TOTTENHAM 2-2 MAN CITY: Dominic Solanke was the comeback king for Spurs, as they earned a valuable draw while doing rivals Arsenal a huge favour in this season’s Premier League title race
A spectacular goal from Dominic Solanke earned Jekyll-and-Hyde Tottenham a 2-2 draw with Manchester City. Solanke’s scorpion kick was the sting in the tail for City, whose title hopes suffered another blow after throwing away three points.
Pep Guardiola’s side were on course for victory when Rayan Cherki broke the deadlock with only 11 minutes on the clock. Antoine Semenyo then doubled the visitors’ lead before half-time.
Thomas Frank must’ve given his players quite the team talk, as they looked a different outfit after the interval. Solanke gave Tottenham hope with a scrappy goal before he produced an acrobatic finish to equalise with 20 minutes to go, setting up a grandstand finish.
City regained their composure and pushed for a winner, but they couldn’t find one. The result, coupled with Aston Villa’s loss, means that Arsenal are six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Here are five talking points from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
FOLLOW OUR MAN CITY FB PAGE! Follow our Manchester City Mirror Football Facebook page
READ MORE: Erling Haaland’s agent dramatically demands transfer change hours before deadlineREAD MORE: Man City admit defeat in three-way battle as star sold to Premier League rival
1. Cherki continues hot streak
It’s been a productive 2026 for Cherki. In his last seven games, the winger has directly contributed to six goals, the latest of which came after just 11 minutes.
Finding space on the right after Erling Haaland offloaded the ball to him, Cherki waited patiently as Radu Dragusin backed off. The ex-Lyon star then unleashed a strike with his right foot which beat the sprawling Guglielmo Vicario to open the scoring.
City’s early goal did little to change the subdued atmosphere in North London. But after Haaland almost made it 2-0 a few minutes later, the home crowd began to make their voices heard in anger.
Cherki looked set to come off injured in the 25th minute, with Tijjani Reijnders stripped and ready. However, the France international was fine to continue – but it didn’t stop him from receiving a few stern words from a bemused Guardiola.
2. Semenyo haunts Spurs again
Given how open Tottenham remained as the half wore on, City’s second goal felt a matter of when not if. Semenyo was the man to double their lead, scoring against Spurs for the second time this calendar year.
His final touch for Bournemouth, ahead of his big-money move to Manchester, proved to be the winning goal against Frank’s team on January 7. Semenyo hurt them again here, netting a simple finish just before half-time after Bernardo Silva played him in.
The £62.5million man became the first player to score against Tottenham for two different clubs in the same Premier League season. Spurs better hope they don’t come up against City in the Champions League.
3. Romero concern adds to Tottenham’s troubles
As the second half began, 10 of the same Tottenham players who’d trudged into the dressing room 15 minutes earlier came back out. But Cristian Romero wasn’t one of them, having been replaced by Pape Matar Sarr at the break.
Bizarrely, the Spurs captain hadn’t shown any sign of an injury. Although his primary job is defending, the Argentine’s goals have been equally as vital for Tottenham in recent weeks. If his absence was fitness-related, Frank will be worried.
Who’ll win the Premier League title? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
4. Stunning Solanke inspires Spurs comeback
Having been sidelined for much of Frank’s reign, Solanke has quickly become an important player for the Spurs boss and inspired their comeback. Latching onto a ball from Xavi Simons in the 53rd minute, the striker shrugged off Abdukodir Khusanov before Marc Guehi got a foot in with a sliding tackle.
Solanke didn’t give up, though, as he and Guehi went for the ball. Both of them appeared to get a touch and it went Spurs’ way to land in the back of the net.
With 20 minutes to go, Solanke – who was awarded the first goal – took matters into his own hands and equalised in style. After Conor Gallagher drove down the right and whipped in a cross, the 28-year-old flicked his right leg behind him and scored a scorpion kick which looped over Donnarumma.
5. The real winners? Arsenal.
Arsenal win, Villa lose and City draw – sounds like a dream weekend for Spurs’ bitter rivals. After this game of two halves, it came true.
City looked the more likely side to score a winner but Guardiola’s men were denied, even with nine minutes of stoppage time added on. Tottenham lost Solanke to a late injury – another downside to their day – but dug in for a draw.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us – and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
