However, Dier levelled for Spurs before Toby Alderweireld, Harry Kane and Erik Lamela polished off an emphatic 4-1 win against the two-time Premier League champions.
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Kane scored Tottenham’s third with the follow-up effort after Christian Eriksen had curled another free-kick against the crossbar and Lamela added the fourth with City’s defence in a state of disarray.
Tottenham gratefully took advantage once they had shaken their heads clear from going behind to Kevin De Bruyne’s breakaway goal.
Manchester City boss Pellegrini stormed off when he was asked why it did not look as if he had lost his temper, headed the wrong way down a corridor and ended up in Tottenham’s Learning Zone which is a classroom built for local kids.
“We have played Barcelona in the last two years and if we had played Barcelona at Villarreal or Malaga then maybe we wouldn’t have gone so far”, he said.
Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart and Yaya Toure are doubts to face Borussia Monchengladbach, giving Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini a Champions League injury headache.
This was the first time since September 1962 that Manchester City conceded four goals against Spurs.
After winning three back-to-back Premier League games, Tottenham moved up to fifth place on the table.
“We need to keep calm, like the shirt”, Pochettino said.
The game was marred by a plethora of questionable decisions by the linesmen, with three of the five goals scored – including De Bruyne’s opener for City – borderline offside.
“My players were brilliant, and I’m very happy for our supporters after Wednesday because I know how they feel about the defeat to Arsenal”.
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Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini refused to blame the match officials for his side’s capitulation at Spurs despite the home side’s first and third goals being offside. “We are very young and sometimes we can confuse quick”. “The two offside goals were very important because the first one was their equaliser and the next one made it 3-1, but its part of the game and when you lose 4-1 its not just about the referee’s mistake”.
