Once again a new hero rose to the occasion for Manchester City against Tottenham

On a night when Manchester City needed to pick up a victory against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a new hero rose to the occasion. It has been a trait of Pep Guardiola’s squad for the past 3 seasons that when the moment arrives, someone rises to the occasion. Last night, it was Stefan Ortega who made a massive contribution to City, leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with an invaluable 2-nil win.

Stefan Ortega’s moment began in the 69th minute. He was brought on for Ederson, who had to be substituted after being on the receiving end of a crunching challenge from Cristian Romero. City’s number one keeper tried to soldier on after the incident. But he has to substituted at a critical moment in City’s bid to pick up a priceless victory over Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Ederson’s misfortune gave Stefan Ortega the chance to ensure Manchester City kept their clean sheets. It was an opportunity he seized. City needs to beat West Ham on the final day of the season to win a fourth consecutive Premier League title. Without Ortega’s heroics, they could have been facing an entirely different set of circumstances on Sunday.

There was one save in particular that kept City’s title hopes in their hands. With 5 minutes remaining in a tight and tense contest, a Manuel Akanji error played through Son Hueng-Min. It appeared that Son would again score against Manchester City. As he raced through on goal, Pep Guardiola slumped to the ground as he could see City’s grip on top spot fading. But up stepped Stefan Ortega to deny Son with an outstanding save. It was a moment that could go down in Manchester City folklore if beat West Ham on Sunday.