Tottenham Hotspur player ratings from thrilling 2-3 win at Manchester City

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring their side’s second goal with Heung-Min Son and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on February 19, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

Tottenham Midfield Ratings

With only Kane as a striker, Tottenham played with four men across the midfield when out of possession. In possession, it was about the two wide-men – Son and Kulusevski making runs.

Heung-Min Son – 8

A player who has traditionally loved playing against Manchester City, Heung-min Son, again came to play against the Cityzens. It was less than five minutes into the match when Son beat Ruben Diaz, trying to put on an offside trap. His smart ball to Dejan Kulusevski put Spurs ahead early. Son then laid a perfect cross to Harry Kane for Spurs’ second. The designated runner for Spurs for 80 minutes, Son kept providing an outlet over the top as Kane would drop deep to gather possession and was magnificent.

Dejan Kulusevski – 8

After a slow start to his Spurs career, Dejan Kulusevski got his first start in the Premier League off to a banger. Playing as the wide right player in the midfield four, Kulusevski made his mark early. Running opposite Son on the counter-attack, Kulusevski benefited from Son’s square ball. Seemingly an easy goal, we have seen many players blow the chance that Decky calmly finished a first-time shot through Joao Cancello’s legs into the City goal. He worked hard defensively all day, bringing intensity and physicality that seems a good fit for the league. He almost set up Kane for Spurs third but was flagged by VAR for offside in the build-up. He did assist Kane on the winner, a great league debut for Decky.

Rodrigo Bentancur – 6

Rodrigo Bentancur got his first start for Spurs, and he was aggressive early defensively. He was tasked with being the pressure man from the midfield, who, along with Hojbjerg, helped establish the tempo defensively. Less successful on the ball, Bentancur was often indecisive and missed several passes losing possession far too much as the match wore on. Did have a bright moment with a one-touch pass on what should have been Spurs’ third scoring move.

Pierre Hojbjerg- 6.5

Pierre Hojbjerg was intense in the first half, looking to tackle the ball and win possession. Like Bentancur, Hojbjerg continually slowed possession and lost the ball too often. Of course, Hojbjerg s not a player to let some poor touches or a lousy pass spoil his day and continued to work defensively, including picking up a robust yellow card keeping De Bruyne from breaking. He kept fighting and pushing the team through the 99th minute and the win.