Manchester City’s London evening began with a disallowed goal, almost by a millimeter, to the young Norwegian winger Oscar Bobb (20 years old), disappointed to know he was offside in the 5th minute of play, but nothing really disturbed City.
Pep Guardiola’s team had planned to come and put their grip on Tottenham and that’s what they did, a plan which never wavered in a match where Spurs only shot… once. times.
A very meager production which leaves little hope of qualification, but Tottenham, if not dangerous, has long contained the one who intended to be dangerous.
Under the eyes of Noel Gallagher and actor Matt Smith, City, 18 shots at the final whistle (but only five on target), only lacked realism to ensure earlier qualification towards the round of 16 of the FA Cup.
Sometimes a triple strike blocked in the 41st minute, sometimes a good save from Guglielmo Vicario in front of Bernardo Silva (81st), sometimes well-felt interventions from the Spurs defense…
The European champions never managed to find the net until the 88th minute, and a corner from the incoming Kevin de Bruyne, still him, taken after a mix-up by Nathan Aké (88th), opportunist.
A logical scenario in view of the meeting which will allow Guardiola’s flock to avoid a “replay”.
Chelsea and Villa will meet again
On the side of Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea received Aston Villa in the other great poster of the evening, the scenario remained dull until the end.
In a match that was long balanced in terms of offensive production, neither team managed to take advantage of its highlights – nor of opposing errors, such as that crude one by Emiliano Martinez, Villa goalkeeper, in the 69th minute.
Chelsea, who had missed the start of the match, dominated without success from the 20th, before seeing Unai Emery’s team take control of the match after returning from the locker room.
The Villains only left crumbs for the Blues during the second act (0.02 expected goals conceded, compared to 0.64 scored) but never managed to finish despite their 4 shots on target and some nice opportunities (73rd, 75th, 88th).
In the two other matches of the evening, Coventry (Championship) and Sheffield Wednesday (Championship) ended in a draw (1-1) while Nottingham (Premier League) came up against Bristol (Championship) in a scoreless match. (0-0). Return match for all!
