MANCHESTER CITY can consider themselves unlucky after failing to pick up all three points against Tottenham Hotspur in their first home game of the season.

Spurs made the most of their luck and scored from both of their meaningful attempts on goal. Eric Lamela caught out City goalkeeper Ederson with a quick, curling effort from outside the area before substitute Lucas Moura scored with his first touch — rising highest to head home Lamela’s corner.

Other than a wild attempt from Harry Kane — who was otherwise anonymous — well inside his own half, the game was dominated by the defending champions. Even if they did only come away with a point.

As their manager Pep Guardiola said after the game: “Football is like this. It is the only sport you can shoot 30 times and not win, you can even lose.”

A penalty decision was not given in City’s favour when Lamela wrestled Rodri to the ground. Inside the stadium there was no evidence that VAR was used to check the incident, and Guardiola commented: “Maybe VAR in that moment was taking coffee.”

He had every right to be aggrieved and there was a sense of deja vu later in the game when Gabriel Jesus’s winner was ruled out because the ball hit Aymeric Laporte’s arm on its way through the area.

Similar events occurred in last season’s Champions League encounter between the two sides here, when a dramatic late strike from Raheem Sterling was ruled out for offside after the wildest and most passionate of celebrations. Passion which VAR is in danger of removing from the game, “just in case” the goal isn’t given, as was the case again on Saturday.

But the home side were purring and Kevin De Bruyne’s performance, especially in the first half, showed City and the Belgian at their best.

Almost playing up front with Sergio Aguero, De Bruyne regularly found himself with time and space and sending in crosses which were impossible to defend. He assisted both City goals in this manner — the first for Sterling who headed home at the far post and the second for Aguero who turned in at the near post.

VAR will dominate discussions around this game because it doesn’t seem to be working as it should. It at least needs ironing out, if not reconsidering altogether. 

But the other title challengers may have taken something else from the game — how impressive City were. In this form they will not drop many points and look favourites to lift the Premier League trophy again come May.