Article body analysed

James Trafford joined Manchester City from Burnley for £27m this summer "It's happened again, it's happened again, Manchester City, it's happened again. " That was the chant bellowed from the Etihad Stadium's away end at full-time after City were again humbled at home by Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were scintillating on their visit here last November and inflicted a 4-0 thrashing, but they were given a helping hand on this occasion and it was one they gleefully accepted. This time it was 2-0. The visiting Spurs contingent, who have suffered as targets of the "it's happened again" jibe in the past, made sure to enjoy the moment. Deploying a high defensive line cost Pep Guardiola's City side the opening goal, while goalkeeper James Trafford did not cover himself in glory for the second in an overall jittery performance on his home debut. Ederson has been City's undisputed number one for eight years, but the Brazilian watched on from the bench after missing the Wolves game through illness last weekend amid heavy links with a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray. What is clear is that Guardiola has a big long-term decision to make about the goalkeeper role. "James made a good first game and I decided to continue [with him], " said Guardiola, explaining Trafford's selection. "The keeper is a special position, of course, to have more consistency in the goal. "When I take decisions in the first part of the season for all the players who play one or two games, everyone thinks 'OK this is the starting line-up, these are the players who are going to play', but with these amount of games, everyone will play. "It was just today I decided that. " This video can not be played Sutton not convinced by the Manchester City goalkeeper Spurs stun Man City to maintain flawless start Why did Trafford avoid red card against Spurs? Trafford scoops PFA award Trafford was the named PFA Championship player of the year on Tuesday Trafford was in celebratory mood earlier in the week when he collected the PFA's Championship player of the year award at the Opera House in Manchester city centre, reward for his performances in the second tier for Burnley. The 22-year-old kept 29 clean sheets in the league last season for the Clarets, and after joining City he was quickly on song, as Guardiola pointed out, in the opening win at Wolves. But this was a different story, a difficult first showing in a City shirt at Etihad Stadium. Trafford came through the City ranks and rejoined the club for £27m from Burnley this summer having not made a senior appearance in his first spell. He will have been dreaming of playing Premier League football for City at the Etihad, but it turned into an uncomfortable afternoon, Trafford slipping away from centre stage at the final whistle with songs from joyful Spurs fans ringing in his ears. Guardiola has turned to youth in his rebuild. Saturday's team, with an average age of 24 years and 326 days, was the youngest starting XI named by the Spaniard in the Premier League and they have plenty to learn. Tottenham's Richarlison pressed relentlessly all game and forced Trafford into conceding a corner, while the keeper was lucky not to be dismissed for a collision on the edge of the box with Spurs winger Mohammed Kudus. And at 1-0 behind, with the crowd beginning to get anxious, those shaky moments then turned into a calamity as Trafford played a loose pass inside the area to Ruben Dias, who failed to control, and Joao Palhinha eventually smashed in. City failed to recover, slipping to defeat in their first home game of the campaign. "City were well beaten today, " former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "I've got to say I'm not sure about the goalkeeper situation. "Is James Trafford really top drawer? If it's a choice between Trafford and Ederson, I'm going with Ederson. "It was poor for the goal, a weak pass into Dias, not even passing on to the right side, and that absolutely killed them with Spurs going in 2-0 at half-time. " This video can not be played Manchester City missed 'simple things' in Spurs defeat Paris St-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma is rumoured to be of interest to City and sources have not totally ruled out a move for the Italian, but it would need Ederson to move on. Guardiola, though, now has a decision to make as to whether he sticks with Trafford, brings Ederson back into the fold, or sells the Brazilian and signs Donnarumma. The manager seems unsure himself, having said before the start of the season that Ederson was his number one, but then on Friday saying he will pick "who trains good". Trafford was given the nod, but the decision raises more questions than answers. Similar to counterpart Ruben Amorim across the city, the managers of both Manchester clubs each have a goalkeeping conundrum to deal with if they are to claw their way back to the top. "There was a lot of talk after week one that this Man City team were back, " former Everton midfielder Leon Osman said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "I think this lets everybody take a step back and reassess that. "They were way off the level that Spurs were at today. " Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Premier League: Arsenal face Leeds after wins for Burnley, Brentford & Bournemouth 'A creative and explosive talent' - Eze signs for Arsenal 'Is Trafford really top drawer? ' - Guardiola's keeper conundrum The ups and downs of a 30-year marriage Why was this French film so controversial? Secrets and passions unravel after a family reunion Can nail polish and gels damage our nails? England begin World Cup campaign with emphatic victory over USA Video England begin World Cup campaign with emphatic victory over USA 'I'd love to be a WWE wrestler' - Guehi in his own words Why Rugby World Cup 2025 will change game West Ham booed as Chelsea score five in convincing win. Video West Ham booed as Chelsea score five in convincing win Arsenal's ruthless Eze coup shows intent - leaving Spurs stunned US star Maher has Hollywood in sights after offer to join WWE Sikh owners, Sikh manager - what Morecambe takeover means to community Ferguson wouldn't have allowed half-time player interviews - Rooney 'Bold' US Open gets everyone talking about mixed doubles What does your club need before transfer window shuts? Weekly sports quiz: Who stood too close to Chelsea's wall? Rodgers v Celtic's board - the sequel Isak and a 'nuclear' row with Newcastle - what next? 'Life comes quickly at Martin as Rangers humbled' 'He fixes what needs fixing' - why Raducanu turned to Nadal's ex-coach Who had the best Premier League debut ever? Video Who had the best Premier League debut ever? Which is the most beautiful F1 car in history? Perseverance through resistance - the history of the Women's Rugby World Cup Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.