Joe Hart furrowed his brow. He noticed that all of City's forwards were tightly marked. Sending a long pass to them risked losing possession, so he opted for a short pass to Demichelis instead.
Demichelis received the ball and held it briefly. Seeing that both Fernandinho and Fernando were under heavy pressure, he decided to pass to Zabaleta. Chadli immediately challenged Zabaleta, engaging in a physical battle to steal the ball. Under pressure, Zabaleta played it back to Demichelis.
The problem was that Kane was already closing in on Demichelis.
Without hesitation, Kane sprinted toward the ball. Realizing the danger of losing possession in this area, Demichelis cleared the ball forcefully upfield.
The ball soared high toward the left side of the pitch.
James Milner extended his arms to shield Federico Fazio behind him, receiving the ball with his chest. However, Fazio stretched out a leg and managed to kick the ball away.
Lamela dropped deep to retrieve Fazio's clearance, dribbling into City's defensive left side.
Meanwhile, Milner sprinted back to support Clichy. When Lamela bypassed Clichy, Milner was there to make a tackle and recover the ball.
*Tweet!*
"Foul!"
"I touched the ball, referee! That's not a foul," Milner protested. But his argument fell on deaf ears.
Tottenham earned a free kick, and Eriksen stepped up to take it. He delivered a beautiful cross into the penalty area.
Vertonghen rose above everyone else, redirecting the ball with his head.
Joe Hart leapt high and caught the ball cleanly. Wasting no time, he threw it forward while shouting, "Counter!"
Chadli chased the ball Joe Hart had thrown, sliding across the grass in an attempt to clear it. However, Zabaleta nudged the ball forward, bypassing Chadli and sprinting after it. Zabaleta then passed to David Silva.
Silva carried the ball past the halfway line. Only Bentaleb and Danny Rose remained as Tottenham's last line of defense. Meanwhile, City had Kenneth, Aguero, and Silva surging forward.
Aguero received Silva's pass with a deft touch, pushing the ball between Bentaleb and Danny Rose. The two defenders were slightly spread out, trying to cover Kenneth on the left and Silva on the right.
By the time they realized Aguero wasn't going to pass, it was too late. The Argentine had already dribbled into the penalty box.
Tottenham's goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, charged off his line. His arms were spread wide, and his body slightly crouched to guard against a potential chip from Aguero.
Indeed, Lloris's positioning discouraged Aguero from attempting a chip or a long-range shot. Instead, Aguero decided to dribble around the keeper.
But Lloris had anticipated this. Smiling inwardly, he tracked Aguero's movement, continually closing down his shooting angle.
As Aguero approached the byline, he had no choice but to take a shot despite the tight angle. His effort struck Lloris and deflected out of play.
Danny Rose quickly approached Lloris. "Good job, Hugo."
Lloris gave a slight nod and replied, "Don't worry. I'll keep Aguero shut down this match."
Moments later, David Silva delivered a corner kick. Vertonghen cleared the danger with a commanding header, sending the ball away from Tottenham's penalty area.
The pace of the match was relentless. Manchester City and Tottenham traded attacks back and forth.
To maintain their defenses, both teams committed small tactical fouls when necessary.
From the 24th to the 27th minute, Tottenham was on fire. They attempted three shots, all of which were half-chances—opportunities that could have easily turned into goals.
The match was played at a blistering pace, favoring Tottenham, who thrived in such high-tempo situations.
Kenneth Lee noticed his teammates were exhausted, lacking the energy for a quick counterattack. So, when he received the ball from Fernandinho, he decided to hold it at his feet.
Bentaleb tried to dispossess him, but Kenneth shielded the ball with his back, keeping it out of Bentaleb's reach. When Eriksen closed in, Kenneth finally passed the ball back to Fernando.
He slowed the game down with back passes. Tottenham's players, also fatigued, decided to drop back and abandon their pressing. This allowed Manchester City to control possession and gradually build up pressure on Tottenham's defense.
In the 35th minute, Zabaleta passed the ball to Silva before making an overlapping run. David Silva positioned himself ahead of Danny Rose and returned the ball to Zabaleta.
As Zabaleta prepared to deliver a cross, Eric Dier blocked his path, standing firm as a defensive wall. Unable to break through, Zabaleta played the ball backward. Fernandinho picked it up and switched play to the left flank.
However, Erik Lamela intercepted Fernandinho's pass, but Clichy quickly outmuscled him, winning the ball back. Clichy then played a short pass to Kenneth.
Before the ball even reached him, Kenneth had already scanned Aguero's and Milner's movements. The moment the ball touched his foot, Kenneth pushed it to the left, threading a through ball to Milner.
Milner accelerated past Fazio and delivered a low cross into the center of the penalty box.
Aguero, onside, pounced on the ball and took a shot, but Lloris easily caught it.
Minutes later, another chance arose. This time, Kenneth Lee dribbled into the penalty area. When Bentaleb stepped up to block him, Kenneth feinted to the left, pretending to accelerate in that direction. Then, with a swift movement, he rolled the ball to the right, leaving Bentaleb wrong-footed and creating space for a shot.
With his right foot, Kenneth fired a shot toward the top right corner of the net.
Once again, Lloris proved his brilliance, diving to tip Kenneth's shot away.
As the first half neared its end, Tottenham launched a counterattack after Eric Dier dispossessed Aguero. The ball fell to Bentaleb, who calmly controlled it and delivered a precise pass to Eriksen.
Eriksen's vision was on full display as he sent a long ball into the space ahead of Erik Lamela. Lamela, unmarked by Clichy, received the pass perfectly.
Dribbling toward the penalty area, Lamela closely observed Kane's movement. With impeccable timing, he delivered a knee-height cross to Kane. The delivery was perfect, setting Kane up for a controlled volley toward Manchester City's goal.
Luck seemed to favor City, as Kane's shot struck the crossbar and bounced out of play.
The referee's whistle blew, signaling the end of the first half. The score remained 0-0.