City Thrash Spurs 5-1

Manchester City sent out a clear message to the rest of the footballing world today with the 5-1 trouncing of Tottenham Hotspur on their own ground.

Now City have beaten Spurs by numerous goals before, and on more than one occasion, but it has always been at City’s ground. In fact you have to go all the way back to 1911 (before both World Wars and Jersey Shore) to find an away win and multiple goals (2-0).

Fast forward to August 2011 and Roberto Mancini’s men put on a footballing display. Starting with the most attacking lineup I have seen from a City for a long time Manchester City made it clear that with the addition of Samir Nasri they were now a complete package.

From the start, there was a lot of attacking and quick counter attacking. Friedel and Hart tried to outdo each other with smart saves early on. Meanwhile the Aguero, Dzeko, Silva and Nasri quartet was looking something special.

It would be a Nasri cross that Dzeko got to just before the Spurs defender that put City 1-0 up after 34 minutes. Tottenham, almost immediately from the restart pushed City's’ defense hard. Five minutes later Crouch had a great opportunity to equalize but instead headed it wide of Harts goal. That would prove to be the turning point as with less than two minutes from that chance City were 2-0 up. Again it was the Dzeko/Nasri combination. Dzeko headed a Nasri cross back across the goal, leaving the Spurs keeper rooted to the spot.

The second half started as the first half had finished, with crisp, precise passing. Ten minutes into the second half and Dzeko became the hat trick man. This time though the cross was provided by Toure who squared the ball to the Bosnian who practically walked through the rearguard. City were a joy to watch and Spurs were always second to the ball every time. When Spurs did have the ball, City hustled and harried them into mistakes.

Aguero put City 4-0 up on the hour mark with a truly wonderful solo effort. His change of pace left Dawson eating dust before drilling the ball high past Friedel and into the roof of the net. Redknapp made a change bringing Livermore on for the Chelsea target Modric as boos rung out across the stadium. It was only two minutes later that Spurs pulled one back through Kaboul. Although Defoe was clearly impeding the City goalkeeper no real appeals were made from the City players and the goal stood.

This gave Spurs a slight glimmer of hope and Hart had to be smart to save a couple of shots before City effectively closed down the game by holding an impromptu training session on the White Hart Lane pitch. One touch passing backwards, sideways and sometimes, but very rarely forward took whatever remained in the home sides fight right out of their legs. Then as if to show they could score at will, in the final minute of stoppage time City broke and Dzeko added his fourth after a one two with Gareth Barry before rifling a shot past Friedel. With that, the whistle blew and the Bosnian had succeeded in putting City fans, and Fantasy Football fans that him in their team, into a fist pumping celebration!