Tottenham Lose An Epic Etihad Battle But The Tie Ends 4-4 On Aggregate And Manchester City’s Quadruple Dream Is Over! Match Highlights. Player Ratings. Comments, And Stats.
By Marc Gingell
Match Details
| 17-04-2019 | Etihad Stadium | Manchester City | 4-3 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| KO:20.00 | ATT: 53,348 | Raheem Sterling 4′, 21′ | Heung-Min Son 7′, 10′ | |
| REF: C Çakir | Bernardo Silva 11′ | Fernando Llorente 73′ | ||
| Sergio Agüero 59′ | ||||
Score Aggregate 4-4 – Tottenham Win On Away Goals
Tottenham earned the right to play Ajax in the Champions League semi-final despite losing this epic battle 4- 3 which levelled the tie at 4-4.
Fernando Llorente
Born in Pamplona, Spain 34 year old Fernando Llorente is an old fashioned kind of centre forward and probably part of a dying breed. Number nine’s these days seem to need to be able to dovetail between number nine and ten and have lightning pace with an explosive shot. Sergio Agüero is a prime example.
Llorente’s Career
Llorente began his career with Basconia where he scored 12 goals in 33 games. From there he moved to Bilbao Athletic where he made 16 appearances scoring four goals. He followed that up with 262 games for Athletic Bilbao scoring 85 goals. From there he tried his luck in Italy where he scored 23 goals in 66 games with Juventus. After two seasons in Serie A, he returned to Spain’s LaLiga, with Sevilla, scoring 4 goals in 23 games.
In August 2016, with Swansea City in the Premier League, he signed a two-year contract with the South Wales based club and scored 15 goals in 33 appearances.
Tottenham Come Knocking
Just over a year later he joined Tottenham for a reported fee of £12.1 million mainly as cover for Harry Kane. Although, when Kane is out, Mauricio Pochettino seems to shuffle his pack and still leave Llorente on the bench.
Off The Bench
Against Manchester City, Llorente came off the bench after 41 minutes replacing the injured Moussa Sissoko.
On 73 minutes, with the score 4-2 and City winning the tie 4-3 on aggregate, Tottenham had a corner on Manchester City’s right which Kieran Trippier curled into City’s six-yard box. Llorente, in the right place at the right time, deflected the ball into the net from what looked like it could have been his waist.
VAR came into play as there were suggestions that the ball might have struck Llorente’s hand or arm. Eventually, the goal stood but the evidence didn’t seem totally clear.
Tottenham Were Through!
We the score 4-4 on aggregate Tottenham were going through on away goals as long as City didn’t score again. But they did. In added time Agüero found Raheem Sterling and he completed his hat-trick.
But VAR disallowed it!
Most Dramatic Champions League Game Istanbul!
This could well have been the most dramatic Champions League game since Istanbul and it didn’t take long to ignite.
4 Minutes: Kevin De Bruyne found Sterling on City’s left and he cut in and fired a low shot across Hugo Lloris right into the far corner. Aggregate Score: 1-1. The Game Is Evenly Poised.
7 Minutes: Dele Alli found Heung-Min Son on the edge of City’s box and, as the ball deflected off Aymeric LaPorte who should have cleared, Son shot towards goal. Ederson, committed to diving the wrong way, will have been disappointed to have let that one slip by him: Score On The Night 1-1. Aggregate Score 1-2. Tottenham Are In The Driving Seat.
10 Minutes: Poor play by again by LaPorte as he gave the ball away to Lucas Moure in midfield. Moure found Christian Eriksen who played the ball to Son on the left angle of City’s D of their 18 yard-box. Son curled a brilliant effort into Ederson’s top left-hand corner. Score On The Night 1-2. Aggregate Score 1-3. Tottenham Are In The Driving Seat.
11 Minutes: Agüero found Bernardo Silva in loads of space on Tottenham’s left inside their box. Silva’s shot took a massive deflection off Danny Rose which gave Lloris no chance. Score On The Night 2-2. Aggregate Score 2-3. Tottenham Are In The Driving Seat.
21 Minutes: De Bruyne found space on City’s right after a quick free kick interchange with Bernardo Silva. De Bruyne sent over a low cross, right in the corridor of uncertainty, and Sterling finished at the back post. Score On The Night 3-2. Aggregate Score 3-3. Tottenham, On Away Goals, Are In The Driving Seat.
59 Minutes: After a fine run by De Bruyne, right into the heart of Tottenham’s defence, he found Agüero in space on the right just outside Tottenham’s six-yard box. The power of Agüero’s shot beat Lloris at his near post. Score On The Night 4-2. Aggregate Score 4-3. Manchester City Are In The Driving Seat For The First Time.
City Were In The Driving Seat!
City’s aggregate lead lasted only14 minutes as Llorente stepped up in the 73rd minute to score the final, legal goal, of this pulsating encounter.
It might not have been his best goal and could well be the only one that’s he’s scored with that part of his body. But it has to be one of his most important.
Player Ratings
Man City: Ederson (5), Walker (6), Kompany (6), Laporte (5), Mendy (5), De Bruyne (9), Gundogan (6), Bernardo Silva (8), Silva (6), Sterling (9), Aguero (7).
Subs: Sane (n/a), Fernandinho (6)
Tottenham: Lloris (5), Trippier (5), Alderweireld (6), Vertonghen (6), Rose (6), Sissoko (6), Wanyama (7), Alli (6), Eriksen (7), Lucas Moura (6), Son (9).
Subs: Sanchez (n/a), Davies (n/a), Llorente (7).
Man of the match: Kevin De Bruyne.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPs-SrjzuMk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGqtx12cVtE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDQjESMEOJA
Opta Stats
- Spurs are the seventh English side to reach the Champions League semi-finals (also Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Leeds) – England are now the nation with the most unique semi-finalists (overtaking Spain).
- No side has been knocked out at the Champions League quarter-final stage by English teams on more occasions than Manchester City (twice; also in 2017-18 vs Liverpool).
- Despite being eliminated tonight, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has won 10 Champions League games against English sides, the most of any manager in the competition’s history.
- Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in 26 goals (19 goals and seven assists) in 20 games in all competitions at the Etihad this season, more than any team-mate.
- Heung-Min Son is now the highest scoring Asian player in Champions League history with 12 goals, overtaking Maxim Shatskikh of Uzbekistan.
- Son is the second player to score twice in the opening 10 minutes of a Champions League game away from home, after Heimo Pfeifenberger for Red Bull Salzburg vs AEK Athens in November 1994 (9 minutes).
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