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Explained: What Tottenham Hotspur’s £150m capital increase really means for the club

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Tottenham Hotspur announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have agreed a £150 million capital increase from majority shareholder ENIC. In effect, this is Spurs’ owners putting £150 million into the club’s bank account in what is a major show of strength ahead of the summer transfer window opening. It’s the owners’ first cash injection since 2004, and is being labelled a “statement of intent” by football finance experts. 

The money could have major implications for Tottenham’s medium-term future as they look to consolidate their place back in the Champions League and in the immediate term convince head coach Antonio Conte that their ambition matches his. 

So what does it all mean? The Athletic breaks down the key questions arising from Spurs’ announcement…

What does this mean?

This is a very significant moment in the modern history of Tottenham Hotspur: ENIC has made a £150 million equity injection into the club, essentially writing them a cheque for that amount. In very simple terms: Spurs have issued another £150 million of shares, which ENIC will buy.

This is a huge break from how Tottenham have operated throughout the ENIC era, which started when it bought Alan Sugar’s stake in 2000. Throughout that time, Spurs are proud of the fact they have operated on a strict profit and loss basis — with no big benefactor injections — and always staying within FFP guidelines. They have had to compete with Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea and Abu Dhabi-backed Manchester City, as well as building their £1.2 billion new stadium, without that level of external help. So this is a serious change in direction in terms of the funding of the club.

The last time Tottenham did any sort of fundraising like this was even before they de-listed from the stock exchange in 2012. It was all the way back in January 2004, when Daniel Levy and ENIC raised £15 million through a share issue, with Levy stating the club needed more investment to sign better players and recruit a new manager. That met mixed success: weeks later, Spurs bought Jermain Defoe from West Ham United for £7 million, but the big-name manager who replaced David Pleat was Jacques Santini.


Daniel Levy and ENIC raised £15 million through a share issue in 2004 (Photo: Getty)

So is this good news for Tottenham?

This is a huge commitment from ENIC, which has just given Spurs considerably more financial muscle, and with no tax or borrowing implications. In their accompanying press release with the announcement, the club said the £150 million will be released “in tranches until the end of the year”, but there would appear to be no reason why the money cannot be used in its entirety this summer.

Tottenham also explained in their release that “the investment represents permanent capital, with no ongoing interest cost to the club”. They also referenced that the club “have benefited from its majority shareholder’s ability to invest directly, swiftly and without the extensive due diligence and documentation involved in third-party funding”.

Tottenham then are not saddling themselves with debts and interest payments, which should be to their benefit.

There is a theory that properly-managed debt can be more cost-effective in the long term, but what we can say in this instance is that this appears to be unequivocally very good news for Spurs fans. This is the owners ploughing in cash in a way that has been pretty much unheard of during ENIC’s stewardship. The Athletic understands that ENIC borrowed this money, but that is still good news for the club, as in that case ENIC is taking the risk and paying the interest, not Tottenham. Not that the risk is particularly great for ENIC, as interest rates are still low and the imminent sale of Chelsea would suggest that Spurs are an appreciating asset, should ENIC ever wish to cash in.

It’s important to note as well that ENIC is able to pump in this money because Spurs have so much headroom when it comes to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. Clubs that sail closer to the wind when it comes to spending are not able to receive top-ups like this. Of the Big Six, Tottenham always have the smallest wage bill and they don’t splurge on transfers (often recouping as much as they spend). Most of their spending over the last decade has been on infrastructure, principally the new training ground and stadium, and that doesn’t count towards a club’s outlay under FFP rules.

What is ENIC and where has this money come from?

Tuesday’s club statement refers to the shares being bought by “ENIC Sports Inc”, which itself is owned by ENIC International Limited. According to the Tottenham website, Joe Lewis owns 70.6 per cent of ENIC while Levy owns 29.4 per cent.

Lewis is billionaire former currency trader who lives in the Bahamas. He recruited a young Levy to run ENIC for him in the mid-1990s, back when ENIC was starting to build up a family of football clubs around Europe before it focused on Tottenham (and long before City Football Group, Red Bull or anyone else tried to do this.) For the last 20 years, Levy has run Spurs for Lewis.

While Lewis watches the games on TV in the Caribbean rather than in person (though he did fly over to Madrid for the Champions League final against Liverpool three years ago), he has not been keen to invest much extra money into the club since ENIC bought it. While some have heralded Tuesday’s news as proof Lewis has finally put his hand in his pocket and forked out for the club, it is unlikely to be that simple. As mentioned above, this development was driven by Levy rather than Lewis, and The Athletic understands ENIC has borrowed the money on favourable terms.

