Man City vs Tottenham LIVE: Premier League result and final score as James Maddison stars in shock thrashing

Haaland has another chance and between the two shots he’s had, you’d absolutely back him to nail one - but this one is again off the mark, a good strike this time hard and low but Vicario makes the save with his feet.

Spurs just starting to get a foot on the ball themselves at times; Kulusevski is wide right today rather than through the middle where he has been so effective of late and they’ll need the Swede to impress.

Gundogan clips a ball over the top of the Spurs defence and Walker makes the darting run beyond - but can’t quite stretch to loop a cross over. Looks in these early stages as though Rico Lewis is more or less in midfield with Gundogan and Silva, but it’s a fluid City system as you can imagine.

At the other end Son gets into the box for the first time and fizzes a low ball over, but nobody is with him in attack.

All City in the opening exchanges, and the first real opening falls the way of Haaland - but his first touch is bad! Silva and Gvardiol open the defence up but the striker’s control is really poor, he can’t shift his feet and eventually just blams the ball straight at Ben Davies, who is at centre-back today.

Deflected behind and that’s a corner...which Spurs clear.

Well that was fast. We kick-off, Foden goes forward...and Sarr scythes him down, earning a yellow card inside 16 seconds!

No letting the first tackle go today, that was a chop down from behind and he’s straight in the book.

We are ready to go! Rodri has taken the acclaim from the stands and the Ballon d’Or, his home pitch presentation today. And now we’re ready to get underway!

We have Richard Jolly at the game today. Ahead of kick-off, here are his thoughts:

“Tottenham came to the Etihad last season without their first-choice centre-backs and got a 3-3 draw. Now they return without their first-choice centre-backs but with Ange Postecoglou recalling James Maddison in midfield. Pep Guardiola, however, does have some centre-backs who are fit to return, with John Stones and Manuel Akanji back. It looks as though Rico Lewis is starting in midfield.”

Dejan Kulusevski has been Tottenham’s player of the season so far, and the Sweden international has a brilliant record against today’s opponents as well.

He has scored on all three of his visits to the Etihad, including his first for the club in a 3-2 win there in February 2022 as well as last season’s late equaliser to rescue a 3-3 draw.

Kulusevski has had a hand in more Premier League goals against Man City (five – three goals, two assists) than he has against any other side, scoring or assisting five of our last nine league goals against Pep Guardiola’s team.

Manchester City risk losing three consecutive league fixtures for the first time under Pep Guardiola. It last happened in February to March 2016 during Manuel Pellegrini’s reign, and included a home defeat against Tottenham.

But Guardiola has lost six Premier League games versus Spurs and conceded 22 goals – more than against any other opponent. In fact, Tottenham have scored at least twice in each of their past three top-flight games at the Etihad Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou knows the next month will be “significant” for Tottenham, but is confident they will improve and not be mid-table at Christmas.

Postecoglou remains bullish about Tottenham’s progress and acutely aware of the scrutiny set to come his way if they stay 10th.

“Christmas is a joyous occasion, irrespective, and I think it should be celebrated. If we’re still 10th then people won’t be happy, I won’t be happy, but we might not be 10th,” Postecoglou pointed out before nine games in 30 days.

“Certainly for us I think it’s a significant period because you look at those games and we’ve got the league where we’ve got to improve our position and a couple of important European fixtures that can set us up for the back half of the year, also a Carabao Cup quarter-final.”

Pep Guardiola claims three-quarters of the Premier League want to see Manchester City relegated over financial irregularities.

But the City boss has vowed to stay on and lift the club back to the top even if they are sent all the way down to the National League.

Guardiola ended speculation over his immediate future this week by extending his contract, which had been due to expire at the end of the season, through to the summer of 2027.

That has given the club some stability at a time of great uncertainty as they fight 115 charges related to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.

City have denied all wrongdoing but their punishment if found guilty could be severe, with demotion even a possibility.