Micah Richards has heaped praise on Tottenham supporters for their efforts during Spurs’ 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday.
The full-capacity crowd created an electric atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and acted as a 12th man for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as they secured their first victory of the Premier League season over the competition’s current champions.
Although Son Heung-min’s spectacular individual strike from outside the box was enough to earn all three points against Pep Guardiola’s team, Richards argued that the fans added something extra on the occasion, and played just as an important role as the players.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “I think the fans helped though.
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“I was at the game and it was absolutely electric, it is one of the best stadiums I have ever been to and from start to finish, the Spurs fans didn’t stop singing.
“City had a few chances and in the first 15 to 20 minutes, Spurs were under the cosh, but the crowd helped them get through that period and they almost galvanised them to carry on.”
Richards continued by complimenting the entire club’s performance, amid the ongoing transfer situation with Harry Kane, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City and was not involved in the Spurs squad for the game.
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“They [the fans] were singing, ‘Are you watching Harry Kane’, but everyone from the fans, the players and the coaching staff gave 110 per cent. I am not sure you will get that every week, but credit where it is due, they were excellent.”
Meanwhile, also speaking on Radio 5 live, former Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea striker, Chris Sutton, argued that it was a huge statement from Spurs, who weren’t expected to get a result against City.
“There are probably a large amount of Spurs fans who were underwhelmed with Nuno [Espirito Santo], who was probably fourth, maybe fifth, sixth or even seventh choice, so to start with a win, with the Harry Kane situation as well, was so big for him.
“That was a big statement to beat Manchester City in the way that they did.”
Espirito Santo will have to outmanoeuvre his old club Wolves if Spurs wish to keep their 100% record in the league, but judging by the performance on Sunday, they’re more than capable of getting another three points.