Manchester City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Well, this game didn’t quite go the way Spurs and Gareth Bale wanted. Spurs could and should have easily have won it, but a cross late on in the game by the winger couldn’t be knocked into the back of the net by Jermain Defoe.

City stole three points when Mario Balotelli was fouled in the penalty area by Ledley King. The striker – who should really have been sent off already for stamping on Scott Parker – fired home from the penalty spot to give City the vital points.

Gareth Bale did score a wonderful goal in the game. It was similar to a chance he had against Wolves, that time his shot went over the bar, this time it rocketed into the back of the net.

Earlier Samir Nasri and Joleon Lescott had put City 2-0 ahead, Defoe equalised before Bale tied the game again.

After the game, the Welshman told Spurs’ official website: “Everyone’s devastated. We can take heart from the performance, but we all feel sick that we’ve lost the game that way.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose the game.

“We showed our character to come from 2-0 down and I thought we should have won the game. We can’t quite believe it.”

On Defoe’s late miss, he said: “I was waiting for the ball to hit the back of the net.

“For them to then go up the other end, get a penalty and win the game was a massive blow.

“That’s football. It bites back when you think you are on top. I thought we were fantastic and we’ll pick ourselves up.”

Spurs remain third in the Premier League, now eight points league leaders behind Manchester City.

The North London club’s next game is away at Watford in the FA Cup on Friday.