Spurs player ratings

Given Could do very little about the first two goals (I left before the third went in and don't want to see it again.) Made a good save or two in the first half and distributed well. 6

Richards Not quite the bad old Richards but not exactly the exciting new one either. There were no total howlers (nothing as bad as the penalty he gave away here last season), but he looked a bit distracted and was often outfoxed by the intelligent Niko Kranjčar. Had a heavy burden as the team's only player with any pace. 5

Touré One major blip - losing Defoe for Spurs' second - but otherwise he defended relatively well. Serious questions have to be asked about the man's captaincy though - that was as spineless a City performance as I have seen for some time. I think that if Bellamy's knees could be relied on twice a week he would certainly have the armband. 5

Onuoha Poised for a run in the side with Lescott sidelined and he made an acceptable start. Crouch won everything in the air but that is to be expected. He can't pass with his left foot but we knew that before. 5

Sylvinho You don't have to be Rinus Michels to see that Lennon's pace against Sylvinho was going to present problems. As soon as Lennon realised quite how slow Sylvinho was - and how little help he was going to get from Robinho - Spurs' opening the scoring with a move down our left flank was inevitable. Didn't look like a bad footballer when we had the ball, and is not the first full back to be exposed by Lennon, but it was still painful. 4

Ireland Told us what we knew before: when pushed out wide in a 4-4-2 he will drift inside but fail to influence the game as much as he might, but when playing in the hole, with two holding midfielders behind him and three forwards ahead of him he is an excellent player. Clearly enjoyed pulling the strings at the end even if it was a lost cause. Whether Hughes will rebuild the team around him in 2010, I'm not sure. I doubt it though. 6

de Jong Did not look to have fully shaken off swine flu. A few big tackles early on but tended to look off the pace. Let Palacios and Huddlestone dominate the midfield, which was a disappointment after his success against Chelsea last week. 5

Barry From a technical perspective he did well. His touch and passing were not quite at August levels but certainly better than in recent weeks. But questions have to be asked about his role: this is a guy who came with 30+ England caps and almost 400 Premier League games at Villa. With that experience he should be marshalling the midfield, to put Spurs under pressure and rally the troops when behind. But he didn't. At least we know why Hughes didn't give him the captaincy. 5

Robinho Threatened to play well in the first quarter of an hour, with a few nice touches and movements inside, and a shot from distance that Gomes palmed over. But then it was the same performance we've seen too many times before - not getting involved in the game, not helping out his full-back, not showing any particular interest in the match or in the team. There is no choice between him and Craig Bellamy. 4

Tévez Our one forward who looked like making a difference, he ran hard and tried things, even if nothing was quite coming off for him. Had a few shots in the first half without getting anywhere. Big question over whether he can play lone striker - if so we can easily switch to 4-3-3 to get best out of Ireland. 6

Adebayor Woeful. Like Santa Cruz at St. Andrew's but worse, and with fewer excuses. He barely won a single header, he barely made a single run for Ireland or Robinho to pick him out, he drifted into wide positions and then failed to do anything with the ball. Not since Joey Barton have I had as much disdain for a blue as I do currently for this guy. African Cup of Nations cannot come quick enough. 3

Subs:

RSC An improvement on Adebayor (see above). He won one or two headers and moved well enough. Not 100% yet but getting there. Needs more games before January. 6

Petrov One decent run but didn't look like he was going to change the game. n/a