Why has this happened now?

Given Spurs’ self-sustaining model, Tuesday’s announcement raised a lot of eyebrows, and one of the salient questions was what has changed to prompt ENIC to make this investment?

As one observer put it, the story here is really: What is ENIC thinking? And the sense is that the clouds are starting to clear and it wants to capitalise on a confluence of events that presents a real opportunity.

The last few years have not been easy for Spurs. The hugely expensive stadium build was supposed to propel the club into the realm of Champions League regulars, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit two years ago, they effectively lost their main source of income. In addition to that, a number of poor decisions saw them move further away from Europe’s elite competition and their revenues took a big hit.

But, as of Sunday’s season-ending hammering of Norwich, they are back in the Champions League and there’s a sense that opportunity knocks, a chance to once and for all shake off the perception that they are the sixth-ranked club of the Big Six. Chelsea face a massively uncertain future, Manchester United are in a state of disarray, and no one really knows what the Kroenke family’s end game is down the road at Arsenal.

Spurs have the opportunity this summer to take big strides away from those clubs and re-establish themselves as Champions League regulars — especially important with Saudi-backed Newcastle United primed and ready to turn the Big Six into the Big Seven.

The landscape is also set to change with the implementation of the reforms to the Champions League from 2024-25 that will most likely see the Premier League have five clubs rather than the current four in the competition each season (though this should be to Tottenham’s benefit).

The feeling, then, is that Spurs will speculate to accumulate this summer — especially as they are acutely aware that one of their biggest assets in Conte will walk if they don’t. And that with only a couple of years left of peak Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, now is the time to try to capitalise on their advantages, relative to their domestic rivals, and nail down a place on Europe’s top table.

“The long-term strategy was to get the stadium up and running, and get it generating lots of revenue,” says Kieran Maguire, a lecturer on football finance at the University of Liverpool and author of the Price of Football blog. “Get the infrastructure sorted, get revenue on the back of that, and it looks like they’ve done an assessment that there’s now an opportunity to become a more regular Champions League participant and all the huge benefits that brings.”


Tottenham’s £1.2 billion new stadium has been a key element of ENIC’s vision (Photo: Getty)

Will the money actually be spent on players?

This is the £150 million question, and the expectation is that the answer will be: Yes. As The Athletic reported on Monday, Spurs’ intention when they sit down with Conte this week to discuss his future is to inform him of their plan to back him substantially in this summer’s transfer market. They will pledge to try to sign at least half a dozen new players, and that will include more experienced, established names.

Tuesday’s announcement would appear to support that, and if Tottenham are serious about establishing themselves as a top-four club then surely the most effective way they can invest is in new talent. The message coming out of the club this week is that everything they do is geared towards sporting success.

It is worth saying, though, that Spurs have substantial payments to make this summer already on players such as Cristian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur. That’s around £50 million that they will have to cough up, even before any new signings walk through the door. They also have a decision to make on whether to pay to make Dejan Kulusevski’s loan deal permanent now or wait until next summer to do that.

Maguire also points out that clubs will now know when negotiating that Spurs are cash-rich and this could lead to them asking for higher prices. “That said, Tottenham have always been pretty canny in getting value for money when it comes to recruitment,” he adds.

All things considered, it would be a major surprise if, after Tottenham’s promise to back Conte and this cash injection, they didn’t spend significantly on new signings this summer.

On the topic of bringing in new players, Levy says in the press release that: “The delivery of a world-class home was always a key building block in driving diversified revenues to enable us to invest in the teams and support our ambitions to be consistently competing at the highest levels of European football. Additional capital from ENIC will now enable further investment in the Club at an important time.’’

Jonathan Turner, an independent non-executive director of the club, adds: “It is a timely injection of funds to ensure we can continue to grow the club we all love and underlines the Board’s continued ambitions for success.”

There could also be more investment in infrastructure this summer, with talks on possible upgrades already having taken place.

Why have Tottenham announced this publicly?

The point about selling clubs taking advantage of Spurs’ new-found wealth has led some to question why they have been so public with their announcement.

Tottenham are no longer listed on a stock market, so it is not easy to buy or sell their shares, but nearly 15 per cent of the club is still owned by small shareholders. The club could have made a small announcement on the investor relations section of their website and posted the relevant documents at Companies House, rather than issue a press release, but doing so would be a strange way for a big club to behave — especially as the news would have quickly got out anyway.

