Two words Ange Postecoglou said at half-time changed everything for Tottenham at Man City
Tottenham proved a perfect match for Manchester City again, and this time it was thanks to Ange Postecoglou.
Fans were optimistic of a thriller given the Australian’s scintillating brand of football, and it turned out to be exactly that with an end-to-end 3-3 draw.
However, after taking the lead inside six minutes, things began to slip away from Spurs, with Heung-min Son wiping out his opener with an own-goal before Phil Foden put City ahead.
The reigning champions could have begun running away with things had Spurs showed their nerves, but Postecoglou’s half-time team talk was the perfect wake-up call.
According to the man who earned a point, Dejan Kulusevski, his key words were: “Stop thinking.”
“Stop thinking and just play,” the Swede recalled. “That’s what we have to do.”
He added: “The coach was angry with us at half-time. He told us to just play.”
And play Spurs did, with Ben Davies aggressively intercepting a ball forward with his head, Son instantly touching it forward, and Giovani Lo Celso then dispatching a beautiful strike to equalise in the 69th minute.
City again took the lead through Jack Grealish with nine minutes to play, but in the final minute of normal time it was fittingly Kulusevkski who took a point for the away side, dramatically powering in a far-post header.
That wasn’t it for the drama, though, with referee Simon Hooper playing an advantage for a foul on Erling Haaland, only to call it back for a free kick once the Norwegian had played Grealish through on goal.
Despite Haaland’s fierce protests that look set to earn him an FA ban, Spurs held on for the point, ending a three-game losing streak in the Premier League amid an injury crisis.
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