Nice play by City down the left sees the home side win another corner. Sterling, Silva and Aguero all involved, looking sharp. Nicolas Otamendi meets the deeply-hit corner with his head but plants the ball into the hands of Hugo Lloris. 

No debate about who has the best beard out there today. Otamendi has no competition.

Dele Alli is again planted on the turf by Fernando. Again, just a word from Mark Clattenburg. Leniency.

Soon after, Son Heung-min has the ball in the net from a very tight angle but the flag is up.The forward moved too quickly and is rightly called offside.

Robbie Savage
Former Leicester midfielder on Radio 5 live at the Etihad Stadium

"The ball didn’t sit nicely for Aguero and he’s hit it over the bar but a much better spell for City, it has took them ten minutes to warm up really."

Robbie Savage
Former Leicester midfielder on Radio 5 live at the Etihad Stadium

Image source, Reuters

"The Spurs full-backs are causing City a lot of problems at the minute and because of that it gives Son, Alli and Eriksen the chance to receive the ball on the half turn and drive forward."

Image source, Reuters

From the corner, the ball falls to Sergio Aguero but it is on the rise and he fires his shot into the stand behind the goal. It was tough for a mere mortal, but Aguero is more than capable of finishing those.

Raheem Sterling powers to the byline but his pull-back is cut out for a corner. City turning up the pressure.

Roy Hodgson is in the house. Plenty of English talent to check on, much of it in the Spurs side.

Image source, Reuters

Meanwhile, on the pitch, City have a corner, which is played short for Raheem Sterling to swing in and Toby Alderweireld to head clear.

Image source, Reuters

The fifth minute of the game brings standing applause from the home fans for one of their own, Craig Tarry, who managed the band Viola Beach and, along with four members of that band, died in a car crash in Sweden on Saturday night.

Robbie Savage
Former Leicester midfielder on Radio 5 live at the Etihad Stadium

"I think Yaya Toure has been poor over recent weeks, summed up by that challenge."

Image source, Reuters

Another foul from a City player, this time Yaya Youre on Mousa Dembele. Referee Clattenburg has a word with the City man. "Another of those and you are in the book, son" would appear to be the gist. 

Image source, Getty Images

The free-kick is set up for Kevin Wimmer to hit but referee Mark Clattenburg prevents it happening by blowing his whistle, presumably for a foul in the wall.

Tottenham play a bit of keep-ball to start with. Dele Alli is hacked down by Fernando to give Spurs an early chance to swing the ball in to the box from a free-kick.

Robbie Savage
Former Leicester midfielder on Radio 5 live at the Etihad Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

"Aguero and Kane are so important to these sides but I think the key battle will be on this right hand side. Will Silva track back on this side and help Zabaleta?"

Tottenham love a first half. Just have a read of this from Opta: "No team has scored more first-half goals than Spurs in the Premier League this season (23), while only Watford (8) have conceded fewer than them in the opening 45 minutes (10).

Image source, Reuters

The visitors get us under way.

The teams are out, the formalities dealt with. Here we go...

MOTD2 Extra

Former Leeds, Tottenham and Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson: "Mauricio Pochettino is doing a fantastic job and he is being left alone to do it, which is important. It seems a good place to be at the moment.

"Sometimes you wait for something to happen at Spurs but the one time there has been any trouble is with Andros Townsend and that was quickly nipped in the bud. It seems to be a steady ship at the moment. You cannot rule them out (for the title)."

Joe Hart looks his usual pumped up self in the tunnel. He high fives team-mates as they join him, ready to head out on to the pitch. Big game this, on the quiet.