Joe Hart justified his manager's decision to start the season as Man City's No.1 in a 0-0 draw at Spurs.
Title hopefuls draw a blank at White Hart Lane
Joe Hart justified his manager's decision to start the season as Manchester City's first-choice goalkeeper by producing a stellar performance in the 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur.
Roberto Mancini plumped for England international Hart ahead of Shay Given for City's Premier League opener and he was rewarded with a stand-out display.
Hart's performance is likely to see questions raised over Given's future at City, but few could argue the 23-year-old deserves a run in the team.
The former Shrewsbury youngster was called into action as early as the 11th minute as he produced a superb one-handed reaction save to push away Jermain Defoe's volley on the turn.
And, with Spurs dictating the tempo of the first half, Hart was kept busy as he denied Tom Huddlestone, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Defoe again before the half-hour mark.
City's keeper was finally beaten on 31 minutes, but was rescued by the post as Gareth Bale's drilled shot came back off the upright.
Though City struggled to create anything of note, the visitors should have been in front within a minute of the second half starting, but Shaun Wright-Phillips took too long to bring the ball under control and Assou-Ekotto got back to clear the danger.
Hart made further saves from substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko and Aaron Lennon before Bale wasted the chance to earn Spurs a deserved win by side-footing wide of the target late on.
Frenetic
City handed competitive debuts to Yaya Toure, David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov, with Carlos Tevez captaining the side and starting up front on his own.
In stark contrast to City's summer spending spree, Spurs' only new recruit - Sandro - had yet to arrive from Internacional as Harry Redknapp went with a familiar line-up
A fast and frenetic opening saw a half-chance on the volley for Wright-Phillips and a Peter Crouch header kept out by Hart.
Crouch was proving a handful, setting up the first clear-cut opportunity in the 11th minute with a header back across goal from Lennon's cross.
Jermain Defoe swivelled to fire goalward at point-blank range, but Hart somehow kept the ball out and Ledley King was thwarted on the rebound.
Hart sprang sideways to repel Huddlestone's hooked 25-yard volley moments before producing an even better save to keep out Assou-Ekotto's viciously-deflected piledriver.
Vincent Kompany earned the first yellow card for bringing down Defoe 25 yards from goal and a Michael Dawson slip in the box almost let in Tevez but King snuffed out the danger.
Hart rescued City again seconds later when Kompany was beaten to the ball by Defoe.
The City keeper was finally beaten on the half-hour, but the post came to his rescue to keep out Bale's 12-yard drive and Kompany managed to block Lennon's follow-up.
City broke and Yaya Toure drilled wide from 20 yards before a wonderful crossfield ball from Assou-Ekotto sent Defoe clean through.
Hart's legs did enough to keep the ball out and Kolarov just beat Defoe to the rebound.
A peach of a cross from Bale evaded everyone before Yaya Toure's deflected drive forced the first real save from Heurelho Gomes.
Cynical foul
Kompany escaped a second yellow card moments before the break despite a cynical foul on Defoe.
Spurs paraded the majority of their 1961 double-winning side at half-time, during which City withdrew the injured Kolarov for Pablo Zabaleta.
The visitors should have taken the lead inside a minute, Yaya
