It is not unusual for centre-backs to have high passing accuracy, especially in teams that prefer to play out from the back, but Aymeric Laporte's precision in Manchester City's win over Everton was perfect.

The Spain international completed all 110 of his attempted passes at Goodison Park, surpassing a record he set in December, as Premier League leaders City went on to claim a crucial 1-0 victory thanks to Phil Foden's late goal.

While Everton will lament their luck after a VAR call went against them, City controlled the game in the second half, after initially being pushed back by their hosts in the opening 45 minutes.

Indeed, City's expected goals (xG) of 0.18 in the first half was the lowest figure for them in the first period of any Premier League game this season. Their xG rose to 2.0 by full time.

However, the pressure City were under makes Laporte's composure on the ball even more impressive.

Of his 110 passes, 57 came in Everton's half, while his 124 touches was also a game-high, with the defender chipping in with a joint team-high three tackles to boot.

Most of his passes (37) went to defensive partner Ruben Dias, while he found Joao Cancelo on 20 occasions and Rodri on 14, with a combined 20 going into City's starting front three.

Laporte's 110 successful passes were the most by a player in a Premier League game without failing to find a team-mate at all since Opta began recording such data in 2003-04. The 27-year-old also held the previous record, having completed all 109 of his passes in the 6-3 win over Leicester City on Boxing Day, in which he also scored.

When stacked up against players in Europe's top five leagues, Laporte is the only one to have recorded 100 per cent passing accuracy when attempting over 100 passes on more than one occasion.

Napoli's Amir Rrahmani (114/115 against Cagliari) and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes (105/106 against Nantes) are the only other players to have registered at least 99 per cent passing accuracy when attempting over 100 passes.

Laporte has recorded over 95 per cent passing accuracy in 12 of his 22 league appearances this term.

It was another frustrating day for Manchester United against Watford on Saturday, while their rivals – and next opponents – Manchester City left it late at Everton.

Watford were, of course, the team that inflicted the defeat that cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job at United in November, and Ralf Rangnick will have been similarly frustrated, even if he is safe in the knowledge that he will not be getting the sack.

The same cannot be said for Marcelo Bielsa, however, who looks destined to see his stay at Leeds United brought to an end after a crushing defeat to Tottenham.

Following Saturday's Premier League action, Stats Perform delves into the key Opta facts from some of the day's games.

Manchester United 0-0 Watford: Red Devils revert to type

Man Utd's 4-2 win at Leeds United last week was a little more tense than Ralf Rangnick would have liked, at least for a while, but it was also a rare example of them getting a big goals haul.

It seemed to say more about Leeds than it did United, however, as Rangnick saw his side struggle in front of goal once again despite dominating visitors Watford.

Chances weren't an issue: they had 22 shots, but only three were on target. Their opportunities amounted to 2.7 expected goals (xG), just no actual goals.

That was the highest xG accumulated by any side who failed to score in a Premier League game this term, and the biggest negative differential between goals and xG recorded in 2021-22.

It was the fifth time United have failed to score in 14 Premier League home games this season, their worst record since 2013-14 (six).

Up next? The Manchester derby.

Everton 0-1 Manchester City: Champions breathe sigh of relief as Toffees' points tally makes grim viewing

Phil Foden rescued City at Goodison Park on Saturday, scoring eight minutes from time to seal a 1-0 win over Everton.

That goal ensured Liverpool can only cut the gap behind City to three points if they win their game in hand, with Pep Guardiola undoubtedly relieved.

He surely always had faith, however, as Guardiola had won each of his previous nine games against Everton – this victory took him to 10 on the bounce, making it his joint-longest winning run against a single opponent in his managerial career.

Everton's outlook is rather bleaker.

Defeat leaves them with just 22 points from 24 Premier League games this term. It is their lowest tally at this stage of a league campaign (if we assume three points have been awarded throughout history) since 1929-30 (also 22), when they were relegated from the top tier.

