The Premiership kicked off this afternoon and we were in for a fantastic spectacle after a very disappointing and defensive World Cup which made us forget just how exciting this sport can be when played right.
Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs were locked in a tight battle for fourth last season which Tottenham won on the final day, and today, at White Hart Lane, the two met again for the season opener.
Spurs began as the favorites for this game – as short as 6/4 and it was the home team that took the early initiative. They peppered the Manchester City goal which young ‘keeper Hart guarded superbly.
Stopping fantastic shots from Defoe, Huddlestone, Modric and Crouch the goalkeeper, who had managed to keep Shay Given out of the team, was in fine form. The City defense was lacking somewhat with Kompany forced to throw himself at a number of shots and chances as Richards flapped on a few occasions, letting the Spurs players through.
Despite the great number of shots and chances, which included a lively Gareth Bale striking the post, the two sides were tied at 0-0 at half time.
Shaun Wright-Phillips missed a chance early on in the second half to get Manchester City into an undeserved lead, but after that the game died down somewhat. City enjoyed more possession as they countered the Spurs threat.
Late on Hart continued his top form, saving twice from Pavlyuchenko, and Bale missed a fantastic opportunity to steal a win when missing from point blank range, but this game ended with neither side on top as these top four contenders shared the points. Tottenham were the better side and there was little on display from the multi-million pound stars of Manchester City,
