Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs beat Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur’s display against Manchester City was the best of the weekend according to Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas.
Spurs became the first side to beat Pep Guardiola’s side in any competition this season and managed it convincingly with a 2-0 scoreline which could and should have been greater.
A ninth-minute own goal from Aleksandar Kolarov set the tone for City, before Dele Alli doubled the hosts’ advantage shortly before the break.
At that point Spurs will have known – albeit secretly – the result was theirs, having never lost a game in which the England midfielder has scored (W8, D3), although second-half Erik Lamela’s penalty miss may have re-introduced a few nerves to White Hart Lane.
Nicholas, though, was suitably impressed by Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who he says caused panic amongst what the Premier League’s second-best defence before kick-off.
“It was the performance of the weekend,” the former Arsenal man told Sky Sports. “Mauricio Pochettino’s side were at it right from the first whistle, they squeezed City and forced them into situations where their defence looked nervous.
“You could see the panic in Aleksandar Kolarov’s face for his own goal.”
What’s more, Spurs, who closed the gap on their first-placed opponents to a point, did so in the absence of their talisman during each of the last two seasons in Harry Kane.
And that, Nicholas suggests, should have the rest of the Premier League running scared.
He added: “It was a first-class display and must give them even greater belief considering they were missing Harry Kane.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