Some sources have suggested it is very understandable for Spurs to be as public as possible about the announcement.

Yes, there is a risk that selling clubs might hike up their prices, but it’s also a way of sending a message to Conte and the supporters that Tottenham are serious about strengthening the squad this summer. For Conte to still walk away after all this there would surely be quite a bit of sympathy for Levy, who it would seem couldn’t have done much more to keep the Italian. 

Great. So what’s the catch..?

There isn’t a catch as such, but it’s worth considering the longer-term implications of Tuesday’s announcement.

Tottenham would not describe themselves as being for sale, and there is certainly no urgency to find a buyer or to sell up, but whatever the long-term plan there’s a real chance that if this £150 million is invested properly it will massively increase the value of the club.

If Spurs really can establish themselves as Champions League regulars then that, combined with infrastructure such as the stadium and training ground and their very-well-managed debt, would make them an extremely enticing proposition to potential investors.

And the timing is significant, too — as the recent Chelsea bidding process has shown, there is a huge demand for London clubs who play in the Champions League, with all but one of those bidders still potentially looking for a football team to buy.

This could be the final bit of polish to what is already a very attractive offering, especially now that live, non-football events are back up and running and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is returning to being the all-singing, all-dancing, multi-purpose venue it was built to be.

Additional reporting: Matt Slater

(Top photo: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)



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Tottenham vs Arsenal LIVE: Kane scores his second with header after Holding receives red card

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Hello and welcome to live coverage of the North London Derby clash between Tottenham and Arsenal.

It is a huge evening in N17 for both sides as they look to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

Arsenal go into the final three games of the campaign with a four-point advantage over Antonio Conte’s men and can sew up a top-four finish with victory at the home of the greatest rivals.

A victory for Spurs, however, and it is very much game on going into the final two rounds of the Premier League campaign.

It promises to be an enthralling evening in the capital, with tonight’s North London Derby the first one to take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in front of a capacity crowd due to the coronavirus pandemic impacting attendance in the previous two games.

Tottenham correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest and Arsenal correspondents Chris Wheatley and Kaya Kaynak are covering the match with all the action from inside the stadium and reaction from the supporters and media.

Scroll down for all of our latest updates from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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UEFA: Tottenham vs. Rennes will not be rescheduled

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The cancelled Europa Conference League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Rennes will NOT be rescheduled. That’s the latest from UEFA, which released a statement that Spurs posted on its website and on social media.

Following a COVID-19 outbreak in the team of Tottenham Hotspur FC ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match against Stade Rennais FC, scheduled to take place on 9 December 2021 in London, the match could not take place.

In accordance with Annex J of the UEFA Europa Conference League regulations, UEFA, in cooperation with the two clubs tried to find a viable solution in order to reschedule the match, so as to ensure the group stage could be completed accordingly.

Unfortunately, despite all efforts, a solution that could work for both clubs could not be found. As a consequence, the match can no longer be played and the matter will, therefore, be referred to the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body for a decision to be taken in accordance with Annex J of the above-mentioned competition regulations.

—Statement, UEFA

UEFA’s current regulations state that the match needed to be completed by December 31. Tottenham have barely any mid-week slots left in their schedule in 2021, making rescheduling difficult. There were reports earlier that they had offered to play the match on December 15, but Rennes stated that that they had “no intention” of playing the match.

That raises the distinct possibility that the match will be forfeited. But by who? Annex J of the UEFA regulations states that “the club that cannot play the match will be held responsible for the match not taking place and the match will be declared by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body to be forfeited by the club, which will be considered to have lost the match 3-0.” That would imply that Tottenham is the club who would most likely be forced to forfeit.

However, the Athletic suggests that “UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body could yet make another decision depending on the circumstances,” but doesn’t go into any detail or speculation of what that decision might be. The idea that UEFA’s ethics panel might look at Rennes’ intransigence over wanting to reschedule the match and decide that it’s THEY that should forfeit the match would be absolutely hilarious. A Rennes forfeiture would mean that Spurs and Rennes would both advance to the next round, leaving a fuming Vitesse, who won 3-1 over Mura on Thursday, behind. UEFA could also just declare the match null and void, which functionally doesn’t change the results as far as Spurs are concerned; Rennes would still win the group with Vitesse progressing in second.

Either way, someone’s forfeiting this match. It should probably be Tottenham, just so that they have more space to get themselves out of this COVID-19 outbreak and set themselves up for future success in the Premier League and cups. We’ll have to wait and see what UEFA decides.



