John Sibley/action Images
Gareth Bale bisects Joe Hart’s outstretched arms to score Tottenham’s third goal of an extraordinary second-half comeback
City’s 3-1 defeat at White Hart Lane by a Tottenham Hotspur team that made a dramatic statement about their Champions League credentials meant that United will secure their 20th league championship with a home win over Aston Villa tonight.
Mancini was as bewildered as many others in north London yesterday afternoon as City failed to build on an early lead and then surrendered a position of comfort in the closing stages. Inspired by Gareth Bale and three highly effective substitutions by André Villas-Boas, Tottenham scored three goals in seven minutes to reignite a top-four dream that appeared to have faded.
As Villas-Boas looked ahead to Tottenham’s final five matches, with the decisive one to come at Chelsea, Mancini was left to reflect on his players’ desire, which he suggested had to be the problem as there was nothing to choose between them and United in technical terms.
“We don’t have a gap [to United],” said Mancini, the City manager. “The last two or three years … every time we have played United, we have played better, also when we have lost the game. We lost in the last minute [earlier in the season]. Last year we beat them easily. The reason there is a gap like today [in the league] … probably there is more attitude, they wanted. They started the season and they wanted to win after last year. There are many reasons why we lose but I repeat, they deserve to win it.”
Mancini was asked whether he thought City had handed United the title. “Sometimes we probably did,” he replied. “I think the 13- or 15-point gap is not reality for this championship. They are not a better team but they deserve to win this title because we lost a lot of points in games we probably didn’t deserve to lose. United won a lot of games in a row with goals and they deserve to win the title.
“The race was finished three or four weeks ago. Will I watch the Villa game? If I am at home, why not? It will mean nothing to us. We wanted to win this championship. What can we do? We can maybe say only congratulations to them. When you win, you deserve to win it. You always need a bit of luck in football. It is like life. But they did not win by luck. They had a better attitude because they lost last year.”
Mancini appeared to revisit an old grievance when he spoke of United buying “some new players in the summer and they scored a lot of goals.” He had been determined to sign the striker Robin Van Persie from Arsenal, only for the Dutchman to join United and deliver 21 league goals so far this season.
“I’m not happy because I like to win the championship,” Mancini added. “This was our target. I’m not happy with the season because I want always the maximum. But we have another chance to win the FA Cup and I think the FA Cup is important. And we can be in second position. If that is not good enough, then every manager should be sacked.” It was a turn- around so startling as to seem faintly ridiculous. For 75 minutes Tottenham Hotspur huffed and puffed, Gareth Bale was anonymous and the club’s Champions League dream looked ready to absorb a body blow. Manchester City’s first-half superiority had been total and they were comfortable after the interval. Vincent Kompany, the captain, had been imposing to the point of frightening.
But in seven crazy, impossible-to-foresee minutes Tottenham revived spectacularly and City were left to consider that their grip on the Premier League title might not last beyond Manchester United’s home fixture against Aston Villa tonight.
In the battle to make sense of it all, André Villas-Boas emerged with credit. Each of the Tottenham manager’s three substitutes played a part, while the switch to a 4-3-3 formation allowed his team to chisel out a foothold, which grew into something glorious.
It would be remiss to overlook the contribution of the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, whose first-half saves to deny Edin Dzeko and the outstanding Carlos Tevez allowed Tottenham to cling on. But, as so often, the headline-hogger was Gareth Bale.
Back after a two-week injury absence that had seemed rather longer, he had been peripheral in his starting position behind the striker and, again, for the majority of the second half, for which he was moved to the right flank. But everything changed when he sculpted a low cross with the outside of his left boot and, with Kompany inexplicably freezing, Clint Dempsey tapped home the equaliser.
Tottenham felt belief course through their bodies and they located the jugular when one substitute, Lewis Holtby, found another, Jermain Defoe. Confronted by Kompany, whose sudden vulnerability reflected that of his team, the striker jinked inside and unfurled a curler to the far corner for his first club goal of the year. Nobody could quibble about the timing.
The stadium dissolved into frenzy but there was more to come and, inevitably, it came from Bale. Villas-Boas’s other substitute, Tom Huddlestone, released him and he exploded clear of the City back-line before slowing down to craft a clipped finish over Joe Hart.
City had contributed fully to the spectacle but, in keeping with the theme of their title defence, they were left with regrets. In the 90th minute the manager, Roberto Mancini, withdrew the left-back Gaël Clichy and introduced the centre-half Joleon Lescott as a centre-forward but the bamboozlement had already occurred.
For so long it had looked certain to end differently. Mancini’s intent had been plain from the way he lined up his team, with Tevez deployed close to Dzeko and menace across the midfield. City put down the early marker. There appeared little on as Tevez scuttled to win the ball and hold it up by the corner flag, with Jan Vertonghen at his back. But he worked a little room, turned and slipped a pass inside Scott Parker for the on rushing James Milner. His pull-back invited Nasri to volley into the corner of the net.
City’s form has come too late for their title defence but they have regularly been good to watch in recent weeks and there was a lot to like about their game in the first half. Tevez was relentless, epitomising the team’s work ethic, and he dovetailed seamlessly with Dzeko, who scored four times in this fixture last season.
Nasri was elusive in a good way, although his studs-up, over-the-ball connection with Kyle Walker’s shin in the eighth minute was an ugly moment. The only conclusion to draw about the lack of censure was that the referee, Lee Mason, cannot have seen it. On another day he could have been sent off.
The game might have been over at the interval. Pablo Zabaleta and Tevez combined to release Nasri and, as white shirts converged, he poked narrowly wide of the far post while Lloris proved once again why he has been such an important addition to the Tottenham squad. After Tevez had set Dzeko in between Michael Dawson and Vertonghen, the goalkeeper flung out his right hand to block and then, from Tevez’s header, his reflexes were first-rate.
Tottenham had first- half flickers. Dempsey weighted a pass inside Nasri for Walker but Hart left his line quickly – the full-back’s shot flew off him – while Dempsey directed a free header over the crossbar from a corner in the 44th minute.
The second half had seemed seismic at the outset for Tottenham. If they were to make a statement regarding their Champions League aspirations, it surely needed to come here. But as City pressed and stifled, and Villas-Boas’ players appeared to have few options in possession, it was easy to see the game drifting from them. Where was the inspiration coming from?
The answer was obvious. Bale refused to be suppressed and, if his assist for Dempsey was the spark, the marvellous finish for his 23rd goal of the club season was the clinching moment. Spurs will approach their final matches with renewed vigour. They are back in business. Man of the match Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar