Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha Help Spurs Down Pep Guardiola's Man City
- Think Football Ideas
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
Tottenham Hotspur continue to relish their visits to the Etihad Stadium, and on this occasion, it was Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha who delivered the decisive moments to topple Manchester City.
Under Thomas Frank’s guidance, Spurs carved out a clinical 2-0 victory that handed Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens their first defeat of the 2025-26 campaign and highlighted the sharp new edge to this Tottenham side.
City threatened early with Omar Marmoush twice testing Guglielmo Vicario, the Italian keeper producing fine stops to keep the visitors level. But where City lacked ruthlessness, Spurs showed none of that hesitation.
Brennan Johnson, lurking with intent, latched onto Richarlison’s precise low cross to steer home. Though initially flagged offside, VAR confirmed Richarlison’s timing was flawless, and Spurs had an unlikely lead from their first real attack.
As City pressed to recover, calamity struck at the back. Goalkeeper James Trafford hesitated with the ball at his feet, inviting pressure from Tottenham’s front line. The loose pass eventually fell to Palhinha, who needed no invitation to thump home from close range.
His emphatic strike doubled Spurs’ advantage before the interval and left the Etihad crowd stunned. Erling Haaland squandered City’s best opening of the half with a wayward header, and from there Guardiola’s side struggled to break down Tottenham’s disciplined defensive block.
The north-London club were organised and relentless, forcing Man City wide and allowing Vicario to dominate his area whenever danger loomed.
The second half saw Tottenham threaten a third, with Dominic Solanke forcing a low save from Trafford and Wilson Odobert narrowly denied on the rebound.
But it was Johnson’s sharp finishing and Palhinha’s commanding presence in midfield that defined the contest as both stamped their mark on one of the toughest fixtures in English football.
The result gives Spurs back-to-back wins to open their campaign, a statement start under Frank. For City, it was a rare sight, beaten in their first home game by a side still finding its rhythm under a new manager.