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Jose Mourinho is happy again and it’s easy to see why. The Portuguese manager said he was “going to sleep like an angel” after Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 win against Manchester City on Saturday.
It is an important result that has propelled Tottenham to the top of the Premier League table. The North London side has been in imperious form this season and are now inching towards a first title win in decades.
The game against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City was supposed to be their biggest test yet. Having not lost in the league since the opening day defeat to Everton, Spurs went into the game in high spirits.
In the end, they passed the test with flying colors. It took just five minutes for Tottenham to find the net, as Tanguy Ndombele’s pass found an unmarked Heung-Min Son who fired past the onrushing Ederson.
A Mourinho masterclass
While Manchester City dominated possession, it was Tottenham who had the better chances and could have scored at least three goals in the first half. This was a tactical masterclass from Mourinho that even Guardiola admitted, albeit begrudgingly.
For a manager who some have tagged as finished, the Portuguese reminded his doubters that he was still the 'Special One'. And it was his shrewd game management that ensured Spurs eventually got their cushioning goal.
In the 65th minute, Mourinho substituted Ndombele for Giovanni Lo Celso and the Argentine’s first touch resulted in a goal. A swift counter-attack saw Harry Kane lay a through pass to Lo Celso who calmly placed the ball between the legs of Ederson to give Spurs a 2-0 lead.
While Hugo Lloris was called into action a couple of times in the dying seconds, this was a vintage Jose Mourinho-led performance by the Spurs in the end.
Tottenham Hotspur are Premier League contenders
When Mourinho spoke during his post-game conference, you could sense the joy and hope in his voice, despite his attempts to manage expectations.
"It feels good [to be top], but maybe tomorrow we are second again and honestly that would not be a problem for me, I am just happy with the evolution,” the Spurs boss said after the game, as quoted by Eurosport.
"People cannot expect us to come here and after one season we are fighting for the title. We are not fighting for the title, we are just fighting to win every match. But we are going to lose matches, we are going to draw matches.”
The Portuguese may not want to admit that Spurs are title contenders yet, but the win against Manchester City was a huge statement of intent and it emphasizes the club's title ambitions.
Tottenham Hotspur currently sit atop the Premier League table and totally deserve their place for the impressive run they’ve had in the English top-flight so far.
