Ex-Sporting star scores against Man City, helps defeat Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Tottenham went to the Etihad and surprised Manchester City, led by Pep Guardiola, by winning 2-0 in the second round of the Premier League, this Saturday, August 23. João Palhinha, a former player of Sporting, was the scorer of the second goal for the English capital's team.

At 35 minutes, Tottenham made it 1-0 in a great offensive play. The ball moved from defense, player to player, Mohamed Kudus won in the air to launch Richarlison on the right. The Brazilian ran, crossed with precision, and Brennan Johnson scored the first.

Tottenham's pressure paid off at 45+2, when João Palhinha made it 2-0. Richarlison won the ball and saw James Trafford attempt to clear it, but the ball fell to the Portuguese international who struck it with no chance for the opposing goalkeeper.

Tottenham, now led by Thomas Frank, secures their second consecutive victory in the English League and temporarily rises to the top, while Manchester City loses for the first time and occupies fifth place, with three points. Pedro Porro - who recently spoke about Sporting - started for the 'Spurs', while Matheus Nunes was an unused substitute for Man City.

João Palhinha joined Bayern in the summer of 2024, coming from Fulham, where he spent two seasons after leaving Sporting in 2022. The Bavarians paid close to 50 million euros to the Londoners but, despite the significant investment, the midfielder started only ten games (out of a total of 25), being loaned to Tottenham this summer. In 2025/26, he has scored one goal in three matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.