Gary Lineker: Good evening and welcome to Match of the Day for our thoughts on the 2014/15 Premier League season! It seems the race will be as tight as ever this time around and as we all know it is those direct 6-pointer clashes that play a decisive part in deciding who will fly and who will fall. For this reason we will be focusing solely on those giant games in Match of the Day. Stay with us as Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer aid me on analyzing the key aspects of what happened and why it happened for you!
Gary Lineker: The blue half of Manchester geared up for a postponed midweek title contender derby with Tottenham knowing a win against struggling Spurs would put them in commanding position for the Premier League title. Mood in the opposition camp couldn't be worse with the poor performances this season culminating in rumours Andre Villas-Boas is facing the sack should his team lose this game. It wasn't much of a surprise the hosts dominated the game and forced Spurs to defend. The visitors were limited to counter attacks and shots from distance. Despite the fiery start the Citizens couldn't get the early goal they wanted so badly and as the game progressed passions calmed. Man City tried a more patient approach while Spurs got to see more of the ball. It became evident a single goal would be enough to seal this game but neither team could get it. The visitors faced a shaky ending when Stephan Lichtsteiner got himself sent off for a second bookable offense at the death but the Citizens failed to make numbers matter and it all ended in a disappointing null-null draw.
Alan Hansen: The hosts tried a number of different approaches to break down their resilient opposition but none of them came to fruition. The pressure could be felt in the air at the Etihad as the crowd was vibrant with expectation but instead of cheering the players it got in their heads. It is untypical for this Man City side to create so little - even though they had a total of 30 shots, they only crafted a single clear-cut chance - as many as Spurs. Klopp threw the heavy guns from the bench by introducing the spectacular trio of Yaya Toure, Stevan Jovetic and Sergio Aguero in the second half - but at the moment Yaya limped off with 13 minutes to go the team lost belief.
Alan Shearer: The only Man City player who kept going was Pablo Zabaleta and he earned himself the PoM award for his constant runs down the flank. Jan Vertonghen was massive for Spurs during the entire game and was the key reason behind this hard fought point and clean sheet for Spurs.
Gary Lineker: While the draw wasn't what Man City wanted, it wasn't a bad result either. It put them on level points with Chelsea and two behind leaders Newcastle with a game in hand to both. The Citizens are still in commanding position to win the league and the bookies have cut their odds for that even further. As for Spurs it seems they are bound to finish 7th now with the gap above and below too large and Andre Villas-Boas knows this result while respectable probably only earned him a week more in the job.
