[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur produced a stunning performance to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League following a 4-3 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

Going into the clash with a slender advantage and without Harry Winks, Eric Dier and Harry Kane, Mauricio Pochettino's men looked to be up against it.

Five goals in 21 minutes followed, but an injury to Moussa Sissoko in the first half was a huge blow considering Spurs had no other central midfield options available to them on the substitutes' bench.

Pochettino took a risk and threw Fernando Llorente on to play as a centre-forward and at that point – as well as before the match – surely no Tottenham fan would have predicted that the Spaniard would be the hero against Pep Guardiola's men.

That is exactly how things panned out as he bundled home the decisive goal on the night, and the image below of him celebrating wildly with his manager post-match is quite the sight to behold.

It is surely a career highlight for the 34-year-old when it comes to his time with the north London outfit – he has generally been a big disappointment who has struggled to make an impact whenever Harry Kane's absence.

As shown last night Pochettino would generally prefer to play Lucas Moura or Son Heung-Min up top instead of the tall former Swansea man, so for him to be the hero was almost unthinkable.

The most pleasant of surprises.