Manchester City should have taken control in stoppage time against Spurs, says Ilkay Gundogan

Manchester City's Portuguese defender Ruben Dias (R) has an unsuccessful shot during against Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. Photo: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP

Manchester City's Portuguese defender Ruben Dias (R) has an unsuccessful shot during against Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. Photo: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP

Published Feb 20, 2022

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Manchester - Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said Manchester City should have taken control in stoppage time to deny Tottenham Hotspur any late scoring opportunities in the Premier League champions' 3-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

City twice came back from a goal down and looked favourites to claw out a dramatic late victory, but Spurs striker Harry Kane's header in the sixth minute of added time clinched victory for the London club.

Gundogan, who captained City on the night, rued his side's lack of caution in the dying embers of the game, and said City should have settled for a draw instead of leaving themselves vulnerable by going for the win.

"We moved the ball quite well. We created a lot of chances to score even more goals," Gundogan told Manchester City's website. "Unfortunately, we sometimes gave them the ball too easily to be on the counter-attack and have possibilities.

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"I feel like when you score in the 92nd minute to draw, you need to take a result. You don't take any more chances.

"We had a few more minutes and we knew we had chances and we are able to score one goal always, but it needs to be in a more controlling way, with the way we approached it."

City, who next face Everton on Feb. 26, have a six-point lead over second-placed Liverpool, but have played one more game.

Reuters