Frank Lampard's men certainly showed enough spirit at times in this game to suggest their fate will not be the same, but their nine points since the start of October is the fewest of every team in the Premier League.

Leeds United 0-4 Tottenham: Defensive woes leave Bielsa on the brink

It would seem Marcelo Bielsa could well be on his way out at Leeds after another grim defeat, this time at the hands of Spurs.

This loss took Leeds to 20 goal concessions in February, which is the most any Premier League team has ever let in during a single calendar month and worst since any top-flight side since April 1986 (Newcastle United – 21).

As such, they became only the second side in Premier League history to three or more goals in five successive games – four of those have been defeats, making it their worst such run in the top tier since December 2003-February 2004.

For Spurs it was a welcome change of pace after losing to Burnley in midweek, a defeat that led to an emotional outburst from Antonio Conte that made it seem the Italian's days at the club were numbered.

A major highlight for them saw Harry Kane and Son Heung-min combine for the 37th time in the Premier League, overtaking Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard as the duo with most goal combinations in the competition's history.

Brentford 0-2 Newcastle United: Bees' woes continue but Eriksen return puts struggles into perspective

The form of Brentford and Newcastle could not be much more different.

Brentford are now winless in eight Premier League games, seven of which have been defeats – Newcastle are unbeaten in seven, their best such run since 2011 (14 games).

Josh Dasilva's red card certainly did not help matters for the home side, with his 11th-minute dismissal the second-earliest in a Premier League game this term after Newcastle's Ciaran Clark (ninth minute against Norwich City in November).

But the match did give all fans and neutrals a reason to smile as Christian Eriksen made his return to the football pitch.

The playmaker suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020, and he came on in the second half for his first competitive appearance since his medical emergency.

It was also marked his return to the Premier League, having last appeared in the competition 766 days earlier for Tottenham.

Pep Guardiola has thanked Everton for their pro-Ukraine gestures prior to Saturday's Premier League match at Goodison Park.

Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday and attacks have continued in the two days since, with fighting reaching the capital of Kyiv.

Both City and Everton named a Ukrainian player on the bench, with Vitaliy Mykolenko among the hosts' substitutes and Oleksandr Zinchenko present for the visitors.

Zinchenko was spotted at a rally in Manchester on Thursday as he protested Russia's attack on his home nation, and he received a touching reception from Everton fans during the warm-up.

He and Mykolenko also shared an embrace on the pitch before the match, while Everton fans unfurled pro-Ukraine banners in the stands.

Everton also opted to drop their use of an air-raid siren as the teams entered the field, with the sound used in recent seasons to boost the atmosphere in the stadium.

City players donned white T-shirts bearing the Ukraine flag and the slogan 'no war' written across it – the Everton starting XI took to the pitch draped in flags.

City won the game 1-0 thanks to a late Phil Foden goal, but much of the pre-match focus remained on the emotional scenes.

"I said on behalf of Manchester City thank you so much for the lovely gesture for Aleks and their player and the concern that happened," Guardiola told reporters.

"The concern is all around the world and I'm pretty sure the UK showed what a strange situation it is when people send innocent people that don't hate each other in Ukraine and Russia to kill each other because one guy at home decides to do it.

"Hopefully it can be resolved soon and there are no more victims in this conflict."

Manchester City avoided giving Liverpool further encouragement in the Premier League title race as Phil Foden's late winner rescued a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.

Pep Guardiola's were seemingly struggling to bounce back from their 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham last weekend, but Foden struck eight minutes from time to time to ensure the champions went six points clear again.

Everton were more dangerous in the first half but could not make the most of their opportunities.

City were initially having similar struggles until Foden pounced on Michael Keane's defensive error, and the visitors somehow escaped a late penalty concession when Rodri was not penalised for handball in the area.

Pre-match focus at Goodison Park centred on tributes to Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion, with the public's reaction all the more poignant in the presence of Ukraine internationals Oleksandr Zinchenko and Vitaliy Mykolenko.

The contest itself took a little while to capture the imagination, but it was Everton who first went close, with Jonjoe Kenny slamming into the side-netting.

