Pep Guardiola would have been relieved after the referee blew the full-time whistle to confirm Manchester City’s 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester City were far from flawless yet again but ultimately, they got the result, which is what matters most.
In the first half, City were a class apart, however, with Jeremy Doku running the show as he set Erling Haaland’s winning goal up.
Apart from Doku, even Savinho stood out and gave Tottenham left-back Destiny Udogie a difficult time.
But in the second half, Pep Guardiola would have been dissatisfied to witness the Sky Blues lose complete control of proceedings against Spurs.
Tottenham created plenty of chances, especially hurting the visitors on the counter-attack.
Pep Guardiola hails “outstanding” Jeremy Doku and Savinho in Tottenham vs Man City
Tottenham’s standout chance was when Heung-min Son nearly scored an equaliser late on in the game but Manchester City number one Ederson, who is expected to leave this summer saved their blushes with a tremendous stop.
Pape Matar Sarr could have also scored a last-gap leveller but he skied his header to give Guardiola a reason to smile about after his side’s three points were confirmed.
Speaking to TNT Sports after Manchester City beat Tottenham, Pep Guardiola reflected on the contest and reserved special praise for Doku and Savinho while also lauding Abdukodir Khusanov.
“The way we fought and we played good, the wingers again, Savio and Jeremy [Doku] have been outstanding and I’m really pleased for the result and of course, still, we did very, very good things and the young players, [Abdukodir] Khusanov has made another incredibly impactful game.”
Pep Guardiola was also satisfied with Ruben Dias’ return to the side and Matheus Nunes’ shift at right-back.
“So Ruben and everyone, Matheus at right-back, so in general, a very, very good game.”
Doku and Savinho stats for Manchester City vs Tottenham
Doku’s performance against Tottenham impressed Manchester City fans as well as he had one of his best games in sky blue.
Pep Guardiola recently lauded Doku and Savinho after they shone against Liverpool as well.
The youthful wide pairing’s statistics against Tottenham showcase how impactful they really were.
| STATS VS TOTTENHAM | JEREMY DOKU | SAVINHO |
| DRIBBLES COMPLETED | 4 | 1/3 |
| CHANCES CREATED | 2 | – |
| PASSES INTO THE FINAL THIRD | 1 | 3 |
| TOUCHES IN OPPOSITION BOX | 7 | 11 |
While Savinho did not create the chances Doku (two), he was extremely threatening as the Brazilian took 11 touches in Spurs’ box, completed a dribble and made three passes into the final third in what was a solid performance from him.
The Belgian, however was much more devastating, taking seven touches in the opposition box and completing four dribbles.
Pep Guardiola has two gems at his disposal and until the end of the season, the pair have a chance to prove to the Catalan tactician that they should be regular starters in the following campaign as well.
