This archive report was first published on 18 August 2019.
Published on August 18, 2019, Manchester City's Premier League title defense got off to a rocky start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium.
The match saw a dramatic finish, with City's Gabriel Jesus scoring in stoppage-time, only to have the goal ruled out by VAR due to Aymeric Laporte's handball.
This was a familiar scenario for City, as they had experienced a similar VAR controversy in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Tottenham last season.
City took the lead in the 20th minute through Raheem Sterling's header, but Tottenham equalized just three minutes later through Erik Lamela's goal.
City restored their lead in the 35th minute through Sergio Aguero's finish, but Tottenham again leveled the score just minutes later through Lucas Moura's header.
The match ended with City's players, including Aguero and Jesus, expressing their frustration with the officials at the final whistle.