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Brazil vs Argentina match suspended as police and health officials storm pitch as Premier League stars from Tottenham and Aston Villa alleged to have broken COVID rules, as Lionel Messi and team walk off without finishing game

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Argentina’s clash in Brazil was brought to a premature end minutes after it started when health officials and police stopped play as they tried to identify Premier League players they believed broke COVID rules.

In response the visitors, led by captain Lionel Messi, walked off the pitch and did not return to finish the match.

Getty

The match may have to be played at a later date

Tottenham pair Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, as well as Aston Villa duo Emi Buendia and Emi Martinez reported for international duty with Argentina but things were stopped due to a row over falsified COVID documents.

The Argentina Football Association later tweeted a picture of the squad on the plane, with the caption: ‘we are going home’.

It’s been reported that the Federal Government, FIFA and Conmebol struck an agreement that all four players would be allowed onto the field to take part in the match.

However, just minutes into the match, officials from Brazilian health authority Anvisa entered the field of play with police officers to demand the World Cup qualifier be stopped until the four players were off the field and detained.

“By decision of the match referee, the match organised by FIFA between Brazil and Argentina for the World Cup Qualifiers is suspended,” South American football governing body CONMEBOL tweeted.

“The referee and the match commissioner will submit a report to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which will determine the steps to be followed. These procedures strictly adhere to current regulations.

“The World Cup Qualifiers is a FIFA competition. All decisions concerning its organisation and development are the exclusive power of that institution.”

Getty

The match had only just started when the officials stormed the pitch

AFP

Nicolas Otamendi and Marcos Acuna got into a confrontation with a health official

AFP

Paris Saint-Germain teammates Neymar and Lionel Messi chew the fat while all the drama unfolds

Government rules in Brazil state that any person entering the country having recently been in the UK must observe a period of 14 days’ isolation.

However, the squad are alleged to have failed to declare they had been in the UK and were then under investigation by the local authorities.

Lo Celso, Romero, Buendia and Martinez were all involved in the last matchday squads for their respective clubs over last weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures.

AFP

Lo Celso, Romero and Martinez started the match

They were not only facing a 14-day quarantine period in Brazil but would also have to isolate for ten days in the UK having visited a red list country.

“These players arrived in Brazil on a flight from Caracas [Venezuela],” Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa said.

“The flight landed in Guarulhos [Sao Paulo]. They declared that they had not been in any of the four countries which are restricted for the past 14 days. Anvisa was warned about supposedly false information given by these players.

“After that, Anvisa sent a notification to CIEVS [in charge of Sao Paolo’s Covid-19 restrictions]. We have to clarify that false information given to Brazilian authorities might be infractions of health laws of the country and might be an infraction of our criminal law.”

News outlets in Argentina report Messi was overheard saying: “We’ve been here for three days, we were waiting to play the match, why didn’t you come earlier? This is a mess, we’re off!”

AFP

It’s anyone’s guess over what happens next

The Argentina squad arrived in Brazil on Friday following their win over Venezuela and the Argentina FA are understood to be under the impression they did not need to make the Brazilian authorities aware as they had already indicated to CONMEBOL that the four players were part of their secure bubble.

However, this was not sanctioned by the Brazilian authorities leading to suggestions the players could be deported from the country.

Brazilian officials are said to have visited Argentina’s team hotel in Sao Paulo on Sunday in the hours leading up to their match. The agreement is then said to have have been reached to pass all four players for selection for the fixture.

“It makes me very sad,’ said Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni. “If something happened or did not happen it was not the time to make this intervention.

“It should have been a party for everyone, to enjoy the best players in the world. I would like the people of Argentina to understand that as a coach I have to defend my players. At no time were we notified that they could not play the match. We wanted to play the game, the players from Brazil too.”

Tensions were already high in Brazil, with a meeting of the two rival giants coming weeks after Argentina won the Copa America final at the Maracana, beating Brazil 1-0.

No date for the rearranged fixture has been set with Argentina’s next World Cup qualifier scheduled at home to Bolivia on Friday, 10 September.

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Harry Kane: Tottenham striker left out of squad vs Man City due to lack of fitness

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Harry Kane will not be involved in Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Manchester City this afternoon.

The Athletic understands Kane has not been deemed fit enough to feature and has not travelled with the team for today’s fixture.

For City, meanwhile, Jack Grealish has been handed his first start for the club after signing for the reigning Premier League champions for a British record fee of £100 million.

