Source: PA
Crouch own goal gives City Champions League place
Manchester City qualified for the Champions League following a 1-0 win over Tottenham.
An own goal by Spurs forward Peter Crouch after half an hour was enough to take City nine points clear of the Londoners in the Barclays Premier League, and out of Liverpool's reach as well with two games to spare.
Both sides retained only four members of their starting line-ups from when they met 12 months previously in a game that ultimately denied City their chance to compete in Europe's premier club competition on that occasion.
But it was Crouch - who scored at the very same end last season to give Tottenham fourth place in the table and send them on their own Champions League journey - who, under pressure from Joleon Lescott, stuck out a boot instinctively and deflected James Milner's cross into his own goal.
City had only created one other first-half chance of note as David Silva squared for Edin Dzeko, whose shot was turned away by Carlo Cudicini.
At the other end, Joe Hart made a telling contribution right at the start of the second half as he kept out Steven Pienaar's far-post header before Rafael van der Vaart and Aaron Lennon threatened from decent positions. But it was City who came closest to grabbing a second goal, only for William Gallas to brilliantly turn away Patrick Vieira's goalbound header.
