After an astonishing encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Tottenham reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions league on away goals following a defeat of 4-3 to Manchester City on Wednesday.
Tottenham, who had 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 against Liverpool or Barcelona after one of the most remarkable matches in the competition’s history.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino predicted the meeting with the exiting. But will take something for it to offer more entertainment than this non-stop wave of drama and emotions.
It started in manic fashion with four goals in the opening 11 minutes of the game.
City fans had celebrated what looked like a goal that sent them into the last four before the replay confirmed that Sergio Aguero was offside in the build-up.
“It is cruel but it is what it is and we have to accept it.” said Guardiola, whose dream of winning four titles this season is now over.
Three minutes later in to the game Tottenham drew level when City’s French defender Aymeric Laporte’s attempted clearance fell straight at the feet of Son Heung-min whose low shot flew in off the leg of City keeper Ederson.
Laporte made a huge mistake for Tottenhams’ 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.
Manchester City responded immediately as Aguero fed Bernardo Silva and the Portuguese the winger’s left-foot 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, ghosting in at the back post to convert a low cross from De Bruyne that had zipped across the face of the goal.
Aguero in the 59th minute put Manchester 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.
In the 73rd minute when Tottenham substitute Fernando Llorente bundled in ain Kieran Trippier corner to restore the London club’s advantage through away goals.
Then came the stoppage time video torture for the home support — Aguero burst down the right flank and delivered a low cross for Sterling to slot home what would have been his hat-trick goal.
The VAR call was correct and the Premier League champions were out — to the delight of Pochettino and his players who celebrated wildly in front of the Tottenham support.
Now the pair will meet again on Saturday at the same venue in the Premier League, with plenty at stake for both teams.
Its hard to predict who will be winning this exciting game, but i do assure you we will bring you the latest when it happens.