A formality in the strangest environments. In the seconds after Erling Haaland scored the goal that won this match and probably the Premier League title, you could feel the tension simply evaporating. And that wasn’t outside. It was the entire stadium, like Tottenham Hotspur fans immediately began chanting about the march.
This was followed by a stadium chant making the City of Manchester dance of “Poznan” fans and many more than standing because they “hated Arsenal”. Finally there was “are you watching, Arsenal?”
Until then, there would be a nervous energy about the occasion. Spurs fans were almost eager to support their team. There was expectation when they broke, and boos when Ruben Dias poorly controlled the ball out of play, but he didn’t feel like he had a full voice.
That changed at the moment of the goal. The situation changed again when Son Heung-Min scored 1-0. Somehow, a player who is statistically the best finisher in the Premier League didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has carved out his own place in city folklore. Arsenal could make similar jokes about Tottenham. It was all very strange. So the Premier League has yet another type of storyline to add to its archive of stories, although this different type of occasion will almost certainly lead to the same champions. This 2-0 win means City will have it all in hand on the final day and any victory over West Ham United will be enough.
Arsenal need a miracle, although they said the same about this game. You could definitely say that about Son’s disappearance.
The biggest oddity of the occasion was that the surreal atmosphere seemed to be serving Arsenal for at least the first half. It only took a few seconds for the home crowd to make everyone aware of the fundamental truth of this occasion. The immediate cry was “we hate Arsenal”.
However, as Spurs started very well, City struggled to get going. There was a levelness on the screen. They weren’t really building movements. Only Phil Foden was really making it all happen in the middle with short innovative runs to create space. On the right, Kyle Walker was repeatedly passed – on a route that often seemed to pose a real risk to Spurs – but he couldn’t do much about it. When an explosion resulted in Bernardo Silva’s shot on goal, the ball ricocheted off Radu Dragusin. This was immediately ruled offside, but it fostered the feeling that this could be one of those nights.
Then, just a few minutes after the break, Haaland scored one of those goals. A Spurs attack saw the ball go straight to the other end and to Kevin De Bruyne. He hadn’t played his best game, but he would always play the necessary ball at a moment like that. The Belgian saw the space, placing him in that gap between the defenders, for Haaland to score easily. The champions scored a goal that has become so familiar – even in this type of game. It was almost even more inevitable in this type of game. When everything is out of order, return to the process.
City fans weren’t the only fans chanting.
Spurs, in turn, continued. The team did its part. They pressed City more than Arsenal here and played like the pros. Cristian Romero was so determined to have a chance that he collided with Ederson in a difficult moment to watch. The goalkeeper had to leave and was visibly uncomfortable on the bench.
His replacement, Stefan Ortega, immediately had much more to do – and much more. Dejan Kulusevski first got behind the City defense to hit a shot that almost went under the keeper, but he did enough.
This signaled a different tension taking over. It was a more classic encounter, as the champions sought to maintain their lead and a certain firmness. The problem with this type of approach is that there is always a certain amount of compromise. There is an anxiety that brings a risk, which increases as you get closer to the end.
So it was a moment that could be almost as significant as the goal. In the 85th minute, Manuel Akanji was caught as the last man in City’s midfield. Son ran towards goal, for a one-on-one that would certainly be won. City’s number one substitute remained strong. Ortega brilliantly stayed on the ground to firmly block Son’s low shot. Pep Guardiola fell back in amazement.
Moments later, Jeremy Doku fell in the other area due to a foul. Haaland stepped up and won the second, which will now certainly make City the first team in history to win four titles in a row. They still need to win on Sunday, but does anyone doubt that? There were already many doubts about the direction the title would take, let alone this game?
This is a discussion that will undoubtedly escalate next week. Spurs fans will feel they don’t need to get into a horrible argument about whether they helped their biggest rivals win their first league title in 20 years. The tension disappeared, especially in the title race itself.
Moments before the end, there was the same corner that marked the second half.
“Are you watching Arsenal?” Most probably switched off after the penalty.
