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When in the opening minutes it became clear that clear Manchester City’s gameplan was to overload the left flank – with Benjamin Mendy raiding forward, Raheem Sterling cutting inside and Jack Grealish drifting wide – it was hard to avoid feelings of extreme sympathy for Japhet Tanganga, the rookie right-back faced with repelling the City swarm. Eighty-two minutes later Tanganga was departing the field to a hero’s ovation, with Spurs in the lead and a clean sheet in the post. The 22-year-old had been making inroads into the first team before a string of injuries disrupted his momentum last term and he looked poised to join Galatasaray on loan just a week ago. But that display will surely have written him into Nuno Espírito Santo’s plans for the season, not least because the coach’s favoured back-three setup looks ready-made for a defender who is best as a right-sided centre-back. Spurs’ summer has centred on the potential departure of one home-grown hero; perhaps on Sunday we saw the arrival of another. Alex Hess
• Match report: Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City
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