Player ratings as Maddison double consigns Cityzens to fifth consecutive defeat

Manchester City were condemned to an unprecedented fifth consecutive defeat as a brilliant Tottenham Hotspur romped to a deserved 4-0 victory on Saturday evening.

James Maddison fired the visitors in front completely against the run of play, exposing the widening cracks in City’s fragile confidence. Tottenham’s divisive playmaker doubled his tally in the 20th minute as the reigning champions wobbled uncontrollably. Pedro Porro added a third at the start of the second half before Brennan Johnson made it 4-0.

Pep Guardiola, fresh from penning a two-year contract extension, has never suffered such a sustained run of defeats. Beyond the result, the criminally inept performance will be of even greater concern.

How the game unfolded

Still wounded by four successive defeats heading into the international break, City started in a blur of channelled rage. Erling Haaland lined up at the tip of a reshaped setup and was presented with two clear openings inside the first ten minutes, only to squander them both.

James Maddison was far more clinical. The reinvigorated midfielder celebrated his 28th birthday with a quick-fire brace. Maddison’s first surge into the box to volley in Dejan Kulusevski’s wonderfully arced cross was Tottenham’s first touch in City’s penalty area. Within seven minutes, Maddison was back at the sharp end of the pitch, exchanging passes with Son Heung-min before dinking Ederson.

City regained some sense of control after a ten-minute blackout, but Maddison’s opener seemed to remind the visitors – and an increasingly nervous Etihad crowd – of the hosts’ recent struggles. City‘s high line looked increasingly vulnerable, the press didn’t have the same snap and that signature composure in possession was conspicuous by its absence.

Guardiola reshuffled his frontline and brought on Nathan Ake at half-time, but it was Tottenham who struck once again within ten minutes of the restart. Kulusevski slalomed between a gaggle of sky blue shirts, knocking the ball between the legs of a particularly problematic Ilkay Gundogan before setting Dominic Solanke away. Tottenham’s front man rolled the ball back for an onrushing Pedro Porro to blast Spurs into a 3-0 lead.

Most of the game was played in Tottenham’s half and on their terms. Content to surrender possession, the visitors held their position, and afforded the luxury of launching swift raids in transition thanks to such an early lead.

Timo Werner came off the bench to spearhead one final surge forward. Skipping…