Solanke's stunning scorpion kick thwarts Man City with Tottenham's comeback
Dominic Solanke's incredible scorpion kick struck a significant setback against Manchester City's Premier League title aspirations, as Tottenham mounted a comeback from two goals behind to secure a 2-2 draw on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's team appeared set for a comfortable win after goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo in the opening half at their north London ground.
However Solanke narrowed the gap shortly after the break and then unleashed what could be the season's standout goal to level the scores.
The English forward's bold strike echoed Olivier Giroud's memorable acrobatic goal for Arsenal against Crystal Palace back in 2017.
Tottenham's fierce north London opponents stood to gain the most from Solanke's brilliance.
A portion of Tottenham supporters might have quietly accepted a defeat, considering Manchester City as the sole credible challenge to Arsenal claiming their first title in over two decades.
Yet Arsenal's emphatic 4-0 victory over Leeds the previous day left City without room for slip-ups, and Guardiola's second-placed outfit now sit six points adrift of the frontrunners.
With third-placed Aston Villa falling to Brentford on Sunday, it proved an ideal day for Arsenal.
Guiding Tottenham to the Champions League knockout stage with a victory against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday has strengthened Thomas Frank's position against dismissal, and this resilient recovery offered further support for the pressured Danish manager.
Manchester City's back-to-back 2-0 triumphs over Wolves and Galatasaray failed to dispel concerns that Guardiola's squad remains far from peak condition.
They delivered another uneven display that highlighted their decline from the dominant force which captured six titles across seven seasons before the previous campaign.
City have managed only one win in their past six league outings, enabling Arsenal to regain momentum following their own brief stumble.
They need to recover on Wednesday by protecting their 2-0 first-leg advantage in the League Cup semi-final versus Newcastle, ahead of a vital encounter with Liverpool the following weekend.
Solanke's spectacular strike
Cherki provided City with an ideal opening in the 11th minute.
Bernardo Silva initiated the move by dispossessing Yves Bissouma, then Erling Haaland set up Cherki.
As two Tottenham defenders retreated, Cherki punished them with a firm shot that curled into the far corner from the edge of the box.
The French midfielder's fourth strike in his previous six outings came before a glaring opportunity wasted by Erling Haaland, who lofted the ball onto the crossbar as Guardiola looked on in frustration.
Semenyo rightly extended City's advantage in the 44th minute.
Radu Dragusin's loose pass fell to Rodri, who linked with Silva, and the alert playmaker set up the free Semenyo for a sharp finish from 12 yards amid jeers from the crowd.
It marked the Ghanaian's fourth goal across five matches in various competitions since his transfer from Bournemouth.
Flat in the initial period, Tottenham found a spark of optimism just eight minutes into the second half.
City's offside claims went unheeded as Solanke tamed Xavi Simons' delivery under duress inside the box.
Marc Guehi attempted a desperate challenge, but Solanke poked the ball beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma from near range.
After dominating proceedings for much of the game, City faltered, and they were made to suffer in the 70th minute.
Conor Gallagher's intense pressing regained possession, and he floated a delivery to Solanke, who twisted in the air to execute a remarkable overhead flick past Donnarumma into the upper corner from 10 yards.
City appeared rattled, and only Donnarumma's excellent stop from Simons prevented Tottenham from claiming all three points.