Tottenham Hotspur certainly haven't been poor in their opening 45 minutes against Manchester City. In fact, between the two penalty areas, they've matched or perhaps even bettered their visitors. The serious difference between the two teams has been right in front of goal, where Edin Dzeko has been spectacular while Spurs can't hit the broad side of a barn. City are up 2-0 at halftime, and Samir Nasri looks like a spectacular buy already.
Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Manchester City: Halftime, Edin Dzeko And Samir Nasri Spectacular As Citizens Lead
Nasri, the now-former Arsenal man, provided both assists to the scorer of both goals, Dzeko. He's settled in right away and has proven an absolutely perfect fit for City's system. The first goal came in the 34th minute, with Nasri providing a low cross into the box after a one-two exchange with Sergio Aguero. Dzeko's positioning was perfect and he tapped in the goal with the bottom of his boot, getting City off to a great start.
Interestingly enough, Gareth Barry appeared to have committed a handball in the box just one minute before Dzeko's opener, but referee Phil Dowd was not in a good position to spot it.
Spurs looked like they were going to get back into the game in the 40th minute, when Bale put the ball on a silver platter for Peter Crouch, hitting him square on the head with an absolutely fantastic cross. Inexplicably, though it appeared he just had to let the ball hit his head and go into the net, Crouch managed to miss. It was Spurs' second big let-off of the game, as Bale had missed a sitter of his own about 20 minutes prior.
Once again, City would score just one minute after Tottenham failed to finish off a great chance of their own, illustrating the main difference between the two teams on the evening. The assist came from Nasri once again, this time with a floating cross. Dzeko hit an absolutely ridiculous header towards the far post, providing a world class finish that no one on Spurs seems to have the quality to execute.
City leads by a score of 2-0 at the break, and based on the players available on the two benches, it would not be surprising if that lead was expanded.
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