Striker Erling Haaland scored twice, helping Man City win 2-0 against host Tottenham in the compensation match, to return to the top of the Premier League table before the final round.
In the 86th minute, when Man City led 1-0, midfielder Manuel Akanji lost the ball dangerously, allowing Son Heung-min to slope down to face goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. At the same time on the sidelines, coach Pep Guardiola held his head, knelt down and fell back onto the field.
According to Whoscored, Son is the player with the most goals based on the expected number of opportunities he has received in two of the past six Premier League seasons. This season, he is also second in terms of ability to take advantage of opportunities, only behind Phil Foden. On the Guardian, reporter Barry Glendenning commented: “People can bet the whole house that Son will score in this situation.”
However, the Korean star shot low into the far corner and was caught by Ortega by spreading his legs to block the ball to save the away team. If the Tottenham captain had scored, the match could have turned in a different direction, and the team with more chances of winning the championship would have been Arsenal, not Man City.
Son Heung-min’s miss and Pep Guardiola’s expression. Photo: ESPN
Ortega became Man City’s hero, saving Akanji from a visible loss. The 32-year-old German goalkeeper has never been called up to the national team, and only came on to replace Ederson in the 69th minute. The Brazilian goalkeeper was stunned after colliding strongly with midfielder Cristian Romero while trying to catch the ball. He wanted to continue playing, but was still replaced by Ortega. When leaving the field, Ederson kicked his foot hard into the water tank, despite being patted by coach Guardiola.
Just four minutes after Ortega saved, midfielder Jeremy Doku won a penalty for Man City when he was tripped by Pedro Porro and fell in the home penalty area. Knowing that he had been fouled, Doku cheered with his teammates and raised his fist toward the away team’s technical area. Haaland took responsibility for the penalty kick and kicked it to the top left corner, against goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s judgment. Only then will the defending champion be guaranteed victory.
Man City players celebrate after Haaland scored the winning goal 2-0 against Tottenham in London, match round 34 of the Premier League on the evening of May 14, 2024. Photo: Guardian
Before Haaland scored the second goal, Guardiola was worried the entire time, continuously directing his players, causing the goal referee to remind him many times. The Spanish coach had reason to be impatient, when Foden and Bernardo Silva missed two face-to-face opportunities in the first half, both hitting goalkeeper Vicario in the arm.
The pressure was only relieved for Man City at the beginning of the second half, when captain Kevin de Bruyne ran under the left armpit of Tottenham’s defense to receive Silva’s through ball, then stretched across to set up the ball for Haaland to rush to tap the ball into the net. drum. Despite experiencing a season that was not as expected, the Norwegian striker scored 27 goals in 30 matches at the tournament, almost certain to win the top scorer award.
Haaland scored the only goal from close range. Photo: Guardian
After Haaland scored, the camera showed two male spectators wearing Tottenham shirts, laughing and talking together even though the home team conceded. When the 24-year-old striker scored twice, dozens of home spectators danced and sang. Down on the field, coach Ange Postecoglou was angry and immediately went into the tunnel after the final whistle, even though this was the team’s last home match this season.
On the field, home midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg laughed and joked with opponent Kyle Walker, and Romero also smiled when being teased by Guardiola. Tottenham officially did not qualify for the Champions League this season after losing to Man City, but a part of the audience is still happy because their city rival Arsenal no longer has many chances to win the championship after 20 years.
Man City only needs to win against away team West Ham in the final round, Sunday May 19, to set a record for the fourth consecutive time winning the English championship. Arsenal will only be crowned if they win against Everton, and expect West Ham to earn points against Man City.
