Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wiped his chest after Son Heung-min (Tottenham) scored a one-on-one chance late in the second half.
City defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the 34th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) on Friday (Jan. 15) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
With the win, City leapfrogged to the top of the table (88 points), two points ahead of second-place Arsenal (86 points).
With only the final 38 rounds of the EPL remaining this weekend, City’s chances of winning a fourth straight title are now very real.
Needing a win to stay in contention for the title, City battled back and forth before Elling Holland broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half.
There was a crisis. In the 17th minute, first-choice goalkeeper Ederson went down after a knee to the face from Tottenham defender Cristian Romero.
City’s medical team deemed him at risk of concussion and brought on backup goalkeeper Stephan Ortega for Ederson in the 24th minute. 안전놀이터 추천
But as it turned out, Ortega’s introduction proved to be a “godsend” for City.
Ortega made back-to-back saves from Dejan Kulusebski in the 27th and 35th minutes, and then in the 41st minute, he made a one-on-one save from Son Heung-min.
The one-on-one with Son, in particular, was such a crisis for City that Guardiola had to cover his face and lay down in front of the bench in frustration.
However, Ortega remained calm to deny Son and preserve City’s lead.
After surviving the crisis, City sealed the victory with a penalty kick from Holland in stoppage time.
“If Ortega hadn’t saved us, Arsenal would have won the title,” said a smiling Guardiola after the grueling victory.
“Do you know how much Son Heung-min has frustrated us in the last seven or eight years?” he said, adding, “I said to myself (when the one-on-one chance came), ‘No, not again?
“Ortega made a great save. He’s a very talented player,” and “that one-on-one (with Son Heung-min) was one of the best goalkeeping performances I’ve ever seen.”