Manchester City 2 Tottenham 2: Controversial Son strike bails out Lloris

Tottenham bailed out captain Hugo Lloris, storming back after a pair of uncharacteristic errors from the goalkeeper to snatch a 2-2 draw at Manchester City.

Within the space of five second-half minutes, Lloris mistakes had gifted goals to Leroy Sane and Kevin De Bruyne, the Belgium international scoring his first City goal in 14 games in the simplest manner.

City really had deserved to be ahead after a searing first-half performance, in which they had laid siege to Lloris’s goal but somehow not taken the lead.

But, after Dele Alli nodded Spurs back into the contest, Pep Guardiola was apoplectic as Raheem Sterling was denied a clear penalty and Son Heung-min equalised within a minute.

A pulsating game swung back and forth and there was no end to the drama as debutant Gabriel Jesus was denied a first City goal by the offside flag, forcing City to settle for a draw that ought to have been much more.

A point apiece does little for either side’s Premier League ambitions but completes a fantastic day for leaders Chelsea who also saw Liverpool and Manchester United shell points and could be as many as nine points clear if they beat Hull City at home on Sunday.

Guardiola said pre-match that he may not be good enough to lead City’s players but his clear attacking intentions resulted in a fantastic show from the off, with Yaya Toure deployed in a holding role behind Sterling, De Bruyne, David Silva and Sane.

As City succeeded in putting Spurs swiftly on the back foot, Guardiola will have lamented the best of City’s chances falling to Pablo Zabaleta, who intercepted a one-two between Sergio Aguero and De Bruyne and scuffed wide.

From the resulting goal kick, Aguero was off-target after Zabaleta tenaciously won the ball back and the right-back was again in the thick of the action as he drove narrowly wide left-footed.

Eric Dier and Kevin Wimmer were booked by the 13th minute as Spurs struggled to cope and Lloris tipping a shot wide from Silva prompted Mauricio Pochettino to alter his formation, with Dier pushed forward from defence in an attempt to stem the flow of midfield runners.

But the City onslaught was ceaseless.

A stooping Sane aimed wide and a diving Lloris plucked Aguero’s header before denying the striker one-on-one and punching a sharp Sterling shot as Spurs clung on to reach the interval level – perhaps through more luck than judgement.

But Lloris’s judgement abandoned him to hand City control of the game.

The Spurs captain first rushed out to meet a long ball but succeeded only in heading the ball into Sane, who gleefully rolled into an unguarded net before De Bruyne was afforded a similar luxury to tuck home after Lloris had inexplicably spilled Sterling’s cross.

But the visitors’ first piece of attacking incision halved the deficit, Kyle Walker latching onto a loose ball and whipping a stunning cross that allowed Alli the simple task of nodding home from inside the six-yard box – Claudio Bravo conceding the first shot at him for the fifth time in eight games.

Danny Rose hooked the ball away from Sterling as he bore down on goal, amid calls for a penalty, but referee Andre Marriner baffled the home crowd when the England attacker was one-on-one with Lloris, only to have his shooting stride interrupted by a clear shove in the back from Walker.

Lloris subsequently launched a counter-attack and Kane – just offside – touched Christian Eriksen’s pass into Son and the South Korean finished with unerring cool.

Jesus was afforded a huge reception as he replaced Sterling and his first touch almost put the winner on a plate for Sane before his own moment of glory was cut short to compound the feeling of deep frustration at the Etihad Stadium.

Key Opta stats:

– Manchester City failed to win a Premier League game they were two or more goals ahead in for the first time since December 2014 against Burnley.
– Six of Son Heung-Min’s seven Premier League goals this season have been scored away from home.
– Son has scored in each of his last two away Premier League substitute appearances.
– Claudio Bravo has conceded from 16 of the last 24 shots on target he has faced in the Premier League, including each of the last six.
– Hugo Lloris has conceded 13 goals in his last four Premier League appearances at the Etihad.
– Dele Alli has scored more Premier League goals this season (11 in 21 games) than he had in the whole of last season (10 in 33).

– Gabriel Jesus is the 10th Brazilian to play for Man City in the Premier League – only Chelsea have seen more (12).