Maddison double inspires big win over City

Birthday boy James Maddison bagged a first-half brace to set us on our way to a stunning 4-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday.

After hardly seeing the ball in the opening exchanges at the Etihad, we hit the front with two fine finishes from the recalled midfielder inside the first 20 minutes before Pedro Porro rifled in Dominic Solanke's cut-back seven minutes after half-time to put us firmly in control.

Guglielmo Vicario still had to make some important saves at the other end as City were wasteful with the chances that they had, with Brennan Johnson adding the icing on the cake for us in stoppage time when he slid home Timo Werner's low ball across the box to consign the hosts to a fifth defeat in a row for the first time since 2006.

It was our second win over Pep Guardiola's side in less than a month following our home triumph in the Carabao Cup recently and marked the first time since 1959 that we've won at Manchester United and Manchester City in the league during the same season.

Vicario's saves led to our 350th Premier League clean sheet and contributed to City's biggest ever league defeat at the Etihad, marking the end of their two-year, 52-match unbeaten record at the venue. It was also their worst home league defeat since 2003.

But for all the statistics flying around after the game, we made it count with the main number that mattered - the scoreline. Erling Haaland was denied by Ben Davies - playing alongside Radu Dragusin with both of our regular centre-halves out injured - and then Vicario as City started strongly but our opener on 13 minutes seemed to sting them and they never really recovered. It came from Dejan Kulusevski's good work on the right wing as he kept possession under pressure and delivered a great cross for the arriving Maddison to steer home with an equally impressive finish from the left-hand corner of the six-yard box.

Phil Foden sent a good effort over the bar for City but after Heung-Min Son's curler was tipped away by Ederson, we doubled our lead on the 20-minute mark when Maddison exchanged passes with Son in the box and deftly finished from a similar area to his first strike, again a superb goal.

Haaland fired over while Savinho tested Vicario a couple of times but we were always a threat on the counter, although we couldn't quite make it count with the last action during that spell in the first period, Solanke's effort tipped away by Ederson in our best attempt at goal.

Yves Bissouma, who bounced back from being booked inside the first 15 seconds with a composed display in midfield, also fired over but with eight minutes played in the second half we found a crucial third to take firm command. Kulusevski's sweeping ball from left to right was just a little too heavy for Solanke but the striker chased it down and set up the arriving Pedro Porro to blast into the net, sparking delirium in the away end.

Haaland hit the top of the bar from a tight angle while Josko Gvardiol squandered a couple of chances from the left angle inside our box and Vicario superbly denied Ilkay Gundogan and later Haaland but City simply couldn't find a way through, with Kulusevski denied by Ederson's flailing arm as we went close once more on the counter. We didn't look in any real danger of conceding as we entered stoppage time and duly added a fourth in the third additional minute when Werner outstripped ex-Spur Kyle Walker and sent a low ball towards the far post, which the sliding Johnson helped over the line.

It was a superb response to the disappointing home defeat to Ipswich Town last time out, with the added bonus of some more matchday experience for our Academy players with teenagers Callum Olusesi and Malachi Hardy named on the bench in the Premier League for the first time, and for the first time in any competition in Hardy's case.

Match data

Goals: Spurs - Maddison 13, 20, Pedro Porro 53, Johnson 90+3.

Yellow cards: Manchester City - Lewis 55, Bernardo Silva 78, De Bruyne 80, Akanji 90+2; Spurs - Bissouma 1, Sarr 80.

Referee: John Brooks.

Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

Weather: Rain, light winds, 13 degrees.