Tottenham player ratings in their defeat to Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur succumbed to a narrow defeat at the hands of Manchester City when the two clashed again at the Etihad on Saturday.

An early goal from Phil Foden turned out to be the main difference between the two sides, in what was a cagey affair post the goal.

Here are the Spurs players rated in their defeat to Man City.

Paulo Gazzaniga (7/10): Had no chance of stopping the close-range header from Phil Jones for Manchester City’s opener. Had a relatively easy time afterwards, as nearly all of City’s effort went straight at him but an outstanding stop to deny Raheem Sterling in the second half was the highlight of his performance.

Juan Foyth (7/10): It was a surprising decision to deploy Foyth in the wing-back role but one that paid off rather well as the youngster was diligent at the back and was disciplined enough to keep a check on Sterling on the right flank.

Davinson Sanchez (7.5/10): After an erratic start to the game, when he completely lost track of Sergio Aguero for Man City’s opener, Sanchez significantly improved his game. The Colombian showed excellent commitment and discipline to prevent the City attackers from making any further inroads into the box.

Toby Alderweireld (6/10): Looked sloppy at times in keeping up with the Man City attackers and also got away with a handball, which could have been a penalty at the start of the second half. Not the best of days for the Belgian international.

Jan Vertonghen (7.5/10): Made a host of excellent tackles to deny the opposition from making any inroads inside the box. The veteran defender was very reliable at the back, aside from a sloppy tackle on Bernardo Silva in the first half, which he was lucky to get away with.

Ben Davies (8/10): Was excellent on the far side where he was quick to press the Manchester City players on the ball and also made a few useful runs going forward. Arguably the most effective Tottenham defender in the match.

Christian Eriksen (8/10): Perhaps the most dangerous Tottenham player on the pitch, Eriksen created a plethora of opportunities for his side in the first half, including one delightful through pass to set up Son Heung-Min.

Eric Dier (5/10): Extremely rusty after returning from a long spell on the sidelines. His distribution was awful and looked out of pace in dealing with the technically superior Manchester City midfielders.

Dele Alli (6.5/10): Showed glimpses of his brilliance, at times, with a couple of neat flicks and tricks. His combination play was also decent but it was, overall, an ineffective attacking display from the England international.

Son Heung-Min (8.5/10): Offered an excellent shift upfront in the absence of both Llorente and Kane. The South Korean international exerted a lot of pressure on the Man City defenders and was always on the lookout for a run in-behind the backline. Could have done a lot better in converting his opportunities, though.

Lucas Moura(8/10): Tried his best to find the equalizer after a rather steady start to the game. The Brazilian was denied twice during the final stage of the game when Ederson made an excellent save few minutes before the end while Aymeric Laporte’s superb tackle also stopped him in his tracks.

SUBSTITUTES

Victor Wanyama (6.5/10): Replaced Dier around the hour-mark and offered more urgency and physical presence in the Spurs midfield.

Danny Rose (7/10): Was quite influential after replacing Alli in the 69th minute as he distributed the ball quite efficiently when operating in a midfield role.

Fernando Llorente (NA): A 78th-minute substitute for Alderweireld. The Spaniard should have been introduced much earlier, though.