Tottenham snapped Manchester City’s 15-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, thanks to two goals from Harry Kane and a fantastically desperate defensive display from Antonio Conte’s side.
[ MORE: Manchester City 2-3 Tottenham recap & highlights ]
Below is live reaction (via the BBC) from Manchester after Man City vs Tottenham, as Spurs handed Liverpool new hope in the Premier League title race…
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte, on his side’s performance and victory…
“It was an emotional game for sure. It was an exciting game. We played a good game. We followed a plan. Manchester City would keep the possession for 65 to 70 minutes of the game, so we needed to be good tactically. But, even when defending, our first thought should be to attack.
“We created chances and scored good goals against a fantastic team. This win will give us more confidence. It wasn’t simple to play Manchester City after three losses in a row.”
Antonio Conte, on ending the losing skid…
“Only one win is not good enough. Don’t forget we are coming off three losses. But, a win against Manchester City is very good. We have a lot of space for improvement. This is one of the hardest working teams I have managed in my career.”
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“This is a process, we are working very hard to improve aspect. This type of game gives us confidence.
“First of all I hate to lose. Our reaction was important. The Premier League is very difficult. Every game, you have to fight a lot. We are continuing to improve everything and every level, we work very hard.”
Antonio Conte, on Harry Kane’s performance…
“Harry is for sure an important player for us. Today, our strikers played very well. Harry was very good at keeping the ball. I think the first goal was great, because this goal is about our job and our work that we are doing every day.”
Tottenham forward Harry Kane, on battling back time after time…
“It was a crazy game. We worked so hard for so long. We were 2-1 ahead for such a long time in the second half. To see the penalty awarded was so heartbreaking, but credit to the boys for creating another chance at the end.”
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“We’d have liked not to concede any goals, but obviously we were playing one of the best teams in the world. To get the goal at the end was really special.
“I think everyone expected City to maybe go on and try and win it [after equalizing], but we’ve got character in the squad. We’ve had a disappointing week, but did well to bounce back like we did.
“It’ll definitely give us a lift. We can’t just put in one-off performances like this, it needs to be consistently game after game. It’s about learning, but it’ll definitely give everyone a boost. Hopefully we can take that into Wednesday’s game.
“It was unfortunate that the offside goal got pulled back. I thought I was going to get another one after that, but the keeper spread himself well. Thankfully I had one last chance at the end. We’re delighted with the win.”
Harry Kane, on what the win means for Tottenham…
“For me it was [about ending] three losses in a row, and we had to find a way of getting our season back on track. To get the result we did was really, really special. The boys worked their socks off today. To get the goals was obviously nice. We were great from Hugo all the way through.
“We have high standards of ourselves and we’ve got ourselves in a position where we can really fight for the top-four. Football’s about bouncing back. We can’t get too high or too low. The performance today shows we’re fighting to the end. Hopefully we can use it as momentum going forward.”
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min, on Harry Kane…
“He’s scored so many goals. I was really sad at the start of the season when he didn’t score goals, but he was working hard for the team. He is an unbelievable player and an unbelievable guy. Working alongside him is a big honor.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, on the loss to Tottenham…
“After going behind, they defended so deep and so compact. It was incredible. They don’t lose the ball with Harry Kane and can run as well with Son and Kulusevski.
“I think we played well. We created a lot of chances. I can’t say anything wrong about the team, because we were there all the time. But it was difficult.
“They played the way I expected them to play. They were good in the build-up and created a lot of space to run on the counter-attack, but in general we coped well and played a good game.”
Pep Guardiola, on Harry Kane…
“Everyone knows what [Kane] gives. For the first goal, we defended the pass inside badly, but after 10 to 15 minutes we created a lot of chances. Lloris was brilliant. We have to score more.”
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“They are clinical. They have Kane and Son and Kulusevski. Their crosses we could not defend. We didn’t have the momentum.”
Pep Guardiola, on the Premier League title race…
“We didn’t need to lose a game already to know how hard it is [to win the league]. There are many, many games still to play.”
Pep Guardiola is the only manager to lose to Tottenham under each of Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte while in charge of the same club.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) February 19, 2022