Richarlison should have done better with a close-range snapshot shortly after, hammering it straight at Ederson, who then watched Anthony Gordon's 25-yard free-kick fly agonisingly over on the stroke of half-time.

City livened up at the other end in the second half as Foden, Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva all tested Jordan Pickford in a short period.

But he was helpless as Foden capitalised on Keane's inability to cut out a deflected pass to break the deadlock.

Everton might have been given the chance to level from the spot, but neither referee Paul Tierney nor the VAR felt the need to punish Rodri for handling in City's box.

Manchester City and Everton showed solidarity with Ukraine ahead of Saturday's Premier League meeting at Goodison Park.

The reigning champions and Frank Lampard's strugglers both have Ukrainian players within their squads – Oleksandr Zinchenko and Vitaliy Mykolenko – who were named on the respective benches.

Zinchenko and Mykolenko embraced during the warm-ups and received a warm reception from fans inside the ground.

More tributes were paid before kick-off, with Ukrainian flags and a banner showing support for Mykolenko on show from the Everton faithful.

City's players came out for kick-off in tops bearing the slogan 'NO WAR' and the Ukraine flag, while Everton's squad made their way onto the pitch with Ukrainian flags draped around their shoulders.

Everton also elected against playing an air-raid siren prior to their walk-out anthem of Z-Cars, with The Hollies' ballad 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' played over the tannoy. It was previously used by the club to show solidarity with rivals Liverpool over the Hillsborough disaster.

Zinchenko and Mykolenko both seemed close to tears on the sidelines.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, to international condemnation. The fighting has since escalated.

Zinchenko attended a vigil in Manchester on Thursday, with Pep Guardiola saying the full-back was "incredibly strong".

Pep Guardiola described Oleksandr Zinchenko as "an incredibly strong guy" for his attitude amid the escalating crisis in his home country of Ukraine.

Zinchenko joined a group in Manchester demonstrating against Russia's invasion of Ukraine outside the city's Central Library on Thursday.

The full-back had previously expressed support on Instagram for his compatriots at home and condemned the actions of Russian president Vladimir Putin, who ordered the military action on Thursday.

Manchester City boss Guardiola would have no problem selecting Zinchenko for Saturday's Premier League game at Everton.

"We spoke personally with him and everyone has spoken," Guardiola said. "These are headlines today all around the world, and it's a concern but Aleks is an incredibly strong guy.

"It's not easy, but yesterday in training, he was brilliant. He is ready to play if he has to."

When asked about Zinchenko attending the Manchester vigil, Guardiola said: "What would you do if someone abroad attacked the UK?

"It's how he feels. What happened in Yugoslavia, no-one did anything. Around the world, there are many wars. It's a pity. Innocent people will die when they just want to live in peace.

"All around the world, you want a house, to sleep well, food on the table, movies, food, someone to love. When you are not involved, they attack your country, and it should be complicated to arrive at this point.

"Always innocent people pay the terrible price, the decisions of one or two people; still we don't learn what happened in the past. Right now in Syria, many places. At the end, the strong part always kills the weak one."

City saw their 15-game unbeaten run in the league end in a dramatic 3-2 home defeat to Tottenham last time out, Harry Kane scoring an injury-time winner moments after Riyad Mahrez had made it 2-2 with a penalty.

Liverpool's 6-0 thrashing of Leeds United in their game in hand means City now lead the Reds at the top of the table by just three points with 12 matches remaining.

"When we were champions, it wasn't in December or January," Guardiola said. "[On Thursday] We saw Wolves-Arsenal, so intense, they are so good. What's next? Try to win the next game.

"Why should I not be excited? I'm more than delighted to be in this position. We want to defend it, attack better and try to win games. It's so tough, I saw yesterday the game, how Tottenham played the last game. Every game is so difficult.

"What we achieved in the last years, the contenders are so intense. From the start of the season, I couldn't expect it wouldn't be what it is now.

