Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City: Haaland back with a bang in nervy win

Erling Haaland struck the winner as Manchester City boosted their hopes of a top-four finish with a nervy 1-0 away victory over Tottenham on Wednesday.

Sunday’s defeat to Liverpool left last season’s Premier League champions 20 points adrift of the leaders, and Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday then dropped them out of the top four.

But Pep Guardiola’s side produced a dominant first-half performance in north London, going ahead after 12 minutes as Haaland swept Jeremy Doku’s cross home.

Doku should have had two further assists by the half-hour mark. First, his searching cross was somehow turned over by the unmarked Savinho, then he found Haaland in another brilliant position only for Guglielmo Vicario to make a vital close-range save.

Spurs improved massively after the break as Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson missed half-chances and substitute Son Heung-min was denied by Ederson at his near post.

Haaland saw a potential second disallowed for handball following a VAR check in stoppage time, then Pape Sarr missed a glaring chance to level when he headed over in the 98th minute.

The hosts stay 13th in the table with 33 points, while City are now just one point behind third-placed Nottingham Forest, who they face in their next league game.

FULL-TIME | A win on the road

0-1 #ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/jHvAqmfN4v

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 26, 2025

Data Debrief: Haaland matches Van Nistelrooy feat

Returning to the starting lineup after a knee issue caused him to miss City’s defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool, Haaland was back with a bang.

He was in the right place at the right time to sweep Doku’s cross into the bottom-left corner for his 20th league goal of the season, and only a debatable handball decision denied him another late on.

He is just the second player to reach 20 goals in each of his first three campaigns in the Premier League, after Ruud van Nistelrooy did so for Manchester United between 2001-02 and 2003-04.

20 – Erling Haaland is only the second player ever to score 20+ goals in each of his first three Premier League seasons, after Ruud van Nistelrooy from 2001-02 to 2003-04. Standards. pic.twitter.com/MkhRTaqu7L

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 26, 2025

Haaland’s strike was also his 25th winner in the Premier League, more than any other player since he arrived in England in 2022. Only Sergio Aguero (48) and Raheem Sterling (28) have netted more winning goals for City in the competition overall.

It was another fruitful trip to London for Haaland, who now has 20 goal involvements in 19 Premier League matches in the capital (18 goals, two assists), including three goals in three trips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.