Erling Haaland scored on his return to action as Man City held on for victory against Tottenham Hotspur to improve their hopes of a top-four finish.
Man City started strongly and went ahead in the 12th minute when Haaland met Jeremy Doku’s low cross with a first-time side-footed finish into the bottom corner, having been left unmarked.
Savinho should have doubled Man City’s lead when the lively Doku found him unmarked at the back post, but the Brazilian’s shot into the ground bounced over Guglielmo Vicario’s goal.
It took the hosts 45 minutes to test City goalkeeper Ederson, who tipped a header from Kevin Danso over the crossbar.
City broke at speed from the resulting corner but Matheus Nunes could not find Omar Marmoush at the back post with the Egyptian left all alone.
After controlling the first half, the visitors faded after the break, with Ederson called into action to prevent Wilson Odobert’s deflected effort from looping over him.
Mathys Tel scuffed a finish with only the goalkeeper to beat as Spurs kept pushing, before substitute Pape Sarr sliced wide from a dangerous cut-back.
Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min came off the bench – both were surprisingly left out of the starting XI by Ange Postecoglou – and their involvement further shifted momentum, with Son denied an equaliser by Ederson following a fast break.
“The game, it was open second half because we didn’t close the first. In this stadium always they have 20 to 25 minutes and second half we suffered,” Guardiola later explained.
“Never will [we be] the old City this season. Old City were too good, but we will be back.”
Haaland was back in the City side after missing the defeat by Real Madrid in Spain and the Premier League home loss to Liverpool.
The fit-again Norwegian thought he had scored a second City goal in stoppage time after bundling past two Tottenham defenders, but referee Jarred Gillett judged that he handled the ball. A VAR check determined there was inconclusive evidence that the on-field decision should be overturned.
Spurs immediately went up the other end and Sarr headed over from the hosts’ last chance to equalise.
Victory moves Man City up to fourth in the table, while Spurs sit 13th.
