Tottenham are in the hat for the Carabao Cup quarter-finals / Alex Pantling/GettyImages
Tottenham Hotspur progressed into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup following a breathless 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Ange Postecoglou, who has always delivered silverware in his second season with clubs, oversaw a huge triumph for his side as Spurs took on the Premier League champions in the last eight.
Goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr sent Spurs into a 2-0 lead before Matheus Nunes pulled one back just before half-time to set-up a tense seond 45. Eight-time winners City are out, although Pep Guardiola won’t be particularly concerned given the hectic nature of their schedule.
How the match unfolded
While neither side were full strength, both sides littered their respective starting XIs with recognisable faces Postecoglou changed half of the team that lost at Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Erling Haaland earned a breather after scoring again for City at the weekend.
Werner was one of the returning players to Postecoglou’s XI, and the under pressure German handed Tottenham an early lead. Spurs cut through City’s press and broke down the right through Dejan Kulusevski, who laid it on a plate for Werner to finish with uncharacteristic aplomb.
City failed to settle into their usual groove and struggled to break beyond Spurs’ intensity out of possession with underhit passes compromising multiple build-up sequences. They were still half-asleep when Sarr curled home the hosts’ second with a pinpoint curling finish from 20 yards.
Guardiola’s team eventually kicked into gear after the 30-minute mark, starting to impose themselves on their hosts which forced Spurs’ defensive line to deepen. However, a lack of cutting edge in Haaland’s absence meant Guglielmo Vicario wasn’t tested, but their two standout performers of the first-half, Savinho and Nunes, combined to halve the deficit and ensure the visitors carried all the momentum into half-time.
Chances arrived for Spurs at the start of the second-half, but Stefan Ortega – yet again in this ground – was on hand to deny Lilywhite hopefuls. The City shot-stopper smartly denied Brennan Johnson and Kulusevski, while Werner came within inches of scoring his second after breaking behind the City defence.
The hosts continued to keep Guardiola’s men at arm’s length, but their inability to polish off the Premier League champions ensured City had a sniff as the game entered its final stage.
City did craft a moment, but Yves Bissouma was on hand to deny a certain goal off the line which secured Tottenham’s place in the quarter-finals.