Ange Postecoglou vindicated on big night for Tottenham - but Man City win may have come at cost

Tottenham progressed to the Carabao Cup quarter-final with an entertaining 2-1 triumph implicit Manchester City, marred by an wounded to Micky van de Ven.

Timo Werner opened the scoring with a crisp decorativeness earlier Pape Matar Sarr’s superb long-range onslaught made it 2-0.

Matheus Nunes pulled 1 backmost connected the changeable of half-time but Spurs were the amended broadside successful the 2nd half, with Stefan Ortega making a drawstring of saves successful the City goal.

Here are 3 talking points from the game…

Postecoglou vindicated connected large night

This felt similar an important effect for Tottenham, maintaining their hopes of winning a trophy and astatine the disbursal of City - the astir palmy broadside successful the modern past of this competition.

With the champions eliminated - and Chelsea and Aston Villa besides going retired connected Wednesday - Spurs should consciousness the Carabao Cup is wide open, representing a large accidental for the nine to extremity their 14-year hold for silverware.

The effect whitethorn person travel astatine a outgo - much connected that beneath - but for Ange Postecoglou determination was besides vindication successful his determination to rotate the squad.

The Spurs caput manager made 5 changes from the decision astatine Crystal Palace (while City made six) but the hosts played immoderate beauteous shot astatine times and would person won by much goals were it not for immoderate outstanding goalkeeping from City’s Ortega.

Their 2 goals were some terrific moves, Werner finishing first-time from Dejan Kulusevski’s transverse earlier Sarr’s 30-yard curler aft a well-worked country routine.

Postecoglou besides deserves recognition for different astute tactical power astatine the interval, withdrawing Sarr and introducing a 2nd holding midfield successful Yves Bissouma.

The alteration helped Spurs to wrestle backmost the momentum from City, contempt Nunes’ back-post decorativeness connected the changeable of half-time.

It was the 3rd clip successful 4 games Postecoglou has made a sub astatine the interval and his changes besides proved canny successful the location wins implicit West Ham and AZ Alkmaar.

Spurs volition present await look guardant to a location crippled against Manchester United successful the adjacent circular with optimism, amid a consciousness that this squad remains a enactment successful advancement but is susceptible of beating immoderate hostile connected their day.

Werner backmost among the goals

Werner’s nighttime ended sourly arsenic helium limped disconnected aft pulling up portion taking a country - though Postecoglou afterwards said helium hoped helium was conscionable suffering from “fatigue”.

The crippled had started superbly for the German, who ended his wretched tally of finishing with his archetypal extremity successful six months, a beauteous onslaught from wrong the box.

Werner conscionable managed to get successful beforehand of Rico Lewis to people and you wondered if it was a lawsuit of the German having nary clip to deliberation astir the opportunity.

Any hopes that the extremity would unfastened the floodgates for Werner proved optimistic, however, arsenic helium missed a succession of further chances.

The closest helium came to different was erstwhile helium raced cleanable done from Dominic Solanke walk but fired wide of the acold station aft his interaction took him distant from goal.

In the end, it was thing of a diagnostic show from Werner, afloat of consenting moving but abbreviated of an extremity product, his extremity aside.

Still, it was a nighttime which demonstrated that Werner tin inactive beryllium a decisive subordinate for Spurs, who should not beryllium written disconnected arsenic a utile subordinate of the squad.

Van de Ven wounded could beryllium a immense blow

This was different juncture which raised acquainted and uncomfortable questions astir the schedule, arsenic some teams suffered what looked similar superior injuries.

Savinho was stretchered disconnected successful the 2nd half, portion City besides mislaid Manuel Akanji to an wounded successful the warm-up.

For Spurs, a large triumph came astatine a outgo arsenic some Van de Ven and Werner were forced disconnected with suspected musculus injuries, perchance large blows to Postecoglou successful occupation areas of the squad.

Van de Ven, who amazingly started astatine left-back, clutched the backmost of his close limb aft racing backmost to tackle Savinho wrong the archetypal 15 minutes and appeared successful existent distress arsenic helium trudged disconnected the transportation to beryllium replaced by Destiny Udogie.

Van de Ven missed 2 months of past play aft suffering a hamstring wounded astatine astir the aforesaid signifier and fixed the mode helium plays - repeatedly sprinting backmost from Spurs’ precocious enactment to marque challenges - possibly 1 a play is par for the course.

Losing the unsocial Van de Ven for immoderate magnitude of time, though, would beryllium a sizeable stroke to a Spurs broadside who are already abbreviated of screen astatine centre-half and trust connected the his betterment gait to assistance execute Postecoglou’s high-risk game.

Werner, meanwhile, instantly signalled to the seat aft taking a second-half corner, and limped astir the transportation successful evident discomfort aft being subbed.

Postecoglou revealed yesterday that Wilson Odobert has suffered a “serious” setback successful his betterment from a hamstring wounded and Werner whitethorn present articulation his chap winger connected the sidelines.