MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0-1 MANCHESTER CITY

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Manchester City won for the first time at Tottenham Hotspur's own ground for the first time in nearly nine years, as a late Nathan Ake goal was enough to overcome Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham, who struggled to have an overwhelming impact on the game.

The goal didn't come without its controversies, with claims of a foul on goalkeeper Gugliemo Vicario by Ruben Dias waved away by referee Paul Tierney and the VAR team. But, the contact was minimal and non deliberate, and looking at the pattern of the game, City thoroughly deserved to win the game anyway.

The Blues dominated the ball for the entire match, and created numerous chances right from the get go. They thought they'd snatched an early lead through the once again impressive Oscar Bobb, but he was adjudged to be marginally offside by the assistant referee, which was backed up by VAR.

More half chances came in the first half, through Bobb, Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden. With Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol operating high and wide, there was freedom for City's most creative players inside, all whilst keeping a steady structure in place to help prevent a counter attack.

The only real sniff Spurs got in the entire game is when former City Football Group player Pedro Porro found himself clean in on goal down the right hand side, only for his low cross aimed at Richarlison at the back post to be safely gathered on the stretch by the once again impressive Stefan Ortega-Moreno.

Just after Alvarez spurned a huge chance in front of goal (one that Sergio Aguero used to bury in his sleep) manager Pep Guardiola turned to the bench and brought on Jeremy Doku and Kevin de Bruyne to inject some more directness and creativity. Whilst neither player particularly sparkled in their time on the pitch, the team stepped up in terms of looking a goal threat, and it always looked likely that City would find a winner.

But after De Bruyne missed a huge opportunity from near the penalty spot, after Foden robbed Pierre-Emile Hojberg from inside the penalty area and laying it off to the Belgian, it appeared that a replay at the Etihad next week was on the cards.

But then Ake popped up with his third goal of the season to seal the deal for City. Tottenham didn't create anything after this point, even with talismanic midfielder James Maddison making his return from injury off the bench, meaning City saw the game out in comfortable circumstances.

It was an important win for City, and one that keeps alive the unlikely (yet very much possible) prospect of winning back to back trebles. As he joked in May 2023, Guardiola had scoring a goal at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on his bucket list of things that City could achieve if they were to go on and win the treble, which they of course did in superb style.

And all of this seems incredibly fitting to come on a day when Liverpool manager and legend Jurgen Klopp - Guardiola's biggest rival for silverware on the whole during his period at the club - announced that he'd be leaving the Reds at the end of the season, claiming he is "running out of energy."

Guardiola has shown by the way he's managed to revitalise City's season after a run of one win in six games that he has not yet run out of energy. So long as he remains comfortable with his life in Manchester, his strong winning mentality and strive for perfection means he will continue to push for the chance to win further trophies, or, as he put it after winning the Club World Cup in December, "buying a new book and writing new chapters."

City will look to continue in their stride as Vincent Kompany's Burnley come to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. This should be the perfect opportunity for City to continue to build up some momentum before their UEFA Champions League defence continues with a trip to Copenhagen in a few weeks time.

It will also be a good opportunity to start De Bruyne for the first time since the reverse fixture, with Haaland and Stones also hoping to get minutes (and, in Haaland's case, goals) from the bench.

Here are the player ratings for the historic night in North London:

Ortega-Moreno: 7/10 - Had very little to do goalkeeping wise, but his distribution was top notch all evening. For my money, he's the best second goalkeeper in the world, which unfortunately means City will have a difficult job in keeping him in the summer transfer window.

Walker - 8/10 - Kept Timo Werner very quiet all evening. Offered a good attacking threat down the right hand side, and his recovery pace was crucial in helping to stop Tottenham's limited counter attacks.

Dias - 8/10 - Had flashes of individual defensive brilliance, as well as linking up well with the rest of the defence. Dias dealt well with the physical challenge of Richarlison, and other than a few daft fouls given away, barely put a foot wrong all evening. Played a few excellent long passes too, with one ball to Bobb in the first half in particular springing to mind.

Ake - 9/10 - Super aggressive coming out and engaging with Tottenham forwards dropping deep, and, of course, broke the curse of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium by showing good attacking instincts to poke the ball into the net from close range. Ake's excellent performances in a City shirt in the last 18 months gives Guardiola a welcome headache as to who to select between him and Gvardiol on the left hand side of City's defence when everyone is fit.

Gvardiol - 7/10 - Had a slightly ropey start to the game with a few misplaced passes of the ball, but grew into it well, and offered a good attacking threat linking up with Bobb and later Doku on the left hand side.

Rodri - 7.5/10 - Set the tempo of the game in the middle as per usual. Moved the ball well under pressure and was the first onto a couple of loose balls in the middle of the park. Went about his business with relatively little fuss.

Kovacic - 9/10 - Hopefully those that doubt Kovacic and what he provides to City will be eating their words as I speak. He showed off his composure under pressure, as well as his ability to pop off first time short line breaking passes and most of all, his elite ball carrying ability, and the way in which he changes pace when gliding through the lines. For £25 million, he is a pure bargain, and proof once again that Guardiola really does know better than "the Twitter guys."

Bernardo - 7/10 - Put in a lot of effort in typical Bernardo fashion, and looked good showing for the ball in deeper areas too to allow Walker to bomb forwards. Helped in the defensive effort too by going tight and man to man on Destiny Udogie, who tucked from left back into attacking midfield every time Spurs received the ball, thus limiting the Italian's impact on the game.

Foden - 6.5/10 - His quietest game in a little while. Still, he didn't perform poorly by any means, as he took the ball on the half turn in trademark fashion on numerous occasions, and was arguably the player who looked the most likely to create a chance out of nothing. Should've got an assist, had De Bruyne been able to find the net from his clear opportunity, which would've rewarded his relentless pressing and high intensity game.

Bobb - 7.5/10 - So sharp and incisive in every single action he made, Bobb's current inclusion in the City side is reminiscent of Rico Lewis's emergence last year. He is getting deserved minutes at the moment, and is certainly in line for a start against Burnley, particularly if Haaland isn't fit enough to start, which will leave a space available in the front three.

Alvarez - 6.5.10 - Similarly to Bernardo and Foden, Alvarez struggled to impact the game but nonetheless put in a solid performance. Dropped deep a few times to link up well, but made the odd poor decision in front of goal and should've certainly scored his chance at the back post in the second half after a clipped cross from Bobb.

Substitutes:

Doku - 6/10 - Quite wasteful with the ball, and struggled in one vs one duels against Pedro Porro. However, he did stretch the defence with his pace and width, which eventually gave enough space for City to create and find a winner.

De Bruyne - 6/10 - For the first time since his return from injury, the Belgian showed signs of rustiness, as his final ball was a little off. But a player of his quality always has the potential to make a difference, and it was his whipped corner that led to the goal. He's only going to get better from this point, and I sincerely hope we see him start and excel against Burnley.