"I'm more than grateful we're better than I thought at the start of the season. The way we defend some situations, we didn't deserve to win, trying to attack when defending teams in this way.

"A football teams never ends, is never finished. Every time we can go to training to do better. Otherwise, it would be so boring. I never felt it would be over. We want to be there and this is what I want from my team."

Sergio Aguero "had nothing more to achieve" before his unfortunate early retirement, according to fellow Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain.

Aguero was forced to call time on his illustrious career last December due to a heart problem following chest pains in a draw with Deportivo Alaves on October 30.

The former Manchester City star was informed it would be too much of a risk to continue playing, having made just five appearances in all competitions for new club Barcelona, who he joined in July.

While Higuain understands the circumstances behind his retirement were far from ideal, the Inter Miami man believes Aguero will reflect on his achievements fondly.

"Clearly no player wants to retire like this, but also Kun [Aguero] made an extraordinary career," Higuain, who played with Aguero during their time with Argentina, told Stats Perform.

"He is the top foreign goalscorer in the Premier League. Nobody wants to retire like that, but if he looks back he had nothing more to achieve. 

"Perhaps he lacked a Champions League, but that does not change the quality of player that he is and how he will be remembered. 

"I wish him to be happy and find something he is passionate about. Health comes first. We shared many years together and from the heart I wish him the best."

Indeed, Aguero leaves behind a remarkable legacy. The 33-year-old scored 184 times in the Premier League at a rate of one every 108 minutes, the best frequency of any player to net at least 20 in the competition's history.

Even when you extend it to all competitions throughout City's history, nobody gets within 80 goals of Aguero, with his 260 well clear of Eric Brook (177).

He also boasts the most Premier League goals for a single club in history, with his final strike – a header against Everton in May – taking him past Wayne Rooney's haul of 183 for one club (Manchester United).

Aside from personal accolades, Aguero lifted the English top-flight title on five occasions, tasted success at Copa America in 2021 and raised the EFL Cup an astounding six times. 

Antonio Conte has no problem with Harry Kane's "great ambition" yet hopes he can be the man to convince the striker to stay at Tottenham.

Kane pushed for a move away from Spurs ahead of this season, with Manchester City widely considered his most likely destination.

But Tottenham stood firm and Kane was forced to stay in London, toiling for much of the season while City have charged to the top of the Premier League table.

The England captain is still without a major honour for either club or country, explaining his desire to depart his boyhood club.

However, Saturday's match between City and Tottenham provided cause for optimism, as Kane brilliantly led his side to a dramatic 3-2 win at the league leaders.

Kane scored two and had a hand in the visitors' other goal in a performance that was widely praised.

His future plans have therefore returned to the forefront of discussion ahead of Tottenham's trip to Burnley.

Kane's wish to win trophies fits with Conte's own plans, though, having been appointed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having lifted five league titles across his previous three club jobs with Inter, Chelsea and Juventus.

"Harry is a player with great ambition and it must be this way because a player like him, I repeat, we are talking about a world-class striker," Conte said.

"He has to be ambitious. For sure, for a player and for a striker, it's very important to improve, to beat records.

"Records are important but, at the same time, it's also important at the end of your career to lift trophies, because only if you win and lift trophies can you go into the story of the club.

"My task in this moment is to try to improve him. But in the same way, with the other players, to become more complete.

"For sure, to improve a player to stay in this level is not easy because the space [to improve] is not so much. But I still think he's improving a lot and Harry is another player who gives me great availability."

Suggesting he could have a hand in any decision Kane makes on his next move, Conte added: "There is only one way to convince this sort of player.

"It is to work, it is to convince of your football knowledge and to improve them. Only in this way you have the respect of your players.

"I have only this way to show to my players – I am here because we are trying to start to build something important together.

"It won't be easy but now I think it will be very good to continue this way and I think that Harry, like the other players, understood the situation.

"They also understood that the club wanted to give an input by appointing a coach that in the past won things. We have to train for these three or four months to try to improve and then continue to build something important.

"But I understand then that every single player has to make the best decision at the end of the season."

