“This affected us too much” – Rodri credits controversial Tottenham goal for Manchester City capitulation | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Rodri admitted that Dominic Solanke’s controversial first goal set the tone for the Blues to throw away a two goal lead in north London on Sunday evening.

City battered Tottenham in the opening 45 minutes and entered the interval with a modest two goal cushion courtesy of strikes against Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, though many would argue Pep Guardiola’s side should have scored at least a few more before the break.

However, a resolute Tottenham performance in the second-half saw Thomas Frank’s side overturn their early slump and pull level with 20 minutes to go after a brilliant set of goals from Solanke, who had never managed to find the back of the net against Manchester City previously in his career.

The Blues were left shell-shocked and lacked a creative edge in the final third in the latter stages of the game, with more dropped points for title-chasing City meaning that Guardiola and co have won just one of their last six Premier League games.

However, Rodri pointed to the controversial nature of Tottenham’s first goal after 53 minutes as a major reason for City’s capitulation on Sunday, with Solanke appearing to foul Marc Guehi and avoiding any contact with the ball before it went over the the line, as a result of the Englishman’s strike on Guehi’s leg.

“We deserved a little bit more (against Tottenham),” said Rodri in conversation with official Manchester City media after the result. “What happened in the last games, we didn’t control well the second-half.

“And this is what happens when you don’t control well, you can end drawing. Unfortunately there was a big mistake from the referees in the first goal that shouldn’t have counted, and I think this affected us too much. We have to learn from these things.”

However, Rodri has been in enough title races to know that City need to assume responsibility for their poor start to 2026 that saw left huge doubt over the Blues’ prospects for a fifth Premier League title in six seasons.

Arsenal returned to winning ways against Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday and after City were held to a point in north London, the Gunners now boast a six point lead over their biggest title challengers.

“It’s a long way to go (in the season),” Rodri added. “It was an important result (against Tottenham) but it’s not the end. We know we’re not going to have many chances to catch them (Arsenal) but our mentality is to keep going, never drop arms.

“We’ve had a very complicated season in terms of players coming in, coming out of injuries. And I think right now we’re aiming to have everyone fit and trying to be a competitive team. We showed the level is rising, but at the end it’s not enough.

“This is the Premier League and the level is so high; we have to keep pushing and believing that good things will come at the end of the season.

“(I am) very proud of my team. Sometimes it’s difficult to come to these kind of stadiums, with no help from anyone – we can see it – but very proud of them, the effort, what we’ve done. Just try to improve the things we have to improve and move on.”

City can restore confidence in the camp in the return leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night – as they prepare for a monumental Premier League test away at Liverpool at the weekend.