Villas Boas: We were amazing!
Over the moon: Villas-Boas saw his side overturn a 2-1 loss to beat Barcelona and book their place in the Champions League final.
André Villas-Boas will certainly be the happier set of managers after Tottenhams 4-1 win against European Champions, FC Barcelona.
Spurs were seen as huge underdogs for the match, and the talk before was that FC Barcelona had the match all but wrapped up. All they had to do was get through 90 minutes without losing - it should be simple, right?
Villas-Boas spoke before the game, saying that the tie was far from over. He certainly proved tonight that he is no push over.
Despite Spurs' quick start, high pressing game and numerous chances, they couldn't find the back of the net. It seemed as if luck was against them. What will have caused even more pain was the fact that Jean-Marie Dongou broke the offside trap and slip the ball underneath the onrushing ter Stegen. Barca had taken the lead - Undeservedly.
During the half time team talk, Villas-Boas certainly showed his nasty streak. Eriksen confirmed after the game that the manager was not happy to have gone down at Half time losing, especially as they deserved to be in the lead.
It seemed as if Villas-Boas team talk certainly worked. Spurs came out and started the second half as they finished the first, with two great saves in the first 5 minutes from Muslera denying Spurs from taking the lead.
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Poor: Messi managed just a single shot all game and was largely ineffective.
Spurs were dominating, controlling the ball and keeping Barca on the back foot. A great break away from Bernard saw him dart into the box, only to be brought down clumsily by Yann M'Villa. Jackson Martínez coolly slotted the penalty into the bottom corner. Spurs now had 20 minutes to find an equalizer to take the game to extra time.
With just 5 minutes remaining, Eriksen robbed Mascherano before playing an exquisite through ball over the top, which Martínez latched onto, rolling the ball into the bottom corner from 10 yards out. Game on.
Despite throwing everything at Barcelona, Spurs just couldn't get that third goal. Jackson Martínez thought that he deserved a penalty just minutes into extra time after a tangle with Jordi Alba, but his protests were waved away.
After just 2 minutes of the second half of extra time, Chadli again ceased on a mistake from Mascherano, stealing the ball first time and smashing it into the net from 18 yards out, leaving Muslera helpless and leaving the score at 3-1.
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Eriksen (left) and Walker (Right) were singled out by fans for their great performances
Spurs had to hold on for just 13 minutes to see out the win, with Caulker being bought on to replace Christian Eriksen, who left the pitch to a standing ovation from the home crowd.
Spurs were defending well, and despite Barcelonas dominance, they couldn't create the clear cut chance needed.
A 45 yard sprint from Chadli opened up the field, with Barcelona players struggling to get back. A back pass to Walker and clever movement from Bernard saw him free through on goal, before scoring from an acute angle in the 188th minute. Spurs had secured their position in the final of the Champions League.
Villas-Boas expressed his delight after the match, singling out Eriksen for special praise. The Danish playmaker grabbed an assist, but proved pivotal to Tottenham's win.
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He was great today. He was all over the pitch, defensively he made some superb challenges, offensively he was sublime. He set up Martínez with a great pass, and could've had a few more assists too."
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Heat Map: Eriksen covered a distance of 15.6km
Villas Boas praise for Man of the Match winner, Eriksen was certainly no exaggeration. The Dane international made 100 passes, with a 79% completion rate. He made a total of 3 key passes, one of which set up Jackson Martínez for his second of the night. He also went on to complete 4 out 4 of tackles, make 4 inceptions and draw 14 fouls from Barcelona. On top of that, he managed to cover 15.6kms worth of ground, and finished the match with a rating of 9.0
As a team, Spurs simply outclassed Barcelona in every category. Tottenham had a total of 35 shots, 17 of which were on target - compared to Barcelonas 4 and 3 respectivley. Spurs also managed to dominate possession, with 55%. Spurs attempted 646 passes with a 79% pass completion rate, compared to Barcelona's 636 passes, with a completion rate of just 73%.
Poor: Messi managed just a single shot all game and was largely ineffective.
Heat Map: Eriksen covered a distance of 15.6km