the edge of the box and smashes towards goal. Ederson tips it over. Tottenhams fans applaud. Instincts kicking in. Spurs have started well.
Off and running and the chants about Arsenal are dominating
“Stand up if you hate Arsenal!” is the chant and most of the stadium stand up. Apparently there are quite a few Arsenal fans scattered amongst the home fans today as they cheer on Spurs. Maybe a few Arsenal fans stood up just to blend in? Maybe they are also wearing baseball caps and fake moustaches?
Hello and welcome to Tottenham!
Contrary to popular belief, the majority of Spurs fans I’ve spoken to outside the stadium want their team to WIN tonight. Even if it means Arsenal have a better chance of winning the title on the final day on Sunday. There are said to be a lot of Arsenal fans who have bought tickets to attend the game tonight, so it will be intriguing to see what kind of reaction there is if Manchester City or Spurs score.
The team news is intriguing with Tottenham playing Van de Ven at left back and Dragusin in at center back. It looks like Maddison will start on the left but he could drift inside as a false nine with Son going out to the left during the game. City go with a 4-2-3-1 formation and look very settled with only one change from the lineup at the weekend as Walker comes in for Ake who took a knock.
️Peter, a lifelong Tottenham fan, wants Spurs to win vs Man City.
He said fair play to Arsenal. Most of #THFC fans I spoke to here said exactly the same + #AFC fans are here tonight.
“I want Spurs to win. I can’t not support my own team. It’s a strange situation. Really odd.” pic.twitter.com/o2ESW8pAJj
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 14, 2024
Tottenham lineup
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Hojbjerg, Sarr, Bentancur; Johnson, Son, Maddison
Manchester City lineup
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Silva; Haaland
Tottenham vs Man City preview
Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham will go all-out to win
“There is a pretty simple notion to this: there is a game of football tomorrow night, what do you think is going to happen? What do you think we are going to do as a team, or any team on this planet? Aren’t we just going to try and win?” Postecoglou said. “It is as simple, basic, premise. How that makes people feel, I’m not really fussed. I don’t really care. I hate to think anybody thinks we will go out there tomorrow night with anything other than trying to measure ourselves against a top team and maybe win a game of football that is consequential. How are we ever going to become a team that wins things if we don’t win the big games? If we shy away from it?”
“I understand rivalry, I was part of one of the biggest ones in the world the last couple of years with Celtic and Rangers. I understand rivalry but I’ve will never understand if somebody wants their own team to lose,” Postecoglou added. “That is not what sport is about. That is not what I love about the game. What I love more than anything else is the competitiveness of it. Challenging yourselves to beat someone and be successful. Anything outside of that it has got nothing to do with sport, nothing to do with me. If other people want to treat it that way where they derive pleasure from others misery, that is not how I’ve lived my life. That is not how I perceive my role. My role is to bring success to this football club. I know 100 percent of Spurs fans want us to win and be successful and win trophies. Without a shadow of a doubt. Us winning tomorrow night will help us bring joy to 100 percent of Spurs supporters.”
Pep Guardiola: If we lose Arsenal will win the title
Fun fact: Man City have won once (in the FA Cup) in six trips to the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium and have never scored a Premier League goal at the stadium.
“We played really good there many times but weren’t able to score or win games,” Guardiola explained. “We are trying to do something special so we have to do that this time.
“This is the time to do it otherwise Arsenal will be champions. The mindset is just what we need to do to win the game. The other situations can’t be in your mind because everyone knows what we are playing for.”
Tottenham focus, team news
Spurs have injury issues at the back and it will be intriguing to see who plays left back with Udogie and Davies both out. Skipp played there at the weekend but Spurs could be forced to play Micky van de Ven there and have Dragusin at center back. Sarr and Bentancur should start in midfield with Son, Maddison, Kulusevski and Johnson in attack.
OUT: Richarlison (calf), Yves Bissouma (knee), Manor Solomon (knee), Fraser Forster (ankle), Destiny Udogie (thigh), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh), Timo Werner (thigh), Ben Davies (calf)
Manchester City focus, team news
Jack Grealish is back from injury which gives Guardiola even more options, while the only concern is Nathan Ake who hobbled off in the first half at the weekend but he’s fit enough for the bench. Gvardiol (the Croatian goal-machine) will likely start at left back with Dias, Akanji and Walker likely to make up the rest of the defense. Stones could come back into midfield alongside Rodri for a bit of extra defensively solidity. Up top, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden supporting Erling Haaland seems about right. But don’t be surprised if Doku starts to make the most of Spurs’ high-line.
