Manchester City vs Tottenham result: Five things we learned as Spurs secure thrilling Champions League victory after VAR controversy

Man City (4)4-3(4) Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino's side secured victory on away goals in the most dramatic circumstance

In a frantic and thrilling match, Tottenham defeated Manchester City on away goals to advance to the Champions League semi-finals, despite losing 4-3 on the night.

City took the lead after just four minutes through a spectacular Raheem Sterling goal, but just six minutes later, Son Heung-min had responded twice to give Tottenham a 3-1 aggregate lead as well as the away goal advantage.

Yet it was Pep Guardiola’s side who responded once again, as Bernardo Silva saw his shot deflect in via a deflection off Danny Rose. Four goals in the opening 11 minutes. Sterling added his second to put City 3-2 ahead and then it was Sergio Aguero, who struck midway through the second-half with a thundering near-post swivel and strike.

But there were two more dramatic twists in the tale as after a VAR dispute, Fernando Llorente’s bundled hand-to-hip finish was given and then Sterling’s stoppage-time winner was belatedly ruled out for offside in one of the most remarkable games in recent memory.

Here’s five things we learned from the game.

Mayhem in the opening act

A first game so wrought with tension, so dominated by ragged pressing, a sheer battle of the most skilful attrition. The second-leg was supposed to start as cagey, tight-wiring on a knife edge – at least that’s what we all presumed. Yet, after just four minutes, total mayhem had ensued.

Kevin De Bruyne waltzed past Toby Alderweireld, with the centre-back glued to a standstill, and laid off a perfectly weighted a pass for Raheem Sterling to run onto on the edge of the box. The Englishman left his compatriot Kieran Tripper for garters, inexplicably allowing Sterling to cut inside onto his right foot, who then fizzed a curling shot across the face of Hugo Lloris’ goal and into the far corner. It seemed in that moment a disastrous start. But little more than a few moments later, and Tottenham were level.

Son Heung-min’s rifled low shot bobbled under Ederson’s legs – a rare mistake for the goalkeeper – to give Tottenham the away goal advantage, before the South Korean doubled the lead. Aymeric Laporte losing the the ball carelessly on his own halfway line, Lucas Moura pouncing, shuffling to Christian Eriksen who set up Son, whose finish was every bit as spectacular as Sterling’s to give Tottenham a 3-1 aggregate lead.

At that point, Spurs fans could finally breathe, City’s supporters did so in a collective sigh…until Bernardo Silva squirmed in a shot at the near post courtesy of more careless defending and a fortunate deflection against Danny Rose.

Four goals. 11 minutes. The most prolific – and equally frantic and breathless – start to a Champions League knockout tie in history.

Sterling celebrates scoring the opener (Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino wins tactical battle

It was a game of Guess Who between Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola. The suspicion was that the Argentinian would opt for a back-five, coil for the counter-attack, but for the best part sit back and stand firm.

Instead, though, Pochettino set-up to attack from the very off, poised to snatch the away goal advantage – which, in some ways, was successful in its objective, bar the defensive calamities at the other end.

Lucas and Son drifted to the touchlines and arced in off the last man in the vein of a striker. Eriksen was unshackled from his oft deep-lying midfield role, playing as a more conventional No 10 with Dele Alli scurrying in the half-spaces between. The quartet were fluid and free-flowing in attack, happy to rely on Victor Wanyama and Moussa Sissoko behind them. And, until the latter’s injury, it was a devastating approach which brought danger every time Spurs launched an attack. Until Sissoko’s early withdrawal, it was the upper-hand to Pochettino.

Fernando Llorente the spoiler, and then the lifesaver

Buit was almost as if Pochettino outguessed himself. With Sissoko off, rather than gambling on Oliver Skipp’s youthful confidence over naivety in the centre of midfield, or reverting to five-at-the-back – perhaps the simpler option – Pochettino opted to bring on Fernando Llorente.

On the surface it seemed an attacking show of confidence, but instead the labouring Spaniard seemed to become a slowing anchor up top. The 34-year-old occupied the spaces Son and Lucas had cut through so incisively and became a magnet to every attacking move, gambling that he could knock down something to run on to. Son was pushed out to the left-touchline and his constant threat was in a large part nullified. Alli dropped back, Moura was easier suffocated by City’s defence, while neither Eriksen was allowed the same freedom.

From that substitution, the context of the match changed entirely with Spurs barely able to escape their own half. But it was the same man who had seemed to stunt their progress, who would then deliver the decisive, heroic turn in one of the great European ties.

Aguero celebrates scoring (Reuters) (Action Images via Reuters)

De Bruyne and Aguero shine

After a stunted return and the plight of successive knee injuries, De Bruyne continued his breakneck return to full potential with a complete performance in midfield. A pair of assists, a total command of the players around him and the awareness on the ball, that innate ability to see the opportunity before other players, much in the vein of Cesc Fabregas in his heyday

But what the Belgian also brings is the physical box-to-box presence, and quite how much stronger the spine of this City side seems with him at its heart. And it was his hardened connection with Sergio Aguero that fostered City’s fourth, gliding past a flagging Victor Wanyama, before flicking a pass to the Argentinian whose blistering near-post finish had passed Lloris before he could even outstretch a helpless arm. They thought it was the decisive moment. How wrong they were.

Fernando Llorente’s body sends the ball into the net (Reuters)

VAR controversy strikes again?

Ball-to-hand? Hand-to-ball? Elbow-to-hip-to-net? The Etihad waited in ominous silence. The ball had bundled in off Fernando Llorente, the giant Spaniard had already reeled off in celebration with his teammates, Pochettino had punched at the air with vengeance, and then the referee turned to that oversized buzzing, black watch on his wrist. Handball check.

It hits Llorente on the elbow, of that there is no dispute. It doesn’t divert the ball’s course though, only taking the faintest glance before barrelling in off his hip. The referee went to check and based on recent evidence, it seemed certain that it would be denied, the action delayed to slow-motion cruelty over the course of two minutes as the referee peered at the pitchside screen. Eventually, it was given, and history was written. Tottenham had the away goal lead once again, and this time, City couldn’t claw it back.

But the greatest controversy of the game was still to come. Sterling had run through to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time. Guardiola already giddy on the touchline. He looked at his watch again. Ageuro, who had set Sterling through, was offside by the slightest of margins. City were denied the quadruple in the cruellest of fashions. Tottenham in one of the most dramatic and topsy-turvy twists of emotion imaginable.