Manchester City continued their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
Despite going behind to a Steven Caulker header, second-half goals from Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko earned the points for the hosts.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the key talking points from the clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Match statistics
Man City:
Shots 16
On target 8
Possession 55%
Fouls 16
Corners 8
Spurs:
Shots 6
On target 2
Possession 45%
Fouls 7
Corners 2
Was the result fair?
The short answer is yes. Spurs took the lead against the run of play but an improved display from the hosts in the second half saw them dominate in all areas of the pitch and Roberto Mancini's side were well worth the three points.
Man City's performance
Mancini will have been disappointed with the first-half showing from his team. There was a lack of fluency to the City play, something we were used to seeing throughout last season. However, the decision to switch to a back three paid off for the Italian and the hosts finished the match the far superior side.
Tottenham's performance
Andre Villas-Boas can take heart from the way his defenders performed for long spells of the contest. A stubborn performance looked as though it would be enough to claim a point but they were denied by Dzeko with just minutes left. In attack, Spurs' big players did not show up, with Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon floating in and out of the match.
Sports Mole's man of the match
David Silva: Not many standout performances in a game dominated by defenders but the Spaniard showed his class when it mattered. As City started to apply the pressure after the interval, Silva dictated the tempo of the play and his perfect pass provided the winner for Dzeko.
Referee's performance
Michael Oliver frustrated the City fans with some of his decisions this afternoon but he only really got one big choice wrong. William Gallas clearly handled the ball to prevent Aguero getting through on goal but the referee chose not to award the penalty.
What next?
Man City: The champions will be hoping to keep up the pressure on their rivals at the top of the table by collecting three points when Aston Villa visit Eastlands next Saturday.
Spurs: Villas-Boas must pick his squad up quickly following this result as they prepare for one of their biggest matches of the season. Spurs make the short trip to face fierce rivals Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime with three points being crucial.
Callum Mulvihill