Spurs’s starting XI for the fixture is: Lloris, Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Sanchez, Son, Dier, Alli, Bergwijn, Tanganga, Moura, Skipp.

City’s starting XI is: Ederson, Dias, Ake, Sterling, Gundogan, Grealish, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Cancelo.

When asked about Kane’s availability for the match on Sunday, Tottenham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo told Sky Sports: “He (Kane) is continuing his preparation, the delay all these things.

“Harry needs to work, he worked today and he will keep on working until he is ready for the team. 

“Players that not had many sessions working with us, it is a different case with Bryan (Gil) because he was at the Olympic Games, also (Cristian) Romero, but I think for them it is important to be here to see the stadium, the hotel, the meeting, to see all the process we have, it is important.

“He worked in the morning, I don’t know what he is going to do.”

Kane has been at the centre of a long-standing transfer saga between the two clubs, with The Athletic reporting the 28-year-old’s desire to leave Tottenham several months ago.

There was confusion over Kane’s return to Tottenham’s pre-season following his involvement in the European Championship, with the striker denying he had refused to train. Kane carried out a five-day quarantine at The Lodge before returning to training.

On Friday, however, Nuno had indicated that Kane could feature for the club in Sunday’s match, despite not playing in any pre-season fixtures. Nuno revealed he would make a decision on Kane’s involvement after training on Saturday.

“He’s a Tottenham player. He’s here with us,” Nuno told reporters. “We have to think about tomorrow (Saturday). Let’s prepare the training session of tomorrow and go day by day.”

Kane is wanted by City and remains keen to leave north London, but Tottenham are holding firm that they will not sell to another Premier League club.



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Kane’s silence speaks volumes for Spurs’ troubles under Mourinho | Tottenham Hotspur

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It feels like a small point in the story of Tottenham’s increasingly volatile season, in which the successes seem only to buy temporary breathing space and the setbacks lay immediate waste to any momentum, but it is one that talks to the apocalyptic fear among the fanbase.

What does Harry Kane make of it all? The answer is we do not know and it is because the team’s talisman has stopped speaking to the media.

This is not meant to sound like a journalist’s quibble. The reason for mentioning it is because it is so out of character. In every season of his career so far, Kane has routinely given his pre- or post-match thoughts. Essentially, he is a good bloke who is happy to engage with supporters via the press, even in difficult times – which is always a marker of character.

Not any more. The matter was brought into plain sight when Kane dodged media duties during the November international break, which is highly unusual for an England captain. And it has carried on that way back at Spurs. The pandemic has affected the access that journalists are given but this does not give Kane a pass. Surely he has to break cover during the upcoming international window?

It has been impossible to ignore the suspicion that Kane has kept a low profile because he does not want to be put on the spot, to face questions he might struggle to answer honestly. Or, more precisely, a particular question. It is the one that has tracked him in recent seasons but now presses with greater urgency and discomfort. With his 28th birthday coming up in July, does he think he has to leave Spurs to fulfil his ambitions?

The club’s position is that Kane is not for sale. Moreover, with a contract until 2024, the chairman, Daniel Levy, is in control. Everybody knows a deal with Levy is practically signed in blood. But, at the very least, there was plenty for Kane to ponder as he trudged off the field on Thursday night after 120 soul-sapping minutes in the Europa League extra-time exit at Dinamo Zagreb. Ditto, José Mourinho.

There is a reason why the crisis always tends to come quicker to Mourinho than other managers. It is because with him the result can often feel like the only thing. Mourinho brings trophies to clubs straight away and then he leaves. There is never the sense he is shaping a squad for the longer term, possibly with young players. At Spurs, he has loaned out most of them.

José Mourinho reflects on Tottenham’s defeat at Dinamo Zagreb. Photograph: Pixsell/MB Media/Getty Images

The playing style is built to win first and entertain second, although this, frankly, is optional. The way Mourinho analyses matches is clinical. He is not bothered about possession statistics, action areas or expected goals. To him, it is purely about big chances created. If his team can do that once or twice at the right time – and, ideally, score – then nothing else matters.

The upshot is that when the result is not there, Mourinho has little to fall back on and when the attitude is not there, either, as was the case in Zagreb and in the derby defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, it leads to questions about the end of the road having been reached.

