Manchester honour is just about saved as Spurs miss chance to make it six out of six
Tottenham (0) 0
Man City (1) 1 Haaland 12
So not quite the Manchester whitewash they hoped for then.
Spurs missed the chance to build on recent improvements in results as an early goal from Erling Haaland proved just enough to settle a clash that had a strangely subdued feel to it.
This was a far cry from the heady, astonishing excitement of the 4-0 win for Tottenham at the Etihad in the reverse fixture and made for a sorry footnote after five successive wins against City and United this season in league and Carabao Cup ties.
City took the lead with a goal of ridiculous simplicity - Jeremy Doku rolling the ball into the middle for a returning Erling Haaland to gratefully put away with the minimum of fuss and that was it for the night.
Not that we could have known because City impressed at the beginning and really should have put the game beyond Tottenham's reach - passing up several great chances to add to their tally.
Doku looked in the mood to test Pedro Porro down that Spurs right flank and he constantly tormented.
The winger worked his way inside before despatching a low shot that had Guglielmo Vicario scrambling low down to save. Another dash and low cross should have been put away by an unmarked Savinho at the far post - who skied it horribly.
Doku then squared to Haaland for a shot into the keeper's legs as the xG continued to outstrip the goals scored. Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines. The control he craves was missing from the scoreboard.
Spurs struggled to piece much together in the opening half, although Kevin Danso forced Ederson to back-peddle for a tip over as his header almost crept into the top corner.
Ange Postecoglou demanded a better showing after the break and there was way more vigour on display than during an insipid first half. Wilson Odobert wasn't too far away from converting Porro's low cross to the back post.
With a quarter of the game to go, Spurs made a quadruple substitution and started to up the tempo, having almost levelled when a surging run from Destiny Udogie misfired at the last. Mathys Tel, quiet for the most part, was one of the four hooked.
All four coming on are players fans would have perhaps liked to see on at the start, but now was their moment and the injection of pace provided by Heung-Min Son and Dejan Kulusevski down the flanks, coupled with the industry of Djed Spence and Pape Matar Sarr in the middle was immediately more promising.
Alas it proved an illusion. Spurs did not kick up enough of a storm.
Son almost converted a Brennan Johnson cross - Ederson saving low down - and there was a late chance for Sarr - who headed over from close in deep into injury time after a Porro cross had ricocheted off Son's back into his path. In truth though, they did not fashion enough.
Spurs: (4-3-3) Vicario - Porro, Gray, Danso, Udogie (Spence 66) - Bergvall, Bentancur (Matar Sarr 66), Maddison (Werner 82) - Johnson, Tel (Kulusevski 66), Odobert (Son 66)
Citizens: (4-2-3-1) Ederson - Matheus Nunes, Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Gvardiol - Kovacic (Gundogan 94), Gonzalez (Silva 70) - Savinho (McAtee 90), Marmoush (Foden 73), Doku (Grealish 94) - Haaland
Attendance: 60,820
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