Man City & Spurs: FA Cup Upsets & Fan Reactions

To open this multiplex of the 19th day of the Premier League, the focus was first on the meeting between Brentford and Tottenham, with a choppy first period marked by the intensity imposed by the locals. From the start, Spurs had great difficulty keeping up with Brentford, who pressed high and pushed Vicario to make a mistake in his restart (9th). Tottenham timidly tried to respond with a few pressing sequences, notably when Bentancur recovered an interesting ball and launched Richarlison, whose back cross found no one (11th). Behind, London’s defensive excitement appeared when Spence was slow to play a simple ball, allowing Lewis-Potter to come and harass him dangerously (14th). Despite everything, Tottenham showed themselves capable of technical flashes, like the superb control of Odobert followed by a percussion in the area, finally annihilated by a decisive return from Ajer (17th). The minutes passed without real domination, even if Brentford showed themselves to be more enterprising, taking advantage of Kayode’s long touches and the incessant activity of Lewis-Potter (19th, 28th). The Spurs, for their part, struggled to move on, despite a confusing sequence in the opposing area where Richarlison and Gray had obtained the hottest situation of the first period, brilliantly repelled by the Bees defense (32nd). At the break, the score remained goalless, under the whistles of visiting supporters frustrated by their team’s lack of offensive drive.

Returning from the locker room, Tottenham came back with better intentions, looking to play higher and put more pressure on the Brentford camp. Richarlison was very active, obtaining several interesting free kicks and serving as a point of support for his partners (49th). On one of them, Romero saw his shot blocked before Kudus missed the target in the continuity (50th). This more dynamic period for Spurs was confirmed with Kudus, sharper, who resisted the duel before coming up against Vicario, even if the action was flagged offside (53rd). Brentford were not to be outdone, however, and came close to opening the score when Lewis-Potter clumsily took a back cross after a well-constructed collective movement (54th). The tension then rose a notch, particularly after a contentious duel between Romero and Thiago which made the stadium rumble (56th). Tottenham thought they had a penalty when Gray fell in the area, but the VAR confirmed the referee’s initial decision (57th). In an increasingly physical match, Palhinha received a warning for a foul near the area (60th), before Vicario stood out on a powerful header from Janelt, well served by Henderson (63rd). Despite this start and a livelier second half, the Spurs were unable to make the difference and remained held on by a solid and disciplined Bees (0-0).

The Cityzens suffered

At the same time, at the Stadium of Light, Manchester City faced Sunderland as favorites, but came up against a well-organized home team. From the kick-off, given by the Skyblues, Pep Guardiola’s men confiscated the ball and sought to establish their possession game. Very early on, City thought they would open the score from a corner when Bernardo Silva returned from close range after a deflection from Haaland, but the Portuguese was flagged offside (6th). This alert did not prevent Sunderland from being courageous and dangerous in transition, regularly putting the Mancunian defense under pressure. Despite City’s obvious territorial domination, the pace remained controlled by the Black Cats, who defended low and sought to exploit the slightest opening. The debates became more balanced as the minutes passed, and although the Citizens circulated the ball patiently, they struggled to create real clear chances before the break. At half-time, the two teams returned to the locker room with a draw, Sunderland having demonstrated that it was capable of resisting the Mancunian offensive armada (45th + 6).

The second half confirmed this tense scenario, with Sunderland still disciplined and Manchester City forced to accelerate to make the difference. The locals even created a huge opportunity when Enzo Le Fée threw Mayenda perfectly deep, but Donnarumma relaxed magnificently to repel the striker’s right-footed shot (54th). This burst of heat woke up City, who pushed harder and were sharper in the last thirty meters. On a long ball from Matheus Nunes, Gvardiol appeared in the area and placed a powerful header, diverted from a superb save by Roefs above his crossbar (65th). Thanks to a new cross from Nunes, the Croatian defender had a second attempt to shake the net without success (74th). Despite this growing pressure, Sunderland held on, increasing their defensive efforts and taking advantage of the slightest enemy approximation to breathe. The score did not change until the final whistle, leaving Manchester City frustrated (0-0) but still well placed in the race for first places, while this precious point allowed Sunderland to gain ground and consolidate their position in the standings in a fight that was still as tight in the Premier League.