Jurgen Klopp implored Liverpool to continue "annoying" Manchester City as the Reds pursue the Premier League leaders.

Guardiola's defending top-flight champions are six points clear at the top, though they fell to a 3-2 reverse against Tottenham on Saturday.

Liverpool are in second and have the opportunity to cut the deficit to just three points when they host Leeds United on Wednesday.

Following last week's Champions League win over Sporting CP, Guardiola joked that the Reds were a "pain in the a**" and Klopp wants his side to carry on pestering City.

"First and foremost, it's important that we are close to whoever is at the top because that shows that some things are going in the right direction," Klopp said when asked about the title race on Tuesday.

"In the last four seasons - we were not around one year because of our problems, and we had some struggles - but before it was an insane race.

"Both teams are able to do some special stuff, I have to say with all respect [because] what City is doing is incredible.

"I think we are pushing each other as well, not only us because I don't forget the other teams like Chelsea, [Manchester] United, Arsenal and Tottenham. 

"But, we are pushing each other and that's how it is, and it keeps you going. There is no chance to get a bit soft because the other one will be there immediately to catch you.

"I think what Pep said - that we are the pain in the lower back, that's a good description and that's how it should be. 

"We try to be as annoying as somehow possible until we have a chance to overtake, but I don't know when that will be or if that will be the case.

"But, what I always said is that we have the decisive moments of the season, but it's not now in February; it's March and April."

Many are billing the clash between the top two at the Etihad Stadium on April 9 as a potential deciding factor in the title race, but Klopp insisted his team must keep the pace now to make that the case.

"You have to be close enough to make a decision in your direction and I don't know if that will be the case because what we do is pretty special, and I don't expect that to happen every week, and you cannot turn around games every week," he added.

"We have to be at our absolute best to play the best possible season for us and unfortunately, only twice a year in the Premier League, we face the other team [City].

"The first one was a draw where we were not brilliant but good enough to get a point, and the next one is not played yet, and we have to play the other teams including Tottenham and United as well. 

"We don't sit here and count those points as done, and then we wait for the middle of April for the City game.

"But, what the boys did over the past four years is pretty special and I'm happy with that, but not overly happy that I think that's enough.

"So far, it's not a bad season, but the decisions will be made later, and we just have to make sure that we are always in and around when these decisions will be made."

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has taken aim at his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola after Spurs' 3-2 Premier League win at the Etihad Stadium.

Conte mocked the latter's assertion that Tottenham played on the counterattack during their dramatic victory in a post on Instagram.

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min starred as Spurs grabbed a last-gasp win at the home of the Premier League champions, despite twice having squandered a one-goal lead.

Each of Tottenham's last three wins in the Premier League have now come courtesy of 90th-minute goals (1-0 v Watford, 3-2 v Leicester City, 3-2 v Man City), as Spurs kept pace with their rivals in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

After the contest, during which the visitors managed just 29 per cent of the possession and racked up six shots to City's 21, City boss Guardiola told of how the north London team had "defended in the 18-yard box" before catching the league leaders on the break.

Conte has now moved to mock those assertions on social media after dealing City their first Premier League defeat since October.

On his personal Instagram account, Conte posted a video of his team's three goals in the match, displaying the complete build-up to each, with the caption "Counterattacks?!? Maybe not…", complete with three laughing emojis.

The former Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter boss has led Tottenham to 11 wins in 20 matches since taking charge across all competitions, with their comeback win in Manchester ending a run of three successive league defeats for the top-four contenders. 

Spurs will continue their chase for European football when they face Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday, having only lost one of their last 12 Premier League meetings with the Clarets.

Mauricio Pochettino's future at Paris Saint-Germain is unclear amid rumblings that he wants out.

Manchester United have been linked with the ex-Tottenham manager, who took over at PSG in January last year.

The Red Devils dismissed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November, with Ralf Rangnick taking over on an interim basis.

TOP STORY – LOS BLANCOS KEEN ON POCHETTINO

Real Madrid are set to rival Manchester United to land Pochettino this off-season, claims the Daily Mail.

