Harry Winks enjoyed an exceptional performance as Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday afternoon.
On the chalkboard
Spurs may have been slightly fortunate in their victory over Pep Guardiola’s side.
They had just three shots on goal, scoring two of them, per WhoScored, while City had 19, though they were somehow unable to breach goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. That includes Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty, which was saved by the Frenchman.
And Winks was a key member of Jose Mourinho’s side, enjoying a superb performance in the centre of the pitch.
He touched the ball 53 times throughout the 90 minutes; only Giovani Lo Celso and Serge Aurier clocked more touches.
Winks also registered a pass completion rate of 80%, completing the one dribble he attempted and also playing a key role in the sending off of City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko.
As he looked to break after a City corner, Winks showed a surprising turn of pace, leading to the Ukraine international committing a tactical foul that saw referee Mike Dean show him a second yellow card.
Winks also won one tackle himself, made one interception and completed three clearances, and his heatmap (above) shows that he was consistently getting up and down the pitch for the Spurs cause.
Returning to form
Winks appears to have returned to form.
The Spurs star has made 20 appearances in the Premier League, including nine of the first 12 under Mauricio Pochettino before he was sacked, but he has averaged a rating of just 6.56.
Of players to have 10 starts or more in the top-flight for the club, only Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen have a lower score and both were allowed to leave in January; Rose went on loan to Newcastle United while Eriksen was sold to Inter Milan.
No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?
Winks, though, has the ability to be the fulcrum of the club’s midfield even though his latest outing was only his fourth to garner a rating over 7 – the others came against Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, and Southampton.
This, then, is a good sign that he is beginning to return to form.
Winks was exceptional against City; he needs to continue at this level if Spurs are to string a run of wins together.
Meanwhile, Spurs were snubbed by a superstar in the January transfer window!