Tottenham have rarely looked like turning their palatial stadium into anything like a fortress.
No-one trembles in terror when they step from the High Road into a glitzy atrium, complete with its glass trophy cabinet sparkling with well-polished replicas of prizes mostly won somewhere deep in the last century.
Brighton, Southampton, Wolves, Newcastle, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal have all left with maximum points in the last 12 months.
It is far from impenetrable and then, when Manchester City roll up, everything changes. This is five games and five defeats for Pep Guardiola’s team since Spurs returned to the N17 postcode from their Wembley rental.
During those five games, starting in the Champions League quarter final in April 2019, City have not even scored a goal, an extraordinary dearth for one of the most free-scoring teams in modern history.
Spurs turn their stadium into a fortress against Manchester City as they’ve won five in a row
Harry Kane’s goal gave his team a 1-0 win against Pep Guardiola’s side in the crucial clash
This place brings the worst out of Manchester City. Or maybe City just bring the best out of Tottenham.
Six hundred miles away, in Italy, Antonio Conte tuned into the live feed as he recuperated after surgery to remove his gallbladder on Wednesday.
It will have been serene viewing for Turin’s shrewd operator. Just what the doctor ordered.
A wonderful exhibition of deep resistance, collective defending. His back five were solid and risk-free. His two central midfielders excelled, covering the ground, spoiling the City rhythm, springing Spurs out quickly, a genuine threat on the counter.
It was trademark Conte. On days like these, there is no-one pining for the dashing ‘Glory Glory’ style of those black-and-white years. Footballing philosophies matter less if you’re toppling the champions and one of the great teams of the modern era. Again.
Or if you’re shutting out Erling Haaland, the Premier League’s most prolific centre forward, and winning the game with a goal by one of your own.
The home crowd were on their feet as Tottenham threw bodies down to block City’s route to goal. They applauded Cristian Romero off after his second yellow card, presumably by this stage convinced they were not going to concede.
They screamed with delight as the white shirts outnumbered the visitors, time and again, on the break in the second half.
Erling Haaland was quiet against Tottenham as he struggled to make his mark on the game
Usually it is Son Heung-min troubling City with his electric pace on the turnover. Son was on target in each of the previous four Spurs victories here.
This time it was Harry Kane punishing them for a careless over indulgence by Rodri, deep in his own territory, trying to thread a pass into left-back Rico Lewis in his pseudo central midfield role.
Pierre Emile Hojbjerg anticipated the pass and Kane did the rest. In doing so, he became Tottenham’s all time record scorer and reached the milestone of his 200th goal in the Premier League.
Quite rightly, the home fans rose to acclaim their hero. It mattered not one iota that they had spent the previous 14 minutes in the deep, packing men around their own penalty area to stifle Pep Guardiola’s team.
There is little pretence with Conte, who likes his team to play this way but finds, when some opponents visit, there is an uncomfortable onus on them to make the running, and be the creative force. This suits him less.
When City arrive, he is safe in the knowledge they will throw men forward. He knows they will dominate the ball. They will back their ability and are prepared to gamble on the threat of being swamped on the counter attack.
Equally, he knows if they hit their stride it might not make any difference. As in the second half at the Etihad Stadium, last month, when Tottenham surrendered a two-goal lead and conceded four.
Tottenham have not conceded since. Conte hunkered down on a back-to-basics approach and City never hit this same stride.
Kane’s goal came against the run of play but it did not matter one bit to any of the home fans
They enjoyed plenty of the ball but hardly ever opened up Spurs up. There were flashes of brilliance of course, as Riyad Mahrez rattled the woodwork and Eric Dier’s knee diverted a crisp strike by Julian Alvarez over.
There was late pressure. There was the hypnotic beat of City players rotating position, with Rico Lewis easing from left back, into central midfield and back again, with Guardiola’s team flexing formations from a back four to a back three.
There was a wave of talent from the bench but they were short of their fluent best. Haaland was starved of space in behind and never went eye to eye with Hugo Lloris in goal.
With only 27 touches and without mustering a shot for the first time in a Premier League game, the Norwegian was about as ineffectual as he has been since his move to England.
Credit to Spurs and to Conte but everyone was left to wonder about Guardiola’s decision to start with Kevin de Bruyne, Haaland’s creator in chief, on the bench. By the time De Bruyne came on, the home team were set.
They had their lead and they had their plan. It was working. Confidence was up and they could detect victory.
Over in Turin, Conte must have smiled to himself when the team news filtered through. When Kane struck, Guardiola threw himself down into his seat on the bench, dropped his head into his hands and gave it a vigorous rub.
Had he outthought himself once again? Is he too clever by half? Does his team have a mental block in this corner of the capital? Whatever the reason, Manchester City missed the chance and North London for once united in its appreciation of Kane.
Kevin de Bruyne had to settle for a substitute appearance as he missed out on a spot in the XI
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