Manchester City retained their margin of lead at the top of the Premier League after emerging victorious from a thrilling five-goal encounter at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City: Hart, Richards, Savic, Lescott, Clichy, Barry, Milner, Silva, Aguero, Nasri, Dzeko.
Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Johnson, Kolarov, Onuoha, De Jong, Balotelli.
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Parker, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart, Defoe.
Subs: Cudicini, Pavlyuchenko, Bassong, Dawson, Kranjcar, Livermore, Pienaar.
Referee: Howard Webb
9 mins: YELLOW CARD. (Clichy)
14 mins: Bale flashes a cross across the face of goal and Defoe is inches away from making contact.
17 mins: Aguero with a good chance inside the Tottenham box but Dzeko gets in his way and blocks the shot.
24 mins: Silva’s low angled shot goes just wide of the far post after being set up by Aguero.
29 mins: Aguero’s shot from 12 yards out is blocked by Friedel after good work from Richards to play him in.
41 mins: Dzeko holds off two defenders to create some space before blasting his shot high into the stands.
HT: Man City 0 Tottenham 0
49 mins: Van der Vaart blasts over from 25 yards out after good hold up play by Defoe.
52 mins: YELLOW CARD (Parker)
55 mins: GOAL!! Man City 1 Tottenham 0 (Nasri) – Nasri blasts high into the roof of the net after Silva played him through with a perfectly weighted ball.
58 mins: GOAL!! Man City 2 Tottenham 0 (Lescott) – A Nasri corner is flicked on by Dzeko at the near post before being bundled home by Lescott.
60 mins: GOAL!! Man City 2 Tottenham 1 (Defoe) – A terribly mistake by Savic leaved Defoe one-on-one with hart. He takes the ball around the keeper before cooly slotting home.
64 mins: GOAL!! Man City 2 Tottenham 2 (Bale) – A wonderful left footed finish by Bale from the edge of the box. His first time strike loops over the head of the helpless Joe Hart.
64 mins: SUBSTITUTION (Man City) Dzeko off, Balotelli on
67 mins: SUBSTITUTION (Tottenham) Van der Vaart off, Livermore on
71 mins: Modric sees his low drive flash wide of the post.
77 mins: YELLOW CARD (Balotelli)
86 mins: SUBSTITUTION (Tottenham) Lennon off, Pienaar on
90 mins: Bale breaks clear and sends a low cross across the face of goal which Defoe misses by inches with the goal at his mercy.
90+4: GOAL!! Man City 3 Tottenham 2 (Balotelli) – Balotelli slots home a penalty after being taken down in the area by Ledley King in added time.
