Tottenham lost 1 – 0 to Manchester City on Monday night on a Wembley pitch that still bore NFL markings.
The Wembley turf looked ragged after the Jacksonville Jaguars VS Philadelphia Eagles game that took place the day before.
Much was made of the question of whether the quality of the game would suffer because of the pitch. Spurs midfielder Dele Alli remarked before the game that the concern wasn’t about the markings, or even the grass.
Instead, the issue was how compacted the pitch had become following the NFL UK game. The pitch was rock hard, potentially affecting the player’s technique and decision making.
Read: Phil Neville – “Realism” Needed over Manchester United
The quality of the game didn’t appear to suffer too badly, although there were a few odd moments. In particular, Kyle Walker had an attempted shot and two crosses that went straight out of play.
Manchester City began the game as the stronger side, and were rewarded with an early goal. A long ball from Ederson travelled towards Sterling on the left wing, and Kieran Trippier missed his defensive header.
Trippier again fell short as Sterling shimmied past him too easily and dribbled towards the touchline. Sterling squared the ball into the box where Riyad Mahrez was waiting to score in the 6th minute.
Mahrez raised his hands towards the sky in tribute to the sadly departed Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. Srivaddhanaprabha was tragically killed in a helicopter crash at the King Power stadium on Saturday.
Aside from a Harry Kane chance that was well saved by Ederson in the first half, Manchester City largely kept Spurs at bay. Tottenham were more threatening in the second half, and spurned a huge chance to equalise.
Substitute Dele Alli played Erik Lamela through on goal, but he skied his effort. It was Tottenham’s best chance of the game, and despite continuing to press for an equaliser, that was it.
After the weekend, City are still the Premier League favorites at 4/11, ahead of Liverpool at 11/4. Tottenham are 50/1 to win the league, and 8/11 to finish in the top four.
Unsure where to bet on the Premier League? Check out our comprehensive review section to find the right bookie for you!
