Man City 3-3 Tottenham: Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th-minute header earns Spurs a point in Etihad thriller after Jack Grealish looked to have won it… but late referee call leaves champions FUMING

Six goals were not unexpected. In fact, it could have even been considered a modest return for two of the Premier League's great entertainers. However, the distribution of the loot was a surprise. We expected a football massacre. What we got was an exciting equality.

What we got was a Spurs team that had lost three games in a row and that didn't have 10 injured players, but still showed a resilience and determination that many didn't think was in their arsenal. They came back twice to stem the bleeding and secured a 3-3 draw, leaving them in fifth place.

But for the third league match in a row, City drew a match they should have won. Yes, it was a classic. Yes, it was beautiful to see. But they have dropped six points in the last three weeks and after galloping top of the league they now sit third behind Arsenal and Liverpool.

Several of their players left in anger, partly because of their own failure to secure the win and partly because of their dismay at referee Simon Hooper, who withdrew play for a foul on Erling Haaland in the final minutes, even though Jack Grealish clear on the field. goal.

The referee had initially allowed play to continue and played in favor before blowing his whistle as Grealish charged forward and the linesman appeared to wave his flag for offside. Replays showed Grealish was not offside. It was a controversial end to another wonderful Premier League game.

Tottenham secured a point against Man City on Sunday evening when the match finished 3-3

Son Heung-min opened the scoring in the sixth minute of the match to shock Manchester City

Son and his Tottenham teammates were delighted to take a 1-0 lead, but their lead did not last long

Few expected Spurs to salvage anything from this encounter before kick-off. Since their chaotic 4-1 home defeat to Chelsea on November 6, when they had two men sent off and two more lost to significant injuries, Ange Postecoglou's side had lost twice more to Wolves and Aston Villa.

With Postecoglou promising to continue his attacking style, many foresaw a glut of City goals. Instead, the home fans got a nasty surprise. Spurs stayed true to Postecoglou's principles, but also played smart and got their rewards.

In a time before Big Ange, with a more counter-attacking style, Spurs had become masters at absorbing City pressure and hitting them on half-time, usually with a combination of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.

Kane is gone, but Son hasn't lost the gift. Six minutes later, with City already dominating, Guglielmo Vicario whipped a City corner from under his crossbar and when it fell to Bryan Gil on the edge of his own penalty area, he found Dejan Kulusevski.

Kulusevski turned and hoisted a long ball towards Son. Son was on it in a flash, nodded past Jeremy Doku halfway and then headed for the goal. He advanced to Ederson and although his shot was off target, the City goalkeeper let it curl beneath his body. Against all odds, Spurs were ahead.

They couldn't hold their lead for long. Julian Alvarez turned a free-kick over from City's right, Haaland got a faint touch as he looked at it and the ball shot off Son's outstretched knee and flew past the flat-footed Vicario.

Manchester City equalized just three minutes later thanks to Son's own goal (pictured above)

Phil Foden put City ahead in the 31st minute, heading into half-time at 2-1 against Spurs

Tottenham started the break well and Giovani Lo Celso scored a fantastic goal

Jack Grealish fired back in the 81st minute after coming on for the injured Jeremy Doku

It already felt like the match could end in a cricket score. Emerson Royal gave the ball away in the Spurs box and when Bernardo Silva crossed for Erling Haaland, he had the goal at his mercy. Mortgages would have been placed on Haaland's score. He went wide to the side.

Spurs managed to get ahead on occasion. Brennan Johnson drove past Josko Gvardiol on Spurs' right, reached the goal line and attempted to slide a pass into Son's path. Ruben Dias was the first to act, but for a moment it seemed as if he had added a second own goal to the afternoon entertainment. To his relief, the ball flew just wide.

Doku hammered a right-foot shot against the underside of the crossbar, Alvarez hit the foot of the post and in between a flurry of City passes into the Spurs box freed Foden six yards out. He took a touch and nonchalantly slid the ball past Vicario to put City ahead.

City almost took the lead seconds after the break when Vicario gave the ball away to Bernardo. Vicario redeemed himself when Bernardo curled his shot towards the top corner with the outside of his left boot and the goalkeeper flung himself to his left to push the shot around the post.

Over the next 20 minutes City attacked and pressed Spurs in their own half, but then Ben Davies beat Haaland on halfway with a header, Son grabbed the loose ball and fed it to Giovani Lo Celso. Lo Celso moved forward, stepped to the left and curled his shot towards the goal. Ederson got a hand, but couldn't keep him out.

Rico Lewis came on for Foden and almost gave City a way back into the lead when he burst forward and Rodri played a one-two with him. Rodri grabbed the return, but shot his shot just wide.

Manchester City thought they had done enough to win the match, but Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski flattened Nathan Ake to set up the final goal of the match in stoppage time.

The match ended in controversy after the referee blew his whistle for a foul on Erling Haaland when Jack Grealish was through on goal, after initially appearing to play advantage for the hosts.

Kyle Walker and Grealish angrily made their feelings known to the referee after the match

It was only a brief reprieve for Spurs. Ten minutes before the end, Rodri dispossessed Yves Bissouma on the edge of the Spurs box and passed the ball to Haaland. Haaland is not just a goalscorer. He's smart too and he spotted Grealish in the middle and sent the ball straight into his path. Grealish forced him over the line.

Two minutes before the end, Johnson escaped via Spurs' left and crossed deep to the back post. Nathan Ake waited to clear the ball, but Kulusevski outsmarted him and his header bounced over the line off the underside of the crossbar. On the sidelines, Guardiola fell to the ground in despair.

Even though there was only a few minutes of extra time, it was the kind of game where everyone assumed there would probably be a winner. It looked like City were about to score when Grealish raced through to Haaland's through ball, leaving Mr. Hooper was called off due to a previous foul.

City was furious. They surrounded the referee and protested, but the decision was made. At the final whistle, Haaland shook hands with the referees in an exaggerated manner and stormed off the pitch, as if he wanted to hit someone or something. He will have to wait until City's next game and get his revenge with goals.