Haaland crushes Arsenal optimism as Kane fury speaks volumes

Manchester City V Tottenham Hotspur in pictures

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In a fixture originally scheduled for September 10, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur looked like two teams that had waited 131 days to finally clash at the Etihad Stadium. Their latest thriller saw Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, and a Riyad Mahrez brace complete a stunning 12-minute comeback to keep the hosts’ Premier League title hopes alive.

Haaland profits from Mahrez’s excellence

Haaland registered 19 touches in Saturday’s derby defeat at Old Trafford. Tonight? He made no mistake finding the net when the chance came, profiting from one of several moments of Mahrez magic.

The 22-year-old had gone three games without finding the net. That felt like months for a striker who had already netted 27 times this season.

And a fourth goalless game beckoned as Dejan Kulusevski, and Emerson Royal fired Spurs into a 2-0 lead on the brink of half-time.

But made it 28 in 25 games to equalise, 333 minutes after his last strike, becoming the highest scorer in a single Premier League campaign under Pep Guardiola with 22.

Haaland’s latest goal perhaps hasn’t helped soothe the debate of whether City are actually a better team with him in it.

But it was a stark reminder that Guardiola would likely rather have no other striker in world football in the box than him.

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Kane reaction speaks volumes

Harry Kane looked like a defeated man as he slumped back to the halfway line while City’s players celebrated completing their rapid comeback.

You didn’t need a TV camera to spot the furious look on his face from the stands, with a hint of disbelief.

His Tottenham exit is unsurprisingly widely expected this summer. It’s easy to envisage him refusing to waste another season of the same.

Given Spurs had avoided defeat in six of their previous seven clashes with City, Kane may have tasted the opportunity to match Jimmy Greaves’ 266-goal club record tonight.

Instead, he travels back south with less than 18 months left on his deal and potentially less than six in north London.

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Lewis repays Guardiola’s trust

City were dismal in the first half, something that is becoming worringly common for title challengers. But 18-year-old right-back Rico Lewis was the shining light of Guardiola’s side.

The Etihad crowd passionately chanted ‘Rico’ to herald one of the latest arrivals in the Pep revolution as he bombarded down the flank, drew fouls and almost scored a stunner.

He was just as established after the break, posing as a figure that had been part of City’s back line for years.

Guardiola made a bold call by dropping Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo in such a mammoth fixture, but Lewis repaid his faith in his talent and more.

Tottenham do Arsenal no favours

The thought of Arsenal fans jumping around their living rooms at the sight of Spurs racing into a two-goal lead before half-time will be humourous to many.

But that is the reality of this bizarre Premier League season, which is proving to host another two-horse race for the title, but this time with Arsenal in contention.

North London smiles quickly turned to frowns as City showcased their character after half-time, battling back to close the gap to the Gunners to five points.

It will be just two if they defeat Wolves here on Sunday, albeit having played two games more.

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