The Red Devils are understood to be circling for the Argentine, who is reportedly unhappy at Paris Saint-Germain.

But the report claims Madrid have doubts over current boss Carlo Ancelotti's future and believe that Pochettino is obtainable in the off-season.

ROUND-UP

- Manchester City's Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva is dreaming of a switch to join Real Madrid, claims Calciomercato.

- Calciomercato also reports that Inter are monitoring Gabriel Jesus' status at City, with a view to bolstering their attack.

- Nicolo Schira reports that Atalanta are keen to move for Torino's Italy international striker Andrea Belotti in the off-season when he is a free agent.

- TuttoMercatoWeb claims Arsenal, Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund and Inter are all in the race to sign Lille's Canadian forward Jonathan David.

- GiveMeSport claims Liverpool are "seriously interested" in West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen.

- Roma are keen on signing Barcelona's USA international defender Sergino Dest according to Fichajes.

It wasn't so long ago that Raheem Sterling's long-term future at Manchester City was shrouded in doubt.

The England forward has long since been linked to LaLiga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.

However, it appears Sterling may now be in line to commit his future to the reigning Premier League champions.

TOP STORY – PEP WANTS NEW DEAL FOR STERLING

City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly given the green light on awarding Sterling a new contract, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Sterling, who has 13 goals and four assists across all competitions for City this season, had been linked with a move to Barca as recently as the January transfer window.

But having played his way back into the team, City want to renew his deal – though the club want a swift decision with Sterling's present contract due to expire in 2023.

ROUND-UP

- Alvaro Morata is a man in demand. Barca were thought to be keen on signing the Spain striker in January, but Arsenal remain interested in the Atletico Madrid forward – who is on loan at Juventus – according to the Boot Room .

- Memphis Depay 's future at Camp Nou was hurt by the departure of Ronald Koeman. Sport reports that Serie A trio Inter , Milan and Juventus are interested in the Netherlands star.

- Stefan de Vrij could be on the move at the end of the season. InterLive says the centre-back could be reunited with Antonio Conte at Tottenham .

- Lucas Vazquez wants to make Spain's World Cup squad and El Nacional says the 30-year-old winger is prepared to leave Real Madrid in order to do so.

Harry Kane produced a "special" display against Manchester City that will be tough to match in the Premier League this season, says Jamie Carragher.

Tottenham stunned City with a thrilling 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, a result that gave Liverpool fresh hope in the title race.

Kane scored twice and had another goal ruled out by VAR but it was his creative play against a City team who tried to sign him last year that delighted Liverpool great Carragher.

The England captain's pass sparked the move that saw Dejan Kulusevski open the scoring and his link-up play with Son Heung-min – who racked up two assists – was sublime throughout.

"That was one of the best performances I have seen this season, it really was," Carragher said to Sky Sports about Kane, who had 19 passes in the opposition half, with no other Spurs player reaching double figures.

"It was a privilege to watch. What made it so special was that Kane didn't get a lot of the ball, but when it came into him, everything he did was pure class.

"Kane is one of the best passers of the ball in the Premier League, he's not far behind Kevin De Bruyne."

Another former Liverpool star, Graeme Souness, felt Kane had shown exactly why clubs contending for honours like City want to buy him.

Souness said: "Harry Kane was fantastic - he's put himself in the shop window again. 

"Not just his goals but his general play. He was a real problem. He gets over the ball, he's got the technique and the vision to see things, and he can deliver on what he sees.

"Some of his passing was an absolute delight, as good as it gets."

Liverpool play Chelsea in the EFL Cup final next week but Carragher feels the Reds should be even more enthused by the prospect of catching City.

The Reds – 3-1 winners over Norwich City in their game at Anfield - are now just six points behind Pep Guardiola's leaders and have a game in hand at home to Leeds United on Wednesday.

"I certainly think for the next four or five days, the Leeds game at Anfield is more important than the cup final on the Sunday against Chelsea," added Carragher.

