Tottenham hold Man City to 'zero first-half shots' for first time in four years
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For the first time in four years, Tottenham didn't have a single shot on target in the first half. An early FA Cup exit comes with a humiliating record.
Tottenham were brought to their knees by a 0-1 home defeat in the fourth round (round of 32) of the 2023-2024 FA Cup against Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Sunday.
On the day, City took 18 shots, five on goal. They converted one of those into a goal. Tottenham, on the other hand, surprisingly managed only one shot on target. A complete humiliation at home.
Spurs tried to turn the tide in the 28th minute of the second half by bringing on James Maddison, who had returned from injury, but it wasn't to be. In the 22 minutes he was on the pitch before extra time, he only touched the ball six times and completed 80% (4/5) of his passes.
With the game one-sided, Spurs conceded the game-winner in the 43rd minute. Defender Nathan Ake was beaten on the edge of the box to seal the win. Kevin De Bruyne, City's "key midfield resource," came back from the left flank to head the ball in. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario barely got a hand to it, but Ake was able to get a second shot off and rattle the Tottenham net.
The game ended with a clean sheet and a one-goal victory for City.
Spurs were sorely missed without their 'captain' Son Heung-min.
He was called up to the South Korean national team earlier this month by Jürgen Klinsmann. This was to prepare for the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar. In his absence, Tottenham faced English Premier League (EPL) runners-up Man City as they looked to advance to the round of 16 but failed to achieve the desired result.
Son was in peak goal-scoring form this season, scoring 12 goals in 20 EPL games before being sent off.
He was also very strong against City. According to soccer stats site Transfermarkt, Heung-min has eight goals and four assists in 18 career games against the Citizens. 바카라사이트 That's just shy of Harry Kane's (Bayern Munich) five goals and three assists in 16 games, who was Tottenham's "signature striker" until last season.
With the departure of Son Heung-min, Tottenham matched the feat four years after failing to register a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes at home in February 2020. Four years ago, it was also against Man City.
It was also Spurs' first FA Cup home defeat since February 2016 against Crystal Palace.
"It was a tough game against a top team," said Tottenham manager Enzi Postecoglou after the game, "We conceded too late, and City were the better team (today)."
"We defended them well, but it was a tough test," he added.
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min was in Qatar before the game to support Tottenham.
Heung-min, who is currently in Qatar preparing for the Round of 16 clash with Saudi Arabia, posted a photo on his social media accounts on Sunday of him watching the game from what he believes to be his hotel.
In the post, Son tagged the club's official account and wrote "COYS" (Come on you spurs), a Tottenham cheer. Despite his support, the game ended in a loss for Tottenham.
In fact, it's likely that Son Heung-min will be 'winless' again this season. Now in the second half of the season, Tottenham is in fifth place in the EPL. They are eight points behind leaders Liverpool, with a bit of a gap. In the EFL Cup, Tottenham also lost to Fulham on penalties in the second round.
With no European competition this season, Tottenham's only real shot at the title was in the FA Cup, but that didn't work out either.