Kane stayed silent on Thursday night but the captain, Hugo Lloris, did not. In a searing interview with BT Sport he laid bare his frustrations and two things stood out. First, that Mourinho’s message to attack Dinamo and not sit back on the 2-0 first-leg lead had been clear. “But the opposite happened,” Lloris said. And, second, that there are players, mainly out of the team, who are not giving their all, presumably because they are disillusioned.

It has led to a damaging lack of togetherness, to players hiding – to borrow the word Mourinho used after the Arsenal game – and to responsibility being left to only a handful of stalwarts.

José Mourinho lambasts Spurs players after Dinamo Zagreb defeat – video

“One thing is to come in front of the camera and say: ‘I’m ambitious,’” Lloris said. “The other thing is to show [it] every day in training sessions and to show every time on the pitch. If you follow the team only when you are in the starting XI it causes big problems for the team because you pay. We had a great moment in the past because we could trust the togetherness that was in the team. Today, I’m not sure about that.

“On the bench there is an influence to have, to push the others. In training sessions the same. Everyone has to be ready to help the team when the moment comes. It is not only to stay on the side and complain.”

It is hugely worrying to think Mourinho’s message is not getting through because players are not listening or, to take it to the extreme, they do not want to hear it; they do not want to play for him. When that happens, it tends to lead to only one thing.

Managing a squad rather than just a starting XI is fundamental and it is an uplifting feeling when a reserve can step up. Witness Thomas Tuchel’s joy and that of everybody at Chelsea when Emerson Palmieri came on as an 89th-minute substitute to score in their Champions League win against Atlético Madrid on Wednesday night. Every player has to find the motivation from within but it is the manager who sets the tone.

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Spurs go to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday night but the game Mourinho has circled in his diary is the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on 25 April. Win that – however unlikely it seems at present – and he would have delivered yet again. Would it be enough though, particularly if Champions League qualification were again to elude the club?

And so the tension bubbles. Kane wants more than this, so does Son Heung-min, who has still to sign his new contract, so does Levy, so does everyone. It was left to Joe Hart, the reserve goalkeeper, to provide a moment of light relief when he was forced to apologise for a post sent in error from his Instagram account. “Job done,” it read, in the wake of the 3-0 defeat against Dinamo. If only.

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Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur 2021: Premier League match time, TV channels, how to watch

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Thursday’s comfortable 2-0 over Dinamo Zagreb was yet another quality performance from Tottenham Hotspur, who is now 5-0-0 over its past five matches. Not only did this win help keep spirits up for a team that was reeling badly, it makes next week’s tie in Croatia more or less wrapped up (barring a huge collapse).

This means full attention can be placed on Sunday’s North London Derby, though that would have been the case regardless. Spurs enter the contest seven points ahead of their rivals, and a victory would make it a full 10-point gap with 10 matches remaining for both sides in the league.

The reverse fixture in December was a fun one. Heung-Min Son launched a strike from well outside the box in the 13th minute to put Tottenham up 1-0, and a Harry Kane goal right before half just about sealed the win in front of the jubilant fans who were fortunate enough to be among the reduced-capacity crowd.

Arsenal is not too impressive right now, but form is not the most reliable indicator heading into derbies. Still, it is clear which of these two sides is in rhythm right now, and it certainly seems like Spurs have much more to play for. Tottenham have never taken six points from Arsenal in the Premier League; perhaps that changes today.

Lineups

How to Watch

Date: Sunday, March 14, 2021
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. GMT
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, England
TV: NBCSN (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)
Streaming: NBCSports.com (USA), Sky GO Extra (UK)

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Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

  • Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.
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  • Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.
  • Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an unmoderated message board.
  • Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!



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Manchester City 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened | Football

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14:46

Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad to see City’s latest procession. Here’s his report: be about your business, clickity click! Thanks for reading this MBM. Stay safe and warm, everyone. Goodnight, Dick!


14:44

Here come the judge. “It was a fresh team against a very tired team,” begins Mourinho. “But a team that started the game very well, with the game completely in control. We hit the post, 1-0 would have given us fuel in the boys’ legs. Then one of these modern penalties – I call them modern penalties – to put us in a difficult situation. But I am very happy with the players’ attitude. I had guys on the pitch that played two hours a couple of days ago, they gave everything. We have guys in difficulty. Lucas was the one I took off at half-time, but I had other guys on the pitch in such a difficult situation. But great attitude and great dignity. Losing 3-0, a team that is not united or together would give up and be punished. But I saw guys like Harry, Pierre and Heung, just to tell you three names I could give you, give everything. So I have nothing to say against my payers, not even against a couple of defensive mistakes that are always present. But I cannot complain with the attitude.” A lot to unpack there. Enjoy, enjoy.


