1-2 v Manchester City - 16 March 2008 - Away

Tottenham Hotspur Badge

Spurs 1

Manchester City

Manchester City

2

  • Ireland
    59'
  • Onuoha
    72'
Details
Match Number

6690

Opposition
Manchester city

Manchester City

Competition
Premier League

Premier League

Season

2007/08

Date

16th March 2008

Kick Off

16:00

Venue

City of Manchester Stadium

Attendance

40,180

Referee

Mark Clattenburg

League Position

11th

Opposition League Position

8th

Opposition Form

DLLWWD

Weather at Kick Off

8.4° - Overcast

Facts & Milestones
  • 6655th overall match (3151 wins, 1460 draws, 2031 losses)

  • 5132nd competitive match (2280 wins, 1204 draws, 1648 losses)

  • team

    136th match vs Manchester City (53 wins, 33 draws, 50 losses)

  • competition

    611th Premier League match (221 wins, 160 draws, 230 losses)

  • 6121st match in England (2847 wins, 1377 draws, 1884 losses)

  • 7th match at City of Manchester Stadium (4 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss)

Report

Manchester City won for the first time at home in the Premier League since mid-December after second-half goals from Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha.

Robbie Keane's spectacular strike into the top corner gave Spurs the lead.

But City got a deserved equaliser when Elano headed towards goal and Ireland, who appeared to be offside, hooked the ball into the net from five yards.

Onuoha got the winner when he rose unchallenged to head a corner past a statuesque Paul Robinson.

Manchester City, so imperious at Eastlands at the start of the season, had not won at home in the league since their 4-2 defeat of Bolton.

And manager Sven-Goran Eriksson will be pleased with the way his side fought back from a goal down to claim their first victory over Tottenham since April 2003.

Both teams made a lackadaisical start, with the final ball often disappointing, but the game sprung into action in the 30th minute.

City appealed for handball as Michael Dawson appeared to stop Michael Johnson's close-range shot with his hand. Elano then reacted the quickest to the rebound, but the alert Dawson blocked the Brazilian's 25-yard effort.

Tottenham's response was immediate when Pascal Chimbonda and Keane combined for the Republic of Ireland striker's first goal in seven games.

Vedran Corluka allowed Chimbonda to get the better of him down the flank and the former Wigan full-back set the deadly Keane free to score from an acute angle.

Eriksson's men could, and perhaps should, have levelled before the break with Elano forcing a reflex save from Robinson and January signing Nery Castillo profligate on two occasions.

Castillo had another opportunity to equalise in the 52nd minute but the Mexico striker's hesitancy, when just a few yards from goal, allowed Robinson to clear the danger.

City's deserved goal came on the hour when Castillo mis-kicked Benjani's cross and Elano headed goalwards for Ireland to tap-in from five yards.

In response to the home side's domination, Juande Ramos replaced Keane with Darren Bent, much to the captain's annoyance, and Jamie O'Hara with Steed Malbranque.

But it was City who took the lead thanks to Onuoha's first goal for the club.

Spurs' substitutes combined with Bent poking O'Hara's free-kick beyond Joe Hart for what looked like a legitimate goal, but it was disallowed for offside and City celebrated a rare home win.

Timeline
KO
HT

Stephen Ireland

59'

Nedum Onuoha

72'
FT
Location
League Table
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Manchester united
29 21 4 4 59 15 44 67
2
Arsenal
30 19 10 1 58 22 36 67
3
Chelsea
29 19 7 3 49 18 31 64
4
Liverpool
30 16 11 3 55 21 34 59
5
Everton
29 17 5 7 47 24 23 56
6
Portsmouth
30 14 8 8 44 31 13 50
7
Aston villa
30 13 10 7 52 39 13 49
8
Blackburn rovers
30 12 10 8 39 37 2 46
9
Manchester city
29 12 9 8 34 33 1 45
10
West ham united
30 12 7 11 33 36 -3 43
11
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
28 9 8 11 53 45 8 35
12
Middlesbrough
30 7 10 13 27 44 -17 31
13
Wigan athletic
29 7 7 15 26 42 -16 28
14
Reading
30 8 4 18 35 57 -22 28
15
Newcastle united
29 7 7 15 30 56 -26 28
16
Sunderland
30 7 6 17 26 48 -22 27
17
Birmingham city
29 6 8 15 33 45 -12 26
18
Bolton wanderers
28 6 7 15 28 42 -14 25
19
Fulham
29 3 11 15 26 49 -23 20
20
Derby county
30 1 7 22 14 64 -50 10
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Manchester united
29 21 4 4 59 15 44 67
2
Arsenal
30 19 10 1 58 22 36 67
3
Chelsea
29 19 7 3 49 18 31 64
4
Liverpool
30 16 11 3 55 21 34 59
5
Everton
30 17 5 8 47 25 22 56
6
Portsmouth
30 14 8 8 44 31 13 50
7
Aston villa
30 13 10 7 52 39 13 49
8
Manchester city
30 13 9 8 36 34 2 48
9
Blackburn rovers
30 12 10 8 39 37 2 46
10
West ham united
30 12 7 11 33 36 -3 43
11
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
29 9 8 12 54 47 7 35
12
Wigan athletic
30 8 7 15 27 42 -15 31
13
Middlesbrough
30 7 10 13 27 44 -17 31
14
Newcastle united
30 7 8 15 31 57 -26 29
15
Reading
30 8 4 18 35 57 -22 28
16
Birmingham city
30 6 9 15 34 46 -12 27
17
Sunderland
30 7 6 17 26 48 -22 27
18
Bolton wanderers
29 6 7 16 28 43 -15 25
19
Fulham
30 4 11 15 27 49 -22 23
20
Derby county
30 1 7 22 14 64 -50 10
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