Last updated on August 26, 2025
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Pep’s decision to leave Ederson on the bench backfired.
Image credit: ESPN UK
This was a place that was vibrating before kickoff, but by the time the match ended, it was the Spurs fans making all the noise.
The Etihad isn’t used to nights like this.
Manchester City, a side that usually swallows opponents whole on home soil, were left stunned as Tottenham walked away with a 2–0 win.
Brennan Johnson struck first, João Palhinha punished a howler from James Trafford, and from there City never recovered.
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And the thing is that it wasn’t just the scoreline that hurt—it was the manner of the defeat.
You can just imagine how flat and frustrated Pep’s men looked.
The big question now is simple: how did City let this one slip? What went wrong?
And yes the answer is also simple: A costly mistake at the back, wastefulness in front of goal, and Spurs’ ruthless efficiency combined handed City their first setback of the season.
Let’s consider them one after the other so that we can better understand why Man City lost at Etihad.
Table of Contents
1. Costly Goalkeeping Gamble
Honestly, Pep didn’t do himself any favors tonight.
Dropping Ederson for James Trafford felt like a gamble, and it blew up in his face.
From the first few touches, you could tell Trafford wasn’t comfortable.
Every pass back to him had the crowd holding their breath, and Spurs smelled blood.
Man City have just one more win over Tottenham 🤏👀 pic.twitter.com/L1YeUJOEml
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) August 23, 2025
Then came the moment everyone, especially Spurs fans, will remember.
A simple back-pass, nothing dangerous, and Trafford messed it up.
Palhinha was on it in a flash and suddenly it was 2–0.
The groan around the Etihad said it all. You could almost see City’s shoulders drop—they knew they’d handed Tottenham a gift.
Instead of giving his team confidence, Pep’s goalkeeper call drained it out of them.
And in a game as tight as this, that was the turning point.
2. Wasteful Attack
City had the ball, no doubt about that—but what did they really do with it?
For all the possession, the end product just wasn’t there.
Haaland might as well have been invisible.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven had him locked up so tight he barely had a sniff at goal. Every time the ball went near him, one of them was there first.
Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku tried to make things happen on the wings, and to be fair, they looked lively at times.
But lively isn’t enough when you don’t finish the job.
Crosses were blocked, shots went wide, and when City did get into good positions, Spurs’ wall of black shirts shut the door.
It was the same story over and over again—pass, pass, pass, then nothing.
By the hour mark, you could feel the frustration pouring from the stands.
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3. Tottenham’s Ruthless Efficiency
That’s the thing about Spurs tonight—they didn’t need a dozen chances.
Just two big moments, and they made them count.
Brennan Johnson took his chance like a poacher, cool as you like, and Palhinha pounced on Trafford’s mistake as if he’d been waiting for it all game.
Granted, City did carve out more openings, but Spurs were the ones who punished mistakes.
Credit to Thomas Frank. His game plan was spot on: keep it tight at the back, break quickly, and force City into frustration.
Spurs didn’t panic under pressure, didn’t get dragged into City’s passing rhythm—they stayed calm, disciplined, and when the ball broke their way, they were ruthless.
Sometimes football’s simple: one team keeps the ball, the other takes the chances.
Tonight, Spurs proved which approach wins games.
Lessons for Guardiola
Pep’s a genius, no doubt, but even geniuses get it wrong. Tonight was one of those nights.
The decision to leave Ederson on the bench? Costly.
In tight games like this, experience matters, and Trafford just wasn’t ready for the heat Spurs brought.
Up front, City need to be more ruthless.
You don’t win big matches by just keeping the ball—you win them by putting it in the net.
Haaland, Foden, Doku… someone has to step up when the team’s struggling to break through.
And then there’s the bigger picture: Spurs showed that if you press City high and break fast, you can hurt them.
That’s a blueprint other teams will be taking notes on. Pep will have to fix it, and fast.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Tottenham earned this win. They were organized, disciplined, and deadly when it mattered.
City, meanwhile, looked flat and wasteful—beaten not just by two goals, but by Spurs’ attitude and belief.
For Guardiola’s men, this isn’t the end of the world, but it’s a reminder: no ground is safe, not even the Etihad.