14:35

Rodri, who took the first penalty of his entire career this evening, explains the process to Sky. “I was a bit angry because we missed many penalties, so I said next penalty I will shoot. I grabbed the ball and no-one took the ball away from me. Fortunately I scored! [Silva gave me advice] telling me points about Lloris, where to shoot the penalty. I didn’t listen! I didn’t listen! Because many times it’s better to be focused on where you are confident, and I was confident to shoot that way. Luckily it was in. We were laughing in the locker room, next penalty I will take!”


14:26

As the players troop off, Mourinho ostentatiously hugs Kane, Son and a deeply unhappy Dier. His team will certainly need a pick-me-up after being casually swatted aside by City. It was another mesmerising performance from City and Ilkay Gundogan in particular. They’ll be hoping the groin injury he limped off with isn’t too serious. They’re seven clear of Leicester with a game in hand; eight clear of neighbours Manchester United with the same number of matches played. And they’re 13 points clear, with a game in hand, on Liverpool, the reigning champions but now an irrelevance in the title race. Spurs stay in eighth.




 Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho hugs Eric Dier after the match. Photograph: Tim Keeton/Pool/Reuters

Updated


14:22

FULL TIME: Manchester City 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

City go seven clear of second-placed Leicester City with their 11th straight Premier League win, and their 16th in all competitions.


14:21

90 min +3: Mahrez dribbles in from the right but loses the run of his feet just as space to shoot opens up.


14:20

90 min +1: Another Spurs corner. Son swings it in. Ederson claims and sends Mahrez off on the counter. Davies takes one for the team, and receives his booking.


14:19

90 min: Silva cuts in from the right and goes for the bottom left. Lloris claims. There will be three added minutes.


14:18

89 min: Foden drifts into the box from the corner. He waltzes past the hapless Sanchez and pulls back for Sterling, who switches his feet and blasts for the bottom right. Lloris sticks out a leg and hacks clear.




 Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling shoots at goal as Tottenham Hotspur’s Japhet Tanganga attempts to block. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Pool/Reuters

Updated


14:17

88 min: Cancelo’s looping long pass finds Sterling in space down the left. He wins a corner off Sanchez.


14:15

86 min: Sterling has a look down the right. The door shuts this time, but City are after a fourth.


14:14

84 min: Kane wins a corner down the right. The resulting set piece renders his effort a textbook exercise in futility.


14:13

83 min: Foden slips a pass down the left, releasing Torres in to acres of space. He’s got Sterling in the middle, but dallies and runs into trouble.


14:10

81 min: The Gareth Bale of 2013 turns up! On the edge of the D, he faces Stones, Silva and Laporte. He shimmies and shakes, and makes his way through! Just enough space and time for a shot. He rasps one towards the top right, but Ederson is up to it, and palms away. Shame, that would have been a lovely goal. As it is, it’s merely a lovely cameo.




 Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspur gets through the challenges of Aymeric Laporte and John Stones … Photograph: Chloe Knott/Danehouse/Getty Images



 Before getting a shot away. Photograph: Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Updated


14:08

79 min: Son and Cancelo come together in the midfield. Son comes off worst. As he receives treatment, Mahrez comes on for Jesus.


14:07

77 min: Dier is yellow-carded for a frustrated clatter on Jesus. He socked it to him, if you will. OK, I’m going to stop this now.


14:03

74 min: Spurs are trying to piece together a response, but passing sequences in the final third seem beyond them. City are quite happy to sit back and let them flail about. “Thanks for reminding me how old I am,” writes Mary Waltz. “Picking up the Rowan and Martin reference and suddenly realizing that 89% of the MBM readers have no idea who they are.” They could always look them up in their Funk & Wagnalls.

Updated


14:00

72 min: Here comes the lesser-spotted Gareth Bale, on for Lamela.


14:00

71 min: Spurs have collectively lost the head, to the point that Kane gives the ball straight to Foden while clearing up at a corner. Foden threads a shot towards the bottom right, but Lloris is good for this one.


13:58

69 min: A wee shake of the head, and Gundogan is replaced by Torres. City will be hoping that’s not too serious.


13:57

68 min: Gundogan – two goals, one assist – has been unplayable for the last couple of months, so City will be worried to see him seated on the turf, holding his groin.


