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#3 Hit: Raheem Sterling
Manchester City’s captain on the night, Sterling, was virtually unplayable out wide. He gave both Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga a hard time as he kept switching flanks with Phil Foden throughout the game.
The Englishman played an important role in both of Manchester City’s first two goals, linking up well with Gabriel Jesus in the lead up to the penalty. Sterling displayed some mesmerizing interplay with Foden in the Spurs penalty area before slipping Gundogan through.
What makes Sterling’s performance even more impressive is that his energy levels did not drop as the clock ticked on. He showed speed, skill, and desire in equal measure even in the late stages of the game, as the ruthless Manchester City side went on the hunt for more goals.
#4 Flop: Erik Lamela
The Argentinian was part of a Spurs side severely lacking in creativity in the face of a formidable Manchester City defense. However, Lamela’s performance was made even more frustrating by the numerous niggly fouls he committed during his time on the pitch.
Having walked the tightrope of a booking virtually from the start of the game, Lamela finally received the yellow card in the 65th minute for one in a series of clumsy challenges that typified Spurs’ frustrations on the night.
His poor outing finally came to an end when he was replaced by Gareth Bale in the 72nd minute, with his side 3-0 down and Lamela himself having provided nothing more than a yellow card to show for his appearance.
#5 Hit: Ederson
It appears that keeping clean sheets is becoming all too easy for the Brazilian shot-stopper, as the majority of his contributions to this game came in an attacking sense.
There was added scrutiny around Ederson before this game. Guardiola had hinted that his goalkeeper might be taking over penalty duties in light of Manchester City’s woeful form from 12 yards, which is why there was a layer of added intrigue when Manchester City were awarded a spot-kick in the 21st minute.
Even though a hopeful Ederson ventured as far as the half-line and half-enquired about who would take the penalty, the footballing world was left a little disappointed. It was midfielder Rodri who converted from the spot.
However, the Brazilian was not to be outdone. He claimed a rare assist with a humongous kick out from the back that turned into the ideal through-ball for Gundogan to latch on to, with the German duly obliging.
And with a couple of smart saves late on, Ederson reminded everyone that he was still mindful of his primary duties on the pitch as he comfortably secured his 14th clean sheet of the season.
