A ‘ CRUEL’ VAR EXIT FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOR CIT Y
MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola insisted VAR produced “fair football” despite a cruel Champions League quarter-final exit on away goals to Tottenham after a pulsating tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.
City was a 4-3 victor in yesterday’s second leg, but for the third straight season failed to reach the last four under Guardiola as two VAR reviews went in Spurs’ favour.
Firstly, Fernando Llorente’s decisive goal 17 minutes from time stood despite the ball appearing to clip his hand on its way into the net.
Then deep into stoppage time, Raheem Sterling had the strike that would have sealed his hat-trick and seen City through ruled out after Sergio Aguero was shown to be offside in the build-up.
“I support VAR. It’s just to see the goal from Llorente is handball. From one angle looks like handball, from the angle the referee saw it doesn’t,” Guardiola said.
“I’m fine for the fair football, for the fair decisions. If it’s offside, it’s offside. In the future, even the present, it will be fair.”
Elimination ended City’s quest for a quadruple and the manager lamented a series of costly errors across both games, after Aguero also missed a penalty in the first leg, that saw his side bow out to a side 16 points behind it in the Premier League.
“It’s tough. We were close to go through, it’s cruel, but we have to accept it,” Guardiola said.
“The mistakes in this competition punish you a lot. Unfortunately it was a bad end for us.”
Unlike Guardiola, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been a critic of VAR, but believes the decisions to award City a penalty in the first leg and not punish Fernandinho for a clash with Harry Kane balanced themselves out.
“You have to trust the VAR when it is against or for you,” said Pochettino. “The decision to include VAR in football is going to change the game.”
And the Argentine labelled his players as “heroes” for reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup for only the second time after a season in which the club did not sign a single player and played the majority of the campaign at a temporary home in Wembley.
“On this type of night, this type of victory, I can feel proud. I feel they are heroes. With all the circumstances to be in the semi-finals of the Champions League they deserve a lot of praise,” he said.
MEANWHILE, Liverpool faces a challenging semi-final against Barcelona but coach Juergen Klopp says his side has made a statement by reaching the last four for the second straight year and is equipped for the test.
A resurgent Mohamed Salah scored one and set up another to inspire the Reds to a 4-1 away win at Porto in their quarter-final second leg.
Liverpool, who eased through 6-1 on aggregate, held off Porto in yesterday’s early stages before Salah and Sadio Mane combined for the Senegalese to put it ahead with its first shot on target.
Egyptian striker Salah doubled the tally after the break and goals from Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk wrapped it up late on.
Porto had briefly reduced the arrears through Eder Militao but, having lost the first leg 2-0 at Anfield, never seemed in a position to overturn the deficit.
Barcelona advanced on Wednesday when it won 3-0 in its second-leg against Manchester United, completing a 4-0 aggregate victory.
“We have been together for a while, we needed to be more mature,” Klopp said. “The boys made their own experience in this competition, especially last year. It’s the second time in a row we are in the semis.
“That says something, it’s a big statement for the club.”
With their defence marshalled by the impressive Van Dijk, Liverpool — who reached the final last year — is now undefeated in its past 17 games in all competitions as they seek a Premier LeagueChampions League double.