Man City vs Tottenham LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction as Riyad Mahrez completes comeback

The comeback to start hauling Arsenal back? The top of the table does look that much better for Manchester City, because Pep Guardiola’s side looked like champions again. This was one of those vintage responses that repeat title winners produce, and was so common on the other side of Manchester for so long, to prevent a vintage and common Tottenham Hotspur victory in this fixture.

The fact this rousing 4-2 win actually fell into its usual pattern, with Antonio Conte exploiting Guardiola’s weaknesses for his team to go 2-0 up, this time only served to draw out City’s strengths. The Spurs manager might reasonably point to how he can’t keep doing this indefinitely, especially as this Abu Dhabi project could afford to keep Kevin De Bruyne on the bench. City didn’t even need him as they responded to Tottenham’s one-two just before half-time with a one-two-three just after it. Whatever Guardiola said at half-time, it meant his team won this game just as quickly as they’d lost it. It was quite the show of power, right down to Erling Haaland of course scoring again.

Riyad Mahrez was the ultimate match-winner, though, setting up the Norwegian for the equaliser then scoring the goal that finally put City ahead and then the one that clinched it.

Riyad Mahrez struck twice as Manchester City staged a stunning fightback to reignite their title hopes with a 4-2 win over Tottenham.

The Premier League champions were rocked when Spurs struck twice through Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal in the closing moments of the first half after Ederson errors at the Etihad Stadium.

Yet faced with the prospect of trailing leaders Arsenal by eight points and having played a game more, Pep Guardiola’s side roused themselves after the break.

Julian Alvarez pulled one back and Erling Haaland, with his first goal in four games, restored parity before the influential Mahrez secured victory with a double.

Manchester City have won their last two Premier League games in which they’ve been two goals behind at half-time. They last did it vs Crystal Palace in August.

Tottenham meanwhile have lost a Premier League match in which they led by two goals at half-time for the first time since April 2009, when they were beaten 5-2 by Manchester United.

Manchester City have now avoided defeat in each of the last five Premier League matches in which they have fallen 2+ goals behind (won three, drew two).

It’s the longest such run by any side in the competition’s history.

There were just two minutes and eight seconds between Tottenham’s first and second goals this evening, and then two minutes and nine seconds between Man City’s first and second goals in reply.

Erling Haaland has scored 22 Premier League goals this season, the most a player has scored in a campaign in the competition under Pep Guardiola.

Only Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o & Robert Lewandowski have scored more in a single top-flight season under the Spaniard.

Riyad Mahrez is Manchester City’s hero tonight. His second half performance was fantastic and helped to blow Spurs away.

90+4 mins: Manchester City come from two goals down to sweep Tottenham aside in a barnstorming 45 minutes at the Etihad stadium.

Riyad Mahrez was the catalyst for City’s comeback. He set up two goals to bring them level before bagging a brace himself to secure all three points.

Pep Guardiola’s men move to within five points of Arsenal with this victory but it’s another defeat for Antonio Conte’s Spurs who continue to struggle.

90 mins: Riyad Mahrez is by far the man of the match here. Ederson boots the ball long and Clement Lenglet miscontrols the ball knocking it into the path of Mahrez.

He darts into the box and lifts it calmly over Hugo Lloris to secure the points for City.

Mahrez has two goals and two assists in this match now. An incredible second half performance from the winger.

89 mins: Nearly! Harry Kane is played into space on the right side of the pitch and lifts a cross into the box for his old mate Son Heung-min.

It’s a decent pass but Ederson gets off his line quickly and plucks the ball out of the air.