Dominic Solanke produced a decisive display as Tottenham battled back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Manchester City in the Premier League. Solanke struck twice after half-time, recording a fourth
league brace, and transformed a match that had seemed lost for Thomas Frank's side against title-chasing opponents.
City appeared on course for a comfortable victory after Rayan Cherki and Antonie Semenyo put Pep Guardiola's team in control before the interval. Yet Spurs, who lost captain Cristian Romero at half-time, responded with a far sharper second-half performance, driven by Solanke's movement and finishing in front of the home support.
The fightback began eight minutes after the restart, when Solanke reduced the deficit despite Marc Guehi's desperate attempt to block on the line. The forward then levelled on 70 minutes with a spectacular improvisation, flicking Conor Gallagher's cross over Gianluigi Donnarumma with a scorpion-style effort that left City's goalkeeper flat-footed.
Before Spurs rallied, City had controlled the early stages. The match sparked into life on 11 minutes as Cherki cut inside onto the right foot and drilled into the bottom-left corner. Later in the half, a driving run from Cherki forced a strong save from Guglielmo Vicario, who could not prevent Semenyo adding a composed second goal a minute before the break.
Spurs even threatened to snatch all three points in the closing stages. Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons each found space for late efforts, but Donnarumma produced two important stops to preserve a point for City. Those saves meant Solanke's double remained the final contribution to the scoreline in a high-tempo contest.
The underlying numbers highlighted City's frustration. Guardiola's side generated an expected goals figure of 1.99 from 15 attempts, but hit the target only three times. Spurs created 12 shots, with an xG of 0.97, and made their limited openings count. City therefore left feeling this was an opportunity missed in the title race.
Historical trends underlined the scale of City's drop-off after half-time. This was the first time since April 2018, in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United, that City failed to win a match when leading by at least two goals. Before facing Spurs, City had triumphed in each of the previous 115 games when ahead by two or more at the break.
| Team | Goals | Shots | Shots on target | Expected goals (xG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham | 2 | 12 | Not specified | 0.97 |
| Manchester City | 2 | 15 | 3 | 1.99 |
Guardiola's broader record at Spurs also remained difficult. Of opponents faced more than five times away in the manager's career, Guardiola has a lower away win rate only against Liverpool, with 10 per cent from 10 games, compared with 38 per cent from 13 away matches against Spurs. The draw leaves City six points behind Arsenal.
Solanke's contribution carried extra historical weight for Spurs. With this brace, Solanke became only the second Tottenham player to score twice in a Premier League home match against City, matching Niko Kranjcar's achievement at White Hart Lane in December 2009. For Spurs and Frank, the comeback maintained momentum, while City faced renewed questions over game management.
