After coming on as a substitute, Ortega made some crucial saves to prevent Spurs from equalising before Haaland sealed the game in injury time from a penalty.
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Manchester City got one step closer to defending their Premier League title following an important midweek win. Pep Guardiola’s side will now head to the final day with an advantage over second-placed Arsenal. It is all thanks to their hard-fought win over Tottenham Hotspur away from home. It is not a ground where City have a great record but they did enough to get the three points and keep them in front ahead of the final Premier League weekend.
Arsenal could only have remained in first place if Manchester City had lost at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday. Spurs did well to keep City at bay in the opening 45 minutes. However, Erling Haaland opened the score for the visitors at the start of the second half. Then came the Stefan Ortega Moreno show. After coming on as a substitute, Ortega made some crucial saves to prevent Spurs from equalising before Haaland sealed the game in injury time from a penalty.
Even though Pep Guardiola is delighted to win the game, he knows very well the job is not done yet. “I like that they were so happy in the locker room but they know it’s not done. I didn’t see an extra celebration. They know perfectly it will be tough. People have to come to Etihad at 3 on Sunday knowing it will be difficult. They have to come with their families and bring the energy, win every inch and metre and deserve to win that game. All we have to do is win that game. To have the chance to live that possibility we are so fortunate,” Guardiola, quoted on the club’s website, said after the game.
On the final matchday, Manchester City will welcome West Ham United to Etihad. If City can match Arsenal’s result, title will remain in Manchester for another year. “Now be focused, relaxed, one day off, recovery and two days to prepare. I think it will be quite similar to Aston Villa in terms of emotions and difficulty. I know my players and how they handle the pressure. We have to stay in the game. We will have to try to do it,” he explained.
The manager added: “Tomorrow start to think about West Ham. Of course, it’s a pleasure to give us a chance to defend against a contender like Arsenal. We have experience for a short time what happened against Aston Villa, 70-plus minutes, 2-0 down. The most famous goal of our club, Sergio Aguero scored 93:20 against QPR, we were 1-2 down after 90 minutes more or less. Now it’s against Michail Antonio and James Ward-Prowse, set-pieces and channels and think about it and focus perfectly.”
Guardiola also praised the mindset of his players for staying in the title race despite their injury issues. “We have to win one more game to retain the title. This season after the Treble with Kevin six months out and Erling out and for the problems we have but still we are there. There is something in the training sessions, their mentality, the way they live, the mindset of the players,” he explained.
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