Tottenham wins 1-0. Manchester City: Harry Kane passes Jimmy Greaves to become Spurs' all-time leading scorer, as City fail to capitalise on Arsenal's shock defeat at Everton.

 

Tottenham wins 1-0. Man City: Harry Kane surpasses Jimmy Greaves as Spurs' all-time leading scorer with a well-taken winner, as the visitors fail to capitalise on Arsenal's shock defeat at Everton.

Harry Kane breaks Jimmy Greaves' long-standing goalscoring record with 267 goals.

Manchester City had a chance to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to two points, despite having played one more game.

Pep Guardiola was visibly frustrated on the sidelines as City suffered their third consecutive away defeat.

It wasn't the cleanest strike of Harry Kane's career, but it was a true centre forward's goal, so it was appropriate. A shot dug out from under his feet, the ball sailed off the turf, across and beyond Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson's right hand, and into the far corner of the net.

Kane's 267th goal in a Tottenham shirt moved him ahead of the late Jimmy Greaves as the club's all-time leading scorer. That was one of two things that would have meant a lot to England's captain. The other point to make is that Tottenham won this game.

To surpass Greaves is a significant accomplishment. Kane described the situation on the pitch as'surreal' as he spoke at full-time. Anyone who has followed his Tottenham career will disagree. This was not at all surreal, on the contrary. We had a feeling this moment was coming from a time out.

Few players score goals with as much ease as Kane. It is a gift that cannot be taught, and if he stays at Tottenham after his contract expires in the summer of 2024, he will score many, many more goals for the club.

His performance here was typical, and he could still do a lot to energise Tottenham's season, as well as a title race contested by yesterday's opponents and Tottenham's local rivals Arsenal.

Harry Kane's goal won the game for Tottenham while also breaking the club's all-time scoring record.

Tottenham's Champions League hopes were resurrected thanks to Kane's goal, which he celebrated with a wide smile.

The England striker led the line brilliantly as Tottenham avenged their defeat to Manchester City in the reverse fixture.

Tottenham shackled City's vast array of attacking talent thanks to Emerson Royal's strong defensive performance on the right.

Spurs had been under some pressure in the first quarter hour. Manchester City were in trouble when they lost possession on the edge of their own penalty area in the 16th minute.

What happened next was a formality after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg anticipated and then intercepted a pass from Manuel Akanji towards City teammate Rico Lewis and moved the ball on to Kane.

This is one of Kane's most impressive qualities. He is occasionally spectacular, but not always. But he is incredibly efficient, which is what distinguishes the great strikers.

They usually score when they have a good chance, so Kane is now the England team's joint leading goal scorer with Wayne Rooney, and he also has 200 Premier League goals. Only Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney are ahead of him on that list.

It was surprising that City did not find a way back into the game. When Kane scored so early in the game, we might have expected it to be one of the game's stories but not the defining one.

City had plenty of time to recover and prove their worth. The smart money would have been on the defending champions winning and putting pressure on Arsenal, who had lost at Everton the day before.

However, these are strange times for Pep Guardiola's team, and the fact that City have failed to capitalise on Arsenal's error will come as a hammer blow.

With Phil Foden out and Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan starting on the bench, City had plenty of possession but lacked bite.

Tottenham looked to defend their lead after going ahead early in the first half, and Kane appeared isolated up front at times.

On the sidelines, Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure as he chastised his players for errors and misplaced passes.

Erling Haaland did not have one of his more spectacular performances for City, as Tottenham handled the Norwegian well.

City's players grew increasingly frustrated with referee Andy Madley, whom they believed had denied a number of penalty appeals.

Erling Haaland had a difficult day in the beginning, with no meaningful attempts on goal. For all that he worked and ran, the Norwegian was as anonymous as anyone who looks like him can be.

Riyad Mahrez did hit the crossbar with a hooked shot just before halftime, but City created almost nothing in the second half.

Guardiola was a picture of rage at the end, which no one could have predicted given that Tottenham were not in the game until they scored.

For nearly fifteen minutes, their opponents dominated possession, moving the ball patiently and accurately in between and around the white shirts. Following a corner, Nathan Ake had a free header at the far post, while Julian Alvarez - playing just behind Haaland - delivered a low volley from the edge of the area that would have tested Hugo Lloris had a Tottenham leg not got in the way.

There was no immediate siege from City, but there was considerable pressure. But things changed after Tottenham's goal. As the home team found a little belief, they seemed to find a little energy to press City as well.

Guardiola's team typically solves puzzles over time, but not in this case. Bernardo Silva and Rodri had long-range attempts in the first half but none in the second.

Spurs, meanwhile, attacked quickly. Dejan Kulusevski was a threat down the right, while Heung-Min Son was in the middle. Kane almost benefited twice as the Spurs came from behind late in the game. He was close to Ivan Perisic's low left cross before being fed by Son, muscled past Akanji, and denied by Ederson.

Spurs were committed on defence. Eric Dier obstructed one shot, Cristian Romero another. Romero went too far at the end and was arrested again. However, Hojbjerg leaped to take De Bruyne's subsequent free-kick in the face, and that summed up Tottenham's performance. Their victory was only marginally deserved. Kane earned his record without a doubt.

Cristian Romero vacillated between defending and attacking and was eventually given his marching orders.

MATCH FACTS 

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: Lloris 7; Romero 7, Dier 7, Davies 7; Emerson Royal 7, Hojbjerg 6.5, Bentancur 7, Perisic 6.5 (Sessegnon 78mins 6); Kulusevski 7.5 (Sanchez 88mins 6), Son 7.5 (Bissouma 83mins 6); Kane 8.

Bentancur, Romero, and Perisic have all been booked.

SENT OFF: Romero

CRISTIAN STELLINI: 8

MANCHESTER CITY:  (4-2-3-1) GOALS:  Akanji 6, Ake 6.5, Lewis 6.5; Silva 6.5 (Gundogan 84mins 6), Rodri 6; Mahrez 5.5 (De Bruyne 58mins 6), Alavrez 6, Grealish 5.5, Haaland 5.5.

GOALS:

BOOKED: Ederson, Walker;

PEP GUARDIOLA: 5

REFEREE: Andrew Madley 6