Without the intervention of technology, Manchester City would be through to a Champions League semi-final and Spurs would have been robbed
There is always the chance, when English clubs meet in European knockout football, that players who know each other so well will treat it as a pumped-up Premier League encounter rather than showing the respect and caution they might have afforded continental opponents, and the memorably frenetic showdown between Manchester City and Tottenham was an instant classic of the genre.
Never mind the woeful defending in the first 20 minutes, the inability of either side to hold on to an advantage or manage the game professionally, this was English football at its most appealing because both teams were going for goals and glory. Cagey it was not; it was simply a question of who could score more, and when the dust has settled on a thrilling and often controversial ding-dong between two of the best teams in the country it will be seen that the much-maligned away-goals rule had a lot to do with that.
Related: Spurs prevail as mind-bending match sees Guardiola's City lose control | Barney Ronay
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