Ruben Dias horror show gives Pep Guardiola new Man City title race dilemma

When Riyad Mahrez briefly looked to have rescued a point for Manchester City against Tottenham, it was no thanks to Ruben Dias.

A VAR penalty award, as a game bursting with title-race tension ticked into injury time, called for calm heads.

After Anthony Taylor did the television charades sign and pointed to the spot, Dias proceed to harangue the official and rage that Cristian Romero had not been awarded a second yellow card for his handball.

As Mahrez stood with the ball under his arm waiting to spot it and do the deed, the centre-back's actions did not exactly feel like something that was likely to lead to a goal.

Thankfully, City’s Algerian maestro is now the coolest man in the room from 12 yards. It was a magnificent penalty — a demonstration of nerve and skill that was worthy of earning a point.

The fact that it didn’t, brings us back to Dias.

Harry Kane’s second to seal a 3-2 in for the visitors was the first Tottenham goal where the Portugal international did not have direct culpability, but when organisation disintegrates to such a shambolic extent, the self-styled defensive leader appearing to have lost his head doesn’t feel insignificant.

It should be noted that Dias and his colleagues were up against a master of his craft at the very top of his game. Kane was utterly sublime, first as a creator and then decisively as a lethal finisher.

But his pass for the opening goal was made so destructive by Dias haphazardly making a late call to try to play offside, giving Son Heung-min the sort of head start he never needs — certainly not against City — and the Spurs forward was left with a simple assist for Dejan Kulusevski.

It was a wonderfully constructed goal from a Tottenham point of view, but also the most