Tottenham Hotspur overcame Manchester City at home to book their place in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup via early goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr.
City responded through Matheus Nunes, but Spurs held on to seal the win and book a clash with Manchester United in the next round.
After 11 games, Werner finally opened his Spurs account for the season following a well-worked move from the north London outfit. Spurs carved through City, and he buried his effort well beyond Stefan Ortega to give his side the lead.
It has been a difficult spell for the German forward. With Son Heung-min battling injury niggles, he has been given starting time, but things have not gone according to plan. He has missed four big chances in the league and Europa League.
However, he put those worries behind him to bag a well-taken effort to give Spurs the lead against Man City, and he could have added to his tally.
On his performance, manager Ange Postecoglou said (via the BBC), “Great for Timo. He is going through a tough time, but the build-up play was great.
“It should lift him, we are supporting him, but it is down to him and his approach to things. He was unlucky to not get one or two more. If attacking players don’t score, they feel anxiety a bit.”
The decision to sign Werner, even on loan, has always been ponderous, considering his well-documented profligacy in front of goal. He scored six league goals and missed 18 big chances in his first season at Chelsea.
He delivered another underwhelming campaign before the Blues shipped him to RB Leipzig.
Spurs need to allow the 28-year-old to return to his parent club. He has been disappointing, even for a loan player, and Tottenham cannot entertain the idea of signing him permanently.
