Tottenham 1 – 5 MAN CITY – PLAYER RATINGS

Hart - He’ll have been pleasantly surprised about how rarely he was called into action. Couldn’t have done much for the home side’s goal and he was able to enjoy our feast of attacking football from those ahead of him - 6

Zabaleta - Mr Consistent. I seem to write the same about him every game, but he was solid at the back, sharp to the tackle and then committed going forward. Bursting beyond Navas in the dying minutes, constantly offering an overlapping outlet and he gave us control of the right hand side - 8

Kompany - For all the flair of our creative stars, he’s the leader of the side and the one who injects a spirit and resilience. Relentless in his defending, sticking tight to Adebayor and pinching the ball off him repeatedly. Capped off his sterling display with a goal - 8

Demichelis – Generally coped well in the first half against Adebayor’s height and physicality, and then prospered when moved into a holding midfield role. In that position, when we needed to take the sting out of the game, he did just that. Used his experience, kept play ticking over without trying anything too expansive and gave us a line of protection in front of the back four - 7.5

Clichy – His energy is quite remarkable. Surges forward in the last minute as willingly as he does in the first, always stretching the play and his end product, often a weakness, was excellent. Completely nullified the threat of Lennon and linked up well with the likes of Silva, Jovetic and Dzeko. Despite our five goals at the other end, he was my man of the match - 8.5

Y. Touré - Nowhere near his best, but those around him more than made up for him. Gave the ball away sloppily on occasions in the first half which put us in some trouble and when Spurs started to force their way into the game, he couldn’t quite control the tempo as he often does. Took his penalty calmly but there was a noticeable improvement when he was taken off and Demichelis moved forward - 6

Fernandinho - Competing with Milner and Clichy for the fittest City player. There aren’t many who combine his ingredients so well: touch, technique, vision, drive, awareness and boundless energy. Became more involved in proceedings in the second half and he was a dominant figure as we put the game beyond Spurs’ reach - 7

Navas - Such a threat down the right with his pace and ability to both stay wide and drift infield. Whereas other speedy wingers often have trouble delivering an end product, he regularly supplies pinpoint crosses and he tormented the home side throughout - 8

Silva – A magician at the peak of his powers. Amidst a sea of Blue superiority, he stood out with his elegance. Capable of spotting passes no-one else can, but more than just having the right idea, his touch enables him to deliver glorious throughballs. It’s a treat to watch him - 8.5

Aguero - A first half which demonstrated his undoubted brilliance. Dropped deep, drifted wide, sprinted over the top, linked play, created chances, scored. He really does have it all. We can only hope his hamstring injury isn’t as bad as feared - 7.5

Džeko - His finishing was hopeless, and that has led to plenty of criticism on Twitter, but his overall display was excellent. I’ve never seen him contribute so much to the general performance. Often scores but looks disinterested, whereas last night he was always a willing runner, gave us an option down the channels and, crucially, the ball stuck with him. The right attitude, the right desire and he looked a far better player for it - 8

Subs

Jovetic – Another pleasing performance. He’s still not at his sharpest and got caught dawdling on the ball a couple of times but it’s clear he’s got something about him. Tricky and twisting, he tended to drift in from the left and showed a decent touch - 7

Nastasic - Slotted in seamlessly at the back - 7

Kolarov – One late cross-cum-shot - No time to mark

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