To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Steven Bergwijn Vs Raheem Sterling: FM Ratings For Spurs And Man City’s Star Wingers Today

Steven Bergwijn Vs Raheem Sterling: FM Ratings For Spurs And Man City’s Star Wingers Today

A goalscoring Spurs start for the Dutch international, while Sterling struggled: here’s their Football Manager ratings based on today's game

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

Someone wake up Steven Bergwijn, he's dreaming: his debut goal plus another from Son Heung-min gave Tottenham a 2-0 win over a wasteful Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions had several chances to score, Ilkay Gundogan missing a penalty in the first half, then blazing over when through on goal after half-time.

Jose Mourinho's side made them pay. Spurs were boosted by Oleksandr Zinchenko's red card, his second booking coming after he took out a counterattacking Harry Winks. The two goals followed against 10 men.

Raheem Sterling was involved throughout, but his run of games without a goal or assist stretched to eight. His thunder was totally stolen by Dutch winger Bergwijn, as the £27 million new signing broke the deadlock before being substituted to a hero's reception.

Steven Bergwijn (Spurs)

Finishing - 19

First clear-cut chance for a new club: chest it down, volley it perfectly into the corner of the net. Sure, why not? Bergwijn had had a quiet debut until that point just after the hour but his composure, technique and finishing were absolutely perfect when he collected Lucas Moura's pass into the box. It was a half chance that he turned it into a spectacular goal.

Teamwork - 17

Hard to shine in your first 45 mins for a new club when you're thrown in against Man City and barely see the ball. But Bergwijn didn't shirk the work: he pressed diligently, held the team's shape and craftily nicked an interception in his own half inside the first 20 minutes. Before his late heroics, the 22-year-old showed his teammates - and Mourinho - he'd graft for the cause.

Pace - 11

Unfair to criticise a young player starting - and scoring - on his debut game against one of Europe's elite sides. But while Bergwijn has a rep for being rapid, he didn't look super-quick on the rare occasions he had to stretch his legs. He's still finding his feet and picking up the pace of a new league, however. Don't be surprised if his speed increases as he adjusts to his new surroundings.

Raheem Sterling (Man City)

Tackling - 2

It was a tense wait while VAR reviewed Sterling crunching into Dele Alli's ankle. Mourinho was appalled it wasn't a red card, while Jamie Carragher admitted that (like your dad dancing at a wedding), "It doesn't look great in slow motion." The end result was just a booking - but it was a bad attempt to win the ball. Raheem's game could have been over inside the first 15 mins.

Off The Ball - 16

Dive or penalty? During the VAR madness at the end of the first half, Sterling raced to the ball after Hugo Lloris had saved Gundogan's spot-kick. Man City's No 7 appealed that the keeper had clipped him, the crowd roared that he'd dived... end result: goal kick. Yet Sterling was still first to the ball after the missed pen. He's not in form - but he kept making incisive runs throughout the game.

Decisions - 5

Sterling has improved so much under Pep Guardiola's coaching, but here he looked like the frustrating player of a few seasons back. He got lots of the ball but didn't do much with it. His first touch let him down before the foul on Alli - and while he fed Gundogan for a great chance, his fizzed pass made the finish tricky. Would a more confident Sterling have just buried the ball into the net himself? He certainly didn't make the most of his opportunities before he limped off, rubbing his thigh, after 84 minutes.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Football, Premier League, Raheem Sterling