Fernando Llorente fires Spurs into Champions League semis after away goals win over Man City
IT is the greatest night of their lives. Tottenham played hokey cokey football – in, out, in, out, very much in – for 90 crazy minutes. They are off to play Ajax, Champions League semi-finalists after this truly astonishing second leg. They even survived Raheem Sterling’s ghost goal after 92 minutes when VAR confirmed Sergio Aguero was offside in […]
IT is the greatest night of their lives.
Tottenham played hokey cokey football – in, out, in, out, very much in – for 90 crazy minutes.
They are off to play Ajax, Champions League semi-finalists after this truly astonishing second leg.
They even survived Raheem Sterling’s ghost goal after 92 minutes when VAR confirmed Sergio Aguero was offside in the build up.
City‘s players, who celebrated like it was 2012, are out of the Champions League again.
All that matters after Fernando Llorente’s goal stood following a prolonged VAR review is that Tottenham are through.
That goal was given by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir after one of the most chaotic Champions League nights in history.
Kieran Trippier’s corner rolled down the substitute’s body, probably skimming off his arm along the way, and beyond Ederson.
Tottenham fans celebrated once and then, after the VAR review, the stands were shaking again.
It was an extraordinary finish because City really believed had done enough to get through when Aguero made it 4-2 after 59 minutes.
They under-estimated Tottenham’s powers of resilience, their determination to seize a place in the last four.
In years to come the ridiculous Dog&Duck scoreline is a reminder that this goes down as one of English football’s greatest games.
There was the passion of Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3, the drama of those bone-shaking Arsenal-Manchester United clashes and the intensity of Liverpool-Chelsea on those gripping Champions League nights.
The stakes were so high the players forgot, ignored, or could not cope with every tactical titbit.
The great shame is that somebody had to go out, to leave the competition after giving everything.
These two go again in the Premier League on Saturday and you can be sure these warriors will end 0-0.
This was a basketball game. It was almost impossible to keep track of, to calculate and re-calculate every time the ball hit the back of the net.
City were level on aggregate after four minutes, rewarded for their fast, aggressive approach.
They were up for this, motivated by haunting defeats against Monaco in Pep’s first season and last year’s savaging by Liverpool.
Kevin de Bruyne engineered it from the right, starting the sweeping move that involved a touched lay-off from Sergio Aguero.
De Bruyne was on to it again, switching play to the left and into the path of the onrushing Sterling.
The goal mimicked Messi’s first against Manchester United, dropping his shoulder, cutting in and then aiming for the inside of Hugo Lloris’s post. What an electrifying start.
The light blue flags were aloft, hoisted into the air and swirling above the heads of City’s fans as they started to think of scoring two, three, four or five… Spurs had other ideas.
Heung-Min Son, scorer of the winner at the new stadium last week, got another. Lucas Moura and Dele Alli were both involved, but it was the incompetence of Aymeric Laporte that led to the chance.
Son took it, equalising when his finish deflected off the boot of Ederson.
Three minutes later, Spurs went in front.
Laporte lost the ball on the halfway line, caught woefully out of position as Poch’s players moved at speed. Son scored it, another peach of a goal that pinged off his right boot and curled beyond Ederson’s reach. City needed three.
They made immediate inroads, levelling when Danny Rose deflected Bernardo’s effort beyond Lloris.
It lifted the place, with City fans starting to think this game would rank alongside the infamous Aguero goal against QPR in the 2012 title-winning season.
This stadium has seen some remarkable moments. Sterling set it up for another when he finished off another jaw-dropping move to make it 3-3 on aggregate just 21 minutes in. Ridiculous.
His buddy de Bruyne had the wit to take a short free-kick, playing a wall pass with Bernardo in the build-up.
What came next was ball of the century stuff, arcing it inch-perfect across the back of the Spurs defence and into the path of Sterling.
The finish was difficult, with the ball arriving on to him at pace and the demand for a first time finish.
Sterling was equal to it.
On nights as gripping as this, you cannot get enough of the game. It is a drug, seducing you, intoxicating you, taking hold of you for 90 hysterical minutes. Getting the next fix is the problem.
It is a credit to both these clubs that they carried on at full-pelt, throwing bodies forward in search of more game-changing goals.
De Bruyne, covering every blade of grass out there, had a couple of chances at the start of the second. Being the provider suits him best.
That was his role 59 minutes into this incredible second leg when he danced his way through Tottenham’s tiring defence.
Aguero timed his run, eluding his markers and waiting for De Bruyne to release him down the right hand channel.
His finish was another belter, rifled beyond Lloris with power, with accuracy, with conviction.
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This stadium thought they had done enough, but Llorente changed all that with his dramatic goal.
He made it 4-3, sending Spurs through on away goals with this incredible finish.
On a big night of football, they can finally say they are a big club.
