Pep Guardiola hails ‘incredible’ Stefan Ortega performance against Tottenham amid exit concerns

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hailed the cameo performance of goalkeeper Stefan Ortega against Tottenham on Tuesday night.

The German shot-stopper made his 18th Manchester City appearance of the campaign in north London, as Ederson was forced off due to injury for the fourth time this season, following a nasty collision with Cristian Romero.

Ortega, who has been linked with a potential summer exit from the Etihad Stadium after stalling contract extension talks, made a series of crucial late saves to deny both Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, smothering late efforts from the pair.

Manchester City rejected a late transfer approach from Bayern Munich for the 31-year-old in August, with Ortega playing a key role in the Blues’ campaign with appearances against Liverpool, Arsenal and Real Madrid.

The German in expected to start the Emirates FA Cup Final against Manchester United later this month, but could be set to feature against West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday, after Ederson suffered a facial injury.

Manchester City require a win over the Hammers to secure a fourth successive Premier League title, with Ortega looking to become a two-time winner after enjoying silverware success during his debut season last year.

Erling Haaland’s second-half brace helped Manchester City to a crucial three points at Tottenham to move two points ahead of Arsenal, however it was the cameo appearance of Ortega which led to widespread praise post-match.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola said: “He has done this since he arrived. We saw the level of keeper he is. He makes incredible saves and does it so many times.

“Spurs are so fast with Kulusevski, Maddison, Son, Johnson, and the runs of Porro and Sarr, they have a lot of weapons. We knew we had to suffer but it gives us a life to go again one more game at home on Sunday.

“They are an exceptional team, physical, intense, well managed, good with and without the ball. We knew it was going to be difficult but in the bad moments we were there and our keepers do the job. At the end in the right moment we punish them.”

The future of the goalkeeper is expected to be addressed in the summer, with Ortega out of contract at the Etihad Stadium in 2025, having penned an initial three-year deal upon signing from Arminia Bielefeld in 2022.