Tottenham Hotspur progressed to the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup following a 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Ange Postecoglou’s side suffered a 1-0 loss to London rivals Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend. Their performance was under-par and they needed a huge response against Man City yesterday.
Spurs did exactly that with 2 early goals at home. City reduced the deficit before the half-time interval, but the hosts were able to hold onto the slender advantage to progress to the last 8 of the Cup competition.
Pape Matar Sarr was back in the starting 11 for the London giants and he was brilliant in the opening half for them.
Sarr scored the eventual winner for Spurs with a superb low-strike from 25 yards out. The Senegalese star also completed every pass (12/12) with 100% of his aerial duels won and a total of three tackles.
The talented midfielder received a 8/10 rating from football.london.
Start him regularly
Sarr has failed to nail down a regular starting role under Postecoglou. The 22-year-old has not started in the Premier League since September 1, but it could be time for Postecoglou to reconsider his stance.
The midfielder has been knocking on the door with his goal involvements. He has already managed 5 for the campaign after his stellar strike yesterday and should be handed a fair run of games from the starting 11.
Sarr has all the traits to become an elite box-to-box midfielder. The only downside could be his discipline. He was booked against City after 4 fouls in the first half which contributed to his substitution at half-time.
Spurs have a huge Premier League game against Aston Villa at home on Sunday afternoon. The midfield battle could be a big decider and Sarr could line up in midfield alongside Yves Bissouma and James Maddison.
We predict Dejan Kulusevski to move forward into the right wing position with Brennan Johnson dropping to the bench. The Welshman’s form has largely dipped after the October international break.
