It was a good night for the English clubs in the Champions League on Tuesday. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City overcame difficult evenings to get the desired result in order to progress through to the next round of the competition.
Spurs made tougher work of their challenge, while Manchester City were able to settle for a point against a competitive Shakhtar Donetsk.
Tottenham Hotspur Struggle
Jose Mourinho would have been hoping for a better performance in his second game at the helm of the north London side after Tottenham went 2-0 down within 20 minutes against Olympiacos.
It took just six minutes for the Spurs resolve to be broken as Youssef El-Arabi put the visiting side ahead. The Greek side looked to be on course for their first win in the competition this season when Ruben Semedo wondered unmarked into the penalty area to put the away side two ahead.
However, Mourinho made a big change in reaction to this and hooked of Eric Dier in place of Christian Eriksen. The change altered the course of the game, and Dele Ali pounced on a defensive mistake to pull a goal back before the break.
Within five minutes of the restart, Spurs were level as Harry Kane netted his first of the game. Serge Aurier then fired the home side ahead with a blistering strike into the top left-hand corner, before Kane made sure of the win 13 minutes from time.
The Englishman’s goal ensured that he broke a long-standing Champions League record. He is the quickest player to reach 20 goals in the competition’s history as he beat the previous record set by Alessandro Del Piero by four games.
Citizens Cruise Into Next Round
Manchester City looked to make it two wins from two following their defeat against Liverpool before the international break when Shakhtar Donetsk came to town.
However, the Citizens didn’t look convincing at the Etihad and should have gone behind in the first half after a mistake by Ederson. Unfortunately, the travelling side couldn’t take the chance, and they were forced to regret that when Ilkay Gundogen put the home side ahead after the restart.
Donetsk weren’t about to lie down and surrounder, however, and found themselves level with 20 minutes remaining when Manor Solomon equalised.
The point could be invaluable for the visitors as they look to take the final qualifying spot in the group. However, their fate will be decided on the final matchday with their destiny in their own hands.
Manchester City qualified for the next round with a game to spare by virtue of the point. Not just that be the top spot was also solidified with the draw at the Etihad.
There was more good news for City on Wednesday as it was announced that the City Football Group had brought a stake in the club to take their value to nearly $5 billion. That valuation dwarfs their Manchester rivals United and ensures that it has been a very good week for the club both on and off the field.
