After an astonishing encounter at the Etihad S t a d i u m , T o t t e n h a m Hotspur reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on away goals following a 4-3 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday, reports Reuters. Spurs, who won the first leg 1-0 and progressed after the tie finished 4-4 on aggregate, will play Ajax Amsterdam for a place in the final. It started in manic fashion with four goals in the opening 11 minutes of the game.
It was a gripping spectacle right up until the dramatic finale when City had a stoppage-time goal from Raheem Sterling, which would have sent them through, ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
City fans had celebrated what looked like the goal that sent them into the last four before the replay confirmed that Sergio Aguero was offside in the build-up. It was a perfect example of the benefits of using technology but it was also hard on Pep Guardiola’s side who had been the stronger over the 90 minutes.
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“It is cruel but it is what it is and we have to accept it,” said Guardiola. His counterpart, Pochettino, who was without his top scorer Harry Kane, said his team had shown all their character. “My players are heroes. We made history,” said the Argentine, whose team reach the last four for the first time since the creation of the Champions League and since their 1962 appearance in the semi-finals of the European Cup.
The contest exploded into life in the fourth minute when Sterling put City in front, receiving a ball from Kevin De Bruyne on the left flank and then cutting inside onto his right foot before beating Hugo Lloris with a beautiful, curling shot into the far corner. Three minutes later though, Spurs drew level.
Son Heung-min whose low shot flew in off the leg of City keeper Ederson. Laporte was also at fault for Spurs’ second in the 10th minute when he gifted the ball to Lucas Moura, the Brazilian feeding Christian Eriksen who found Son, the brilliant South Korean finishing superbly into the far corner There was no respite as City responded immediately Bernardo Silva’s shot deflected off Danny Rose and beat the wrong-footed Lloris to make it 2-2 on the night.
Sterling struck again in the 21st minute to level the aggregate score A thundering strike from Aguero in the 59th minute put City in the driving seat again — the Argentine blasting in at Lloris’s near post after a magnificent burst forward and perfectly weighted and timed pass from De Bruyne.
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City, who went out at the same stage to Liverpool last season, were stunned though in the 73rd minute when Spurs substitute Fernando Llorente bundled in a Kieran Trippier corner to restore the London club’s advantage through away goals
