Mourinho Magic Still Exists as Tottenham Prevails Over Wasteful Manchester City

Despite a VAR controversy in a first half that was dominated by Man City, Jose Mourinho and the Spurs prevailed with a 2–0 win.

Some of the old magic yet remains. Jose Mourinho may not press like the modern greats. He may not construct fluent attacking moves. But give him a match to spoil, especially one against his old rival Pep Guardiola, and the spirit still moves in him. Sunday's bout in London was at times a game almost farcically tipped toward Manchester City before, in the space of three minutes, came a red card for Oleksandr Zinchenko and a brilliant debut strike from Steve Bergwijn and suddenly Tottenham was on its way to a thoroughly unexpected 2–0 victory.

Not for the first time this season, City was wasteful in front of goal. In the 2–2 draw against Tottenham at the Etihad, City had 30 shots to three. Here it had had 14 shots to 0 in the first hour before the game abruptly began slipping away. To an extent, that is misfortune, but City has now lost six times this season, which would matter even if Liverpool weren’t already 22 points clear. Then again, perhaps City’s recent lack of sharpness is precisely the result of that gap. Resigned to second, its only job is to keep ticking over until the Champions League begins again and, if possible, progress in the various cup competitions.

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Tottenham, meanwhile, finds itself fifth and just four points behind a Chelsea side in fourth that has won only four of its last 13 games—and that despite the fact this was only Tottenham’s third clean sheet in 18 games under Mourinho and that it had scored just 10 goals in its 10 matches before this one. How much should be read into Mourinho’s sixth win in 23 games against Guardiola is debatable; this was a game that went in 10 preposterous minutes from looking a very likely City win to being a certain Tottenham one.

Everything had been drifting along in undramatic fashion, with City mildly dominant and Sergio Aguero hitting the post, until a little spite was injected eight minutes before halftime when Serge Aurier lunged in on Aguero. Referee Mike Dean initially gave no penalty, but after full two minutes of play, VAR eventually advised it had been a foul. As Mourinho laughed his malevolent world-against-us laugh on the bench, Hugo Lloris saved Ilkay Gundogan’s kick, only to seem to foul Sterling as he stretched for the rebound. A goal kick was given, presumably on the logic that Sterling kicked Lloris, rather than Lloris tripping Sterling, although the decision was borderline at best.

Sterling had already been booked for an ugly foul on Dele Alli and, as Tottenham players demanded a second caution for simulation, numerous players from both sides waded in, Dean eventually calming matters down with what felt a symbolic yellow card to one player from each side. One of them, though, to Zinchenko, was to prove vital.

Having been introduced, the mood of high farce continued, with Lloris and Japhet Tanganga running into each other, presenting a clear chance to Riyad Mahrez, who slipped before Aguero’s shot was cleared off the line–before Sterling’s poor cross was eventually diverted over the bar by a stretching Gundogan.

And then, on the hour, a weak City corner was intercepted by Harry Winks. As he surged upfield, Zinchenko stepped cynically across his path: a clear second yellow and thus a red. Three minutes later, Tottenham had its first shot and scored its first goal, with Lucas Moura crossing for Bergwijn, who took the ball down on his chest and smartly volleyed hom. The 22-year-old had joined the club from PSV for $35.5 million last week.

Eight minutes after that came a second shot and a second goal, with Son Heung-min turning sharply onto Tanguy Ndombele’s pass and firing in from the edge of the box with the aid of a deflection off Fernandinho. Credit Bergwijn for a goal of superb technique and Son for his sharpness, but the truth is that Spurs offered little in the way of cohesive attacking threat. With no Harry Kane there is no target man, and Mourinho, unable to play directly, seems to have devised no better plan than having his forwards run very quickly in straight lines. Against Nicolas Otamendi, perhaps, that is a reasonable enough tactic, but it doesn’t feel a plan likely to bring long-term success.

Not that that mattered on Sunday. This was three points that greatly improves Spurs’ hopes of Champions League football, but more than that it was a win for Mourinho over Guardiola, and one achieved in the most Mourinho of manners. The flame hasn’t quite gone out yet.