Dramatic Draw: City and Spurs Share Points in Thrilling Encounter

Rayan Cherki opened the scoring early in the match, followed by Antoine Semenyo who doubled the lead for City in a first half filled with opportunities that could have further increased their advantage. However, Tottenham Hotspur made a strong comeback after halftime, with Dominic Solanke netting two goals — the second being an extraordinary scorpion kick — ensuring the match ended in a 2-2 draw. Consequently, City could only reduce their gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal to six points.

Solanke’s first goal sparked controversy, as it appeared he kicked through the legs of Marc Guehi to direct the ball into the net, inadvertently striking the defender’s calf in the process. Despite City’s vehement protests, the goal survived a VAR review.

In a post-match interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, City’s manager Pep Guardiola was questioned about the legitimacy of Solanke’s first goal. He responded, “If you do it to a striker, it would be a penalty. I’m not a referee. Fascinating in the Premier League.”

At the subsequent press conference, Guardiola reiterated his concerns, stating, “If a central defender does it to a striker, it’s a penalty, right? You said it, I didn’t say it, you saw it.”

Guardiola also addressed City’s struggles to maintain consistency throughout the matches, saying, “That happens in the Premier League today. Sometimes we can control it, but the way the game in England is played, it happens sometimes. We are playing at a high level. We didn’t have the consistency to win the games when others were able to do it. Six points [gap to Arsenal]. Next one.”

Tottenham’s head coach Thomas Frank was asked about Solanke’s first goal as well, expressing sympathy towards City’s frustrations. However, he noted that Spurs had also faced contentious decisions this season and felt this particular incident evened things out. Frank commented, “I think there’s clear contact from him on it, but we wanted in general a higher threshold [to overturn decisions]. I think the Liverpool goal in the [December] loss — where Ekitike had two clear hands in the back of Romero — had no grey areas. I’m very happy it finally dropped to us, which I think was more than fair.”

City will return to action on Wednesday in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, holding a 2-0 lead going into the fixture at the Etihad Stadium. They will then face Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday, potentially with Arsenal extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points.