13:56

GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Gundogan 66)

This is direct, but oh so beautiful. Ederson launches long. It’s Gundogan versus Sanchez. The Spurs defender has no idea where he is, or what to do. Gundogan takes a little touch to the right, then back to the left. As Sanchez is left sprawling, Gundogan passes daintily into the bottom right. An exquisite finish … and not a bad assist from the keeper either! Give that man a penalty to take.




 Ilkay Gundogan shoots … Photograph: Bradley Ormesher/NMC Pool



 And scores his second, and Manchester City’s third. Photograph: Bradley Ormesher/NMC Pool



 Gundogan is congratulated by Phil Foden (right) and Gabriel Jesus. Photograph: Bradley Ormesher/NMC Pool



 City keeper Ederson (right) is congratulated on his assist by team-mate Joao Cancelo (centre) as Oleksandr Zinchenko looks on. Photograph: Tim Keeton/PA

Updated


13:54

65 min: Lamela is booked for a cynical tug on Cancelo’s shirt as the City right-back rampages down the middle.


13:52

64 min: Spurs need something different, so on comes Dele for Ndombele.


13:51

63 min: City are in complete control here. Metronomic passing. Spurs can hardly get a touch.


13:49

61 min: City have had 31 touches in the opposition box. Spurs have had four. City are doing this without Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero!


13:47

59 min: Sterling crosses long from the right. At the far post, Foden volleys it first time back to Gundogan, free in acres on the penalty spot. If Gundogan traps and takes his time, he surely scores. But he attempts a first-time swivel and volley, and times it all wrong. Spurs go up the other end, Ndombele having a speculative look from just inside the box, but it’s an easy claim for Ederson.


13:46

57 min: Foden grooves in from the left and enters the box. He’s charged off the ball by Tanganga, in the no-nonsense style. Foden wants a spot kick, but it’s not forthcoming.


13:44

56 min: Son crosses from a deep position on the left, but there’s nobody in the middle. An easy claim for Ederson.


13:43

55 min: City sit back and allow Spurs some sterile possession in the middle of the park.


13:41

53 min: A little bit of snow in the night air. Nothing settling yet, but poor Jose’s a-cold.


13:41

51 min: That’s a beautiful assist by Sterling, who shimmied around before clipping a gorgeous little diagonal dink infield for Gundogan.


13:39

GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Gundogan 50)

Sterling isn’t giving it up. He worms around the left channel and feeds Gundogan, who pokes a fierce shot towards the bottom left and through Lloris’s weak hand. Spurs in bother now.




 Ilkay Gundogan fires in Manchester City’s second. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Pool/EPA

Updated


13:38

49 min: Sterling dribbles through the Spurs box from right to left. He can’t find space to shoot. He lays off to Foden. No space for Foden either. But no matter, because …


13:34

City get the second half underway. Spurs have made one change: Sissoko on for Moura. “My poor father is trying to watch this game online here in the States via NBC, but reports that every link he clicks takes him instead to the impeachment trail,” writes Nathan Tucker. “It occurred to me that watching the impeachment’s frustratingly foregone conclusion unfold is not unlike watching Spurs this season. Maybe someone at NBC is having a laugh.” The network that gave us Seinfeld, Cheers, Parks & Recreation and Friends, reduced to trolling for yuks? That it’s come to this. Rowan and Martin will be spinning in their graves.


13:20

Half-time reading. He’s not saying anything we hadn’t worked out for ourselves, but Jurgen Klopp has conceded the title in the wake of Liverpool’s latest capitulation. David Hytner reports.


13:17

HALF TIME: Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur

There’s just enough time for Cancelo to send a curler into the top-left corner of the stand behind Lloris’s goal, and that’s the half-time whistle. As things stand, City are going seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.


13:15

44 min: City are coming at Spurs relentlessly now. Spurs could do with hearing the half-time whistle.


13:14

42 min: Sterling sashays down the right and reaches the byline. He pulls back for Gundogan, whose low drive is blocked by a superb Sanchez slide. The ball breaks to Jesus, who blazes over. City very close to doubling their lead.


13:12

40 min: Lamela is incensed enough to nearly talk himself into the book, but the referee wisely doesn’t double down on his error. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick, so we can put the whole sorry episode to bed.


13:11

38 min: Lamela is scissor-tackled by Jesus. No free kick. Jesus scampers away with the ball. Lamela bowls him over in frustration. Free kick this time. Philosophical debate ensues.


13:08

36 min: Sterling crosses from the right. Davies is right next to him, and the ball clips his arm. Sterling wants another penalty, but he’s not getting one.

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