VAR earns it Spurs as Pep's combustible Manchester City are left with no case for defence
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Updated 18/04/2019 at 07:24 GMT
Manchester City's quadruple dream died due to their inability to defend properly in Europe rather than the contentious calls of VAR, writes Desmond Kane.
Pep Guardiola manager of Manchester City looks dejected as a goal is ruled out via a VAR decision during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at at Etihad Stadium on April 17, 2019.
Image credit: Eurosport
The boy VAR will go far. On an outrageous night of Champions League football when some kamikaze defending left Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur looking about as secure as Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy, a modern day VHS recorder was the only reliable player in town.
City, with billions spent via their Abu Dhabi petrodollars to conquer Europe over the past 11 years, continue to come up with weird and wonderful ways to depart the Champions League. This one surely takes the biscuit. City remain the not so solid crew of Champions League nights, the Brexit bawlers from England, whose fans berate UEFA and love nothing more than a bitter exit.
They will chase the Premier League and FA Cup to go with the League Cup, but will view this freakish encounter as the one that got away. They should curse this loss for some time to come because they are a stronger team than Tottenham, who they will probably have no such trouble with under the guise of a domestic dust-up on Saturday lunchtime.
City were perhaps unfortunate, but this is also becoming a hard habit to break. Despite the largesse, they have failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals over the past three years under Pep Guardiola, who has only won this event when assisted by Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
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Tottenham celebrate at the Etihad.
Image credit: Getty Images
Questions must be asked about why City continue to self-combust on such breathless evenings.
Tottenham earned their place in the last four against Ajax the hard way, but it was difficult to argue Mauricio Pochettino's side were not worth it over the two legs despite taking leave of their senses several times.
Two key decisions fell their way in the final thrilling 25 minutes or so, but both were the correct call by the referee via VAR.
With City holding a 4-2 advantage and apparently all the aces, the winning goal in an utterly ludicrous evening came via the knee of substitute Fernando Llorente from Kieran Trippier’s corner on 73 minutes. The visiting fans went wilder than witnessing Ricky Villa and Garth Crooks sink City in the 1981 FA Cup final replay at the old Wembley.
Spurs were made to wait before it was deemed valid as they suddenly trailed 4-3 on the night for a 4-4 lead on the away goals rule, a result that remarkably carries them into the club's first Champions League semi-final.
City did not exactly throw the kitchen sink at the visiting side in the closing moments amid aching limbs and frazzled minds despite Tottenham’s nerves being clearly frayed.
It was amusingly highlighted by Victor Wanyama absurdly trying to play for touch in the embers of the game like he was at Twickenham.
It almost cost them their place in the semi-final when Christian Eriksen somehow failed to drive the ball up the park deep in added time. A deflection off Bernardo Silva saw the ball bounce into Sergio Aguero's path who raced clear before his cutback fell to Raheem Sterling to ravage the net with what he thought was his hat-trick on the night.
“I must be one of the luckiest guys on the planet. I thought it was over and thank God the ref gave offside," said Eriksen. “It was a roller-coaster. It was goals, goals, goals, goals.
“It was weird because you could expect anything."
Sterling raced to a corner flag on his knees, Pep leapt around wildly and Poch looked like he needed a packet of co-codamol and a lie down in a darkened room. But nobody counted on VAR’s dramatic intervention with Aguero deemed to be marginally offside before he had bounded into the box.
City, so near yet so far, fell to their knees moments later realising the game was up for another year.
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Mauricio Pochettino manager / head coach of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with his players during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at at Etihad Stadium on April 17, 2019 in Manchester, E
Image credit: Getty Images
Tottenham players had not appealed the decision, and celebrated in relief as the home fans were left in a state of stunned silence having started the night by booing the Champions League anthem in their traditional protest against UEFA.
A few required solace from Zadok the Priest after what was the weirdest end to a match you can imagine with the Etihad becoming like a zombie nation as dazed City fans tried to figure out what kind of VAR voodoo had hit them. This was arguably Tottenham's most rousing victory since Tony Parks excelled in goal in the win over Anderlecht on penalties in the 1984 UEFA Cup final. Not a bad return when you have spent less money on new faces than a pint of craft ale at the new stadium.
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A screen shows the VAR decision announcing that Manchester City's English midfielder Raheem Sterling's goal has been dissallowed in the closing minutes of the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg football match between Manchester City and Totten
Image credit: Getty Images
Stop Crying Your Heart Out as City’s Oasis brothers used to warble. It will be argued that two key calls denied Guardiola’s side when the truth is their defence has not been up to the mark at this level this year. Or many a year.
And you do not need to search far for answers with City hemorrhaging 27 goals over six two-legged knock-out matches in departing the scene prematurely to Monaco, Liverpool and now Spurs. For a club with a blank cheque book, a lack of blanks has been hugely damaging.
How did the narrative catapult the evening to such a mind-boggling finale? Goals, genuine greatness and ghoulish moments were all the rage as Tottenham's Son Heung-Min - who hit the conclusive goal in the first leg a week ago - scored twice on seven and 10 minutes to cancel out Raheem Sterling’s delightful fourth-minute opener before Silva’s deflected shot restored parity on 11 minutes.
Sterling gave City the lead on 21 minutes after Trippier had been caught dozing at a cross ball before Aguero smashed home from close range on 59 minutes to put City ahead in the tie for the first time.
It became a game of chance for both these teams because neither had the gumption to keep it tight as the back. For the most part, it was like a game of Russian roulette with Pep and Poch swigging a bottle of brandy and handing over a revolver wondering who was going to strike it unlucky.
Both men were playthings in the hand of fortune as tactics were tossed asunder, but the silver bullet has torpedoed City for another year amid much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Spurs will need to defend much, much better if they are going to quell an incessant Ajax side with an incisive youthful blend and voracious appetite for attack that has roundhoused Real Madrid and Juventus in the previous two rounds.
The Dutch side will surely start as favourites if Spurs adopt a similar carefree attitude to the art of defending, but at least they are there.
The Blue moon rising over the Etihad has proved to be another false dawn. And another European night when City found a quite staggering way to lose.
Desmond Kane
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