Spurs edge past Man City to reach EFL Cup quarter-finals

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the last eight of the EFL Cup, as goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr earned them a narrow win over a partially youthful Manchester City on a night when both teams picked up injuries.

The two sides were rotated, City more so, with Pep Guardiola turning to his talented youngsters. And the experience difference told as Spurs created far more chances.

The excellent Werner opener the scoring on the counter-attack, before Sarr curled in a sublime second to give a rampant Tottenham a deserved 2-0 lead after just 26 minutes.

But City gradually got a hold on the game and pulled one back on the stroke of half-time through Matheus Nunes.

City had more of the ball in the second half and built pressure as Spurs dropped deeper, but it was still the home side who had the better of the chances, twice missing one-on-ones.

A superb goal-line clearance from Yves Bissouma kept his side ahead in the last significant moment of the match, and the Spurs squad were all smiles as they marched into the quarters.

Tottenham will hope that Micky van de Ven’s hamstring injury is not too serious, while Manchester City will await an update on Savinho, who was taken off on a stretcher in the second half.

There were so many interesting threads to this game, with City blooding a bunch of impressive-looking youngsters. Yet they still fielded a relatively strong defence that struggled to contain Spurs on the break.

Werner’s excellence on the left side earned him a standing ovation when he hobbled off, but much of the interest from a Tottenham perspective came from tactical tweaks – the hosts started with three centre-backs and something resembling a double pivot in midfield.

Quietly, Ange Postecoglou continues to make subtle changes to his team’s set-up. Will it help steer them to silverware?

Tottenham’s No. 10 was central to everything they did all evening. He provided two assists and could well have had a goal of his own, only to be denied by Stefan Ortega.

But his performance was far more than just that – he ran things for Spurs on the break, popping up all over the pitch and playing the full 90 minutes, working his socks off until the final seconds.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario 6; Gray 6, Romero 7, Dragusin 7, Van de Ven 6; Sarr 8, Bentancur 7, Kulusevski 9; Johnson 6, Werner 8, Solanke 7. Subs: Udogie 7, Bissouma 7, Davies 6, Moore 6, Richarlison 6.

Manchester City: Ortega 7; Lewis 7, Stones 6, Akanji 6, Ake 6; Gundogan 4, McAtee 6, O’Reilly 6; Savinho 7, Nunes 7, Foden 6. Subs: Kovacic 7, Gvardiol 7, Silva 6, Wright 6, Simpson-Pusey 6.

6’ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-0 MAN CITY (WERNER) Oh my word! Ruthless counter-attack from Spurs as Johnson sets Kulusevski away down the right. He’s in acres of space and picks out a deep cross towards Timo Werner on the far side. The stadium holds its breath as the ball and Werner meet on the edge of the City box, but his finish is emphatic and he is mobbed by his teammates. 1-0!

15’ – INJURY CONCERN FOR SPURS Van de Ven showed off his supreme pace to deny Savinho, but he has a little rub of his hamstring before waving to the dugout. It’s not a clear injury, but it’s always going to be a concern when a player like that tweaks such a key muscle. There’s a hush around the Tottenham Stadium.

26’ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 2-0 MAN CITY (SARR) Spurs opt to take the corner short and Kulusevski then squares a pass to Sarr in midfield. He’s a long way out, but bends a beauty of a shot around the crowd of players in the box, catching out an unsighted Ortega as his curling effort nestles in the bottom corner. 2-0!

45+5’ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 2-1 MAN CITY (NUNES) Right at the end of stoppage time at the end of the first half, City pull one back. Savinho steps onto his right and dinks a deep cross to the far side of the box, where Nunes is completely unmarked and scores with a first-time effort.

60’ – THE STRETCHER IS ON Savinho has done something more significant than it first looked. The stretcher is coming on to help him from the field, adding to City’s mounting injury list. Here’s hoping he won’t be out for long.

88’ – BRILLIANT FROM BISSOUMA! Vicario comes for the corner but gets nowhere near it. The second ball drops to O’Reilly with no keeper at home, but Bissouma makes a brilliant clearance on the line to keep his team ahead. He’s embraced by his goalkeeper in way of thanks.