Brennan Johnson of Tottenham Hotspur in action against Manchester City in the 2025-26 Premier League season | Image Credits: Sports Press Photo/Imago
Tottenham Hotspur won their second consecutive game in the Premier League 2025-26 season, beating Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Brennan Johnson and João Palhinha were the goalscorers as the home side fell victim to Tottenham’s high press under their new manager, Thomas Frank.
The Spurs lobbed a long ball down their right flank, which allowed Richarlison to find the ball at his feet after dashing past his marker, John Stones. The Brazilian then drilled a low cross and found an unmarked Brennan Johnson in the center of the box. The 24-year-old made no mistake, slotting the ball home past a hapless goalkeeper. Although he was initially ruled offside, VAR overturned the decision, giving Spurs a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute.
After the match, Brennan Johnson told TNT Sports, "I thought we played really well today. I think we built on what we did last weekend (a 3-0 win over Burnley), and we knew it was going to be a really different challenge against Manchester City. But, to come here and get a clean sheet and score some goals was perfect for us."
The second goal was a blunder from the Manchester City goalkeeper, James Trafford, as he gifted the ball to the opposition inside his own box. After a bit of pinball, the ball found the feet of new signing João Palhinha, who bulged the back of the net in the first-half stoppage time.
When asked what drew him to join Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Bayern Munich at the start of the season, the Portuguese defensive midfielder replied, "It was the coach who pushed me to come here, who showed me the project that he has here at Tottenham, and of course, the club. It's such a great club. I'm really glad to be in the Premier League again, to enjoy the Premier League just like the last time I was here (with Fulham from 2022 to 2024)."
Brennan was also quizzed on the difference between the managerial style of current Tottenham manager Thomas Frank and his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou. Under Postecoglou, Spurs won the Europa League but finished in 16th place in the Premier League.
"Nothing's changed massively. A lot of detail goes into set pieces now, but at the same time, he gives us a lot of freedom and attacking input as well. It's a really good balance we've got going on, and I like the way he respects defending and wants us to be a hard team to beat. I think in the first few games, we've gotten two clean sheets, and especially against Man City, it's not easy. I've failed here a lot of times and conceded a lot of goals, so to come here and get a clean sheet is massive," Brennan signed off.
Tottenham Hotspur's next match is against Bournemouth at home on Saturday, August 30th.
