Tottenham Fight Back From Two Down to Hold Manchester City in North London Thriller

Tottenham Hotspur recovered from a poor first half to earn a 2–2 draw with Manchester City in north London, coming from two goals behind to secure a valuable point against Pep Guardiola’s side.

City started on the front foot and took the lead after 11 minutes through Rayan Cherki. Bernardo Silva picked out Erling Haaland in midfield, and the striker laid the ball off to Cherki. With Radu Drăgușin dropping off, the French forward was given space to advance before firing a low effort past Guglielmo Vicario into the bottom-left corner. It was City’s first away league goal in three matches.

Cherki’s opener took his tally to 19 goal involvements in all competitions this season (nine goals, ten assists), with only teammate Erling Haaland recording more for a Premier League club in 2025–26.

The visitors remained in control and doubled their advantage shortly before half-time. In the 44th minute, Silva threaded a low through ball into the penalty area, where Antoine Semenyo took one touch before calmly lifting his finish over Vicario and into the net.

Semenyo became just the second player to score in four of his first five Premier League appearances for Manchester City, following Emmanuel Adebayor in 2009.

Tottenham offered little in response during the opening period and went into the interval without a single shot on target. They have now conceded as many home goals this season (16) as Arsenal and Manchester City combined.

The hosts showed a marked improvement after the break and reduced the deficit in the 53rd minute. Dominic Solanke held off Khusanov before turning inside the area and shooting from close range.

Marc Guéhi’s attempted block diverted the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma and into his own net, with Xavi Simons credited with the assist.

The goal lifted Tottenham and shifted the momentum. Their pressure was rewarded again on 70 minutes when Conor Gallagher delivered a chest-high cross from the right and Solanke produced an audacious scorpion flick that looped over Donnarumma and into the top-left corner.

Both sides searched for a winner in the closing stages, but clear chances were limited and neither goalkeeper was seriously tested, as the contest ended level.

This was the first time since April 2018 that Manchester City failed to win a match in which they led by two or more goals at half-time. Prior to this game, they had won all of their previous 115 league matches in that position.

The draw means City remain winless against Tottenham this season following their 2–0 defeat in August, and they are still unable to claim three consecutive Premier League away wins against Spurs. Guardiola’s side sit six points behind league leaders Arsenal, while Tottenham remain 14th as they continue their search for domestic consistency.