"I'd still favour Man City [for the title] with Liverpool still to come to the Etihad and Liverpool's fixtures may be tougher.

"But there was a little bit of hope that Liverpool could do something, a glimmer of hope, when Man City dropped points at Southampton.

"It was the first time in such a long time that they hadn't won and you very rarely see a Pep Guardiola team get pegged back.

"I'd still say they are very much in the hotseat - even a team of Liverpool's quality coming [to the Etihad] to win will not be easy.

"But the great thing, not just for Liverpool supporters but for the country, is that it looks like we could have a title race on.

"Four to six weeks ago we thought that wasn't going to be the case so long may it continue."

Ilkay Gundogan says Liverpool's relentless pursuit of Manchester City in the Premier League title race is "not a situation that we're not used to".

City were beaten 3-2 by Tottenham in a classic encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, as Harry Kane netted an injury-time winner shortly after Riyad Mahrez's penalty had seemingly earned the hosts a point.

Liverpool's own come-from-behind 3-1 triumph over Norwich City means the Reds are six points back of leaders City, with a game in hand over the reigning champions.

Jurgen Klopp's side have racked up five straight league wins and suffered just one top-flight defeat in their past 14, while they still have to visit their rivals early in April.

For midfielder Gundogan, the thrilling tussle is just part and parcel of what has become the norm over recent seasons.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "It's not a situation that we're not used to.

"We know from recent years that Liverpool are always contenders. They're always up there.

"We know they'll try everything to make our lives as difficult as possible. The good thing is that they still need to come here to the Etihad, but there are still many games to go."

Gundogan had already levelled from Dejan Kulusevski's opener, before Kane – a City transfer target prior to the season – put Spurs back ahead just before the hour.

Mahrez's thumping spot-kick in additional time looked certain to have clinched City a point prior to Kane's dramatic late intervention.

"We kind of thought we'd rescued it," Gundogan conceded.

"If you look at the whole game, we deserved to win. But football is sometimes crazy and we made easy mistakes. We gave them the ball to have possibilities to counter and that made us lose the game.

"They were also ruthless in their finishing up front. We had a lot of chances and the possibility to score a few more goals, but we gave them the chances they had too easily. 

"It didn't feel like a bad game from us. They defended so, so deep, particularly towards the end of the first half. It's not so easy.

"Sometimes you have these kind of games and you need to learn from it. It's a wake-up call for us. There's still a long way to go."

Cristiano Ronaldo's future with Manchester United is uncertain amid a difficult season at Old Trafford.

The 37-year-old only joined United from Juventus in August, following interest from rivals Manchester City.

But the Red Devils are well out of the title race, with Ronaldo contributing nine league goals, in a tumultuous season that has seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer axed as manager.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD WOULD BOW TO RONALDO TRANSFER DEMANDS

Manchester United will allow five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo to depart if he demands to depart in the off-season, reports the Sunday Mirror.

The Portuguese is ready to quit the Red Devils should they miss the top four and subsequently fail to qualify for the Champions League.

The report claims that Ronaldo was expecting to transfer United into title contenders but that his presence has become a sideshow, meaning they are willing to let him go.

ROUND-UP

- Raphinha has caught the eye of Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona but Leeds United plan to rebuff any offers him in the off-season according to The Mirror.

- The Mirror also reports that Arsenal are in the race for Napoli's Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz , joining Madrid and Barcelona.

- Liverpool target Fabio Carvalho is being pursued by Manchester United too, claims the Daily Star. The Fulham teenager came close to joining the Reds in January.

- Manchester City and Raheem Sterling are set for contract talks at the end of the season but the English leaders may sell him if he does not agree to a new deal, according to the Times.

- Fiorentina are interested in Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot but would need to convince him to lower his wages, reports La Nazione. Dalot is in line for a new deal with United according to the Star.

- Liverpool Echo reports that Everton's Jean-Philippe Gbamin could join CSKA Moscow on loan with the Russian transfer window open until February 22.