Before Johnson broke the tie in the 35th minute, both teams wasted chances, primarily as a result of Rico Lewis's careless defense. Joao Palhinha took advantage of a goalkeeping error by James Trafford to give Tottenham Hotspur a 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Saturday, continuing their stellar recent Premier League record. Brennan Johnson also scored.
Spurs, who have now won three of their last five league games at the Etihad, extended their unbeaten start under manager Thomas Frank after thumping Burnley 3-0 in the opening match. Johnson completed with a shot into the top corner after grabbing a ball from Richarlison. When new signing Trafford mysteriously attempted to play out from the back in first-half stoppage time, Palhinha, who had been loaned from Bayern Munich this month, doubled the visitors' advantage. After 22 minutes, City was given a blow when defender Rayan Ait-Nouri was lost to an injury.