Tottenham stun Man City to maintain perfect start under Thomas Frank

Tottenham extended their perfect start to life under new manager Thomas Frank with a stunning 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad, securing back-to-back wins to open the Premier League season.

Spurs have become something of a bogey side for City in recent years, with this result marking their third win in their last five trips to the Etihad — a run that also included last November’s 4-0 thrashing during City’s infamous slump.

Frank’s tactical approach exposed familiar weaknesses in Pep Guardiola’s side; it was only the sixth time under Guardiola that City had trailed by two or more goals at home by half-time — Tottenham now responsible for half of those occasions.

The visitors struck first on the counter through Brennan Johnson, whose breakaway finish was eventually awarded after VAR overturned an incorrect offside call.

City debutant James Trafford, starting ahead of Ederson amid transfer speculation over the Brazilian, endured a difficult evening.

The 21-year-old’s misplaced pass on the stroke of half-time handed Joao Palhinha his first Tottenham goal, doubling Spurs’ advantage.

Despite Guardiola turning to Phil Foden and Rodri after the break, City struggled to replicate the creativity that saw them put four past Wolves last weekend.

Tottenham, meanwhile, showed defensive resilience to close out a deserved win.

The result capped an encouraging week for Spurs, who bounced back impressively after seeing a move for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze hijacked by Arsenal.

Away supporters gleefully chanted “we are top of the league” at full-time — though Frank insisted his focus remains on performances rather than early table positions.

Guardiola: ‘We missed the simple things’

City boss Pep Guardiola admitted his team fell short in the basics:

“What we miss, we miss the simple things. The effort and ability to run has always been there, but in the pressure we missed reading the game better. In the final third we created chances — not easy against Tottenham — but it wasn’t enough. It’s just the second game, many things will happen this season. Step by step, we’ll make the right connections.”

On goalkeeper Trafford’s selection, he added:

“James made a good first game. I made the decision for him to continue. The goalkeeper is a special position — everyone will get their chance over the season.”

Frank: ‘An exceptionally good performance’

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank hailed his side’s display:

“Very delighted. Extremely proud of the players — it was an exceptionally good performance. The first 35 minutes were fairly even with City on top, but we stayed in the game and scored a great goal. In the second half we were very aggressive and front-footed. The clean sheet makes me especially happy — we’ve been working hard on the defensive side.”

On new signings Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus, Frank said:

“Both are top-class players. Palhinha, wow — he’s definitely helping the team.”

When asked about missing out on Eberechi Eze, the Dane was blunt:

“That’s very easy. I never use any words about a player who is not at our club.”