FOOTBALL UPDATE

English Premier League title contenders Manchester City played a brilliant second half as they mounted a comeback against Tottenham Hotspur and beat them 4-2 Thursday.

Home team Man City scored four goals in the second half of the match to shock Spurs.

Tottenham's Swedish forward Dejan Kulusevski scored the opening goal in the 44th minute after a mistake by Man City's Rodri in the penalty area.

Emerson Royal, another Tottenham player, scored a header in the 47th minute as Spurs led the first half 2-0.

But Man City turned the tables in the second 45 minutes in front of their fans at Etihad Stadium.

The Manchester club's Argentine forward Julian Alvarez put the ball into Tottenham’s net in the 51st minute to narrow the gap. Two minutes later, Norwegian star Erling Haaland scored a close-range header to equalize the clash.

Man City, who seemed encouraged after Alvarez and Haaland's goals, came back in the 63rd minute.

Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez fired with his right foot from a narrow angle to beat Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, making it 3-2.

Mahrez was again on the scoresheet.

In the 90th minute, he chipped the ball over Lloris after Tottenham defender Clement Lenglet couldn’t control the ball that came from Man City goalkeeper Ederson.

Man City won the match 4-2 and Mahrez, who scored double, was named man of the match.

Second-place Man City have 42 points in 19 Premier League matches and are now five points behind leaders Arsenal.

Arsenal are having a dream season, collecting 47 points to top the Premier League. The Gunners will play against Manchester United in London on Sunday.

Manchester United have bagged 39 points to come third in the league table.

In the next fixture, Manchester City will play against Wolverhampton Wanderers at home.

Pep Guardiola has admitted Manchester City must find a way to get Erling Haaland more involved in their play.

The Norway international was a peripheral figure in Saturday's 2-1 Premier League derby defeat to Manchester United, having only a couple of half-chances and just 19 touches in the match.

Haaland has now gone three games without a goal - hardly a crisis, particularly as he was only a second-half substitute at Southampton, but a dip by the standards of a player who had 27 in his first 21 outings.

But more noticeable has been the impact Haaland has had on City's system after they became so accustomed to - and so successful at - operating with a false nine in the past two seasons.

Former City midfielder Didi Hamaan used social media on Saturday to claim City 'were a better team without Haaland, even if he scores 40 goals this season'.

Guardiola is unlikely to agree with that but he is still working to fully integrate his £51million summer signing.

'At the moment we have that process because when teams are sat in their 18-yard box, it is more difficult but we have to find him a little bit more, yes,' Guardiola said.

'(Against United) he had enough touches but it's true that when you are looking at areas and you have to look at him. But we will do it.'

City have struggled for consistency this season, particularly since the World Cup, drawing at home to Everton on New Year's Day and now suffering back-to-back defeats against Southampton in the Carabao Cup and United in the league.....

Wolves are 16th with 17 points.

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