When everything changed, there were suddenly seven, eight, maybe even nine Ajax players flat out on the pitch, their faces buried into the turf, not wanting to see any more. Somehow, Spurs had done it and in those moments we were reminded, once again, about the glories of this sport, about how brutal football can be and how, every once in a while, there is a story that can make your bones vibrate. We have had two of them in quick succession bearing in mind Liverpool’s destruction of Barcelona the previous night. It will be an all-Premier League final in Madrid on 1 June and when Lucas Moura completed his hat-trick, five minutes into stoppage time, it was one of those rare occasions for every single member of the Spurs travelling party when it must have felt like the blood in their veins had been converted into the finest of red wine. Suddenly, there were players, coaches, substitutes and various members of backroom staff running across the pitch in jagged diagonal lines to join in the scrum beneath the away end. As etiquette goes, it was reminiscent of America’s Ryder Cup players trampling over the 17th green at Brookline in 1999. Yet, amid all the euphoria, perhaps the boys from White Hart Lane, as most of us would still rather call it, could be forgiven for overlooking that the game was still not, strictly speaking, over. There was still a minute to play before everything was confirmed and the Spurs fans in that far corner could start trying to make sense of a baffling, beautiful victory, having seen their team come back from 2-0 down on the night and 3-0 on aggregate. Or, to put it another way, a place where there no longer seemed to be any lingering hope. Mauricio Pochettino leads the post-match celebrations. Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images Until the ball came the way of Moura in stoppage time, it was shaping up to be a night of grievous disappointment for Mauricio Pochettino and his players. They had clawed their way back to 2-2 but Ajax were still ahead on aggregate and, with the clock ticking down, it had seemed as though the team wearing the Premier League’s badge would leave Amsterdam with so many what-ifs. What if Jan Vertonghen’s 87th-minute header had gone in rather than thudding off the crossbar? What if they had started better rather than letting Ajax build that first-half lead? What if Harry Kane had been fit, rather than watching the game in a coat, when the team needed one more goal to change everything? But then the clock ticked into the 96th minute and suddenly the ball was on Moura’s left foot. Again, Dele Alli, who chose an ideal night to rediscover his best form, had set him up. It was their final chance of an epic, lyrical night. And the ball was with the right player. All night, Moura had given the impression he was utterly determined nobody would end up blaming it all on Kane’s absence. Moura had already scored twice for Spurs in the second half and those goals, in the 55th and 59th minutes, changed the complexion of the evening. It was a brilliantly gutsy recovery and when Spurs needed a bit of luck they got that, too, in the form of Hakim Ziyech’s shot ricocheting off the post. 02:51 Mauricio Pochettino credits Spurs 'superheroes' for Champions League triumph over Ajax – video Pochettino had brought on Fernando Llorente to replace Victor Wanyama at the interval. Spurs had gambled and, for the first time, they started to pin back their opponents. Ajax were sitting on their lead and it was a mistake. It encouraged Spurs to pour forward. Moura put in his first goal, running through the middle to drill in a left-foot shot, and suddenly their hopes were invigorated. Quick Guide Tottenham v Liverpool: the Champions League final Show The venue: Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid (Saturday 1 June, 8pm) A new venue for the Champions League showpiece and it hosts the first final since 2015 not to feature at least one Madrid team. Atlético spent around £200m overhauling the 20,000 capacity Estadio La Peineta in the Las Rojas neighbourhood before moving in September 2017. It will hold 63,500 for the final, with 17,000 tickets allocated to each club. Demolition of Atlético’s former home, the Vicente Calderón stadium, began in February. This season's meetings Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool (15 Sept, Wembley) Liverpool made it five wins out of five at the start of the season with a deserved victory. Goals came from Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino either side of the break before Erik Lamela’s consolation in stoppage time. Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham (31 March, Anfield) Last-gasp drama as the match headed for a draw: Toby Alderweireld prodded the ball into his own net to hand Liverpool a vital three points after Lucas Moura’s second-half effort had cancelled out Firmino’s early strike. The history It will be the second all-English final after Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow 11 years ago. Liverpool have won the European Cup five times: 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and most recently under Rafael Benítez in 2005. A sixth win would lift them to third behind Real Madrid (13 wins) and Milan (seven). Tottenham have reached their first European Cup final in their fifth campaign. They won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963 and Uefa Cup in 1972 and 1984. Routes to the final Tottenham Group B Inter (a) L 2-1, Barcelona (h) L 2-4, PSV (a) D 2-2, PSV (h) W2-1, Inter (h) W 1-0, Barcelona (a) D 1-1 Qualified: Barcelona 14pts, Tottenham 8pts Last 16 Borussia Dortmund (h) W3-0, (a) D1-1 Quarter-final Man City (h) W 1-0, (a) L 4-3 Semi-final Ajax (h) L 0-1, (a) W 3-2 Liverpool Group C PSG (h) W 3-2, Napoli (a) L 1-0, Red Star (h) W 4-0, Red Star (a) L 2-0, PSG (a) L 2-1, Napoli (h) W 1-0 Qualified: PSG 9pts, Liverpool 9pts Last 16 Bayern Munich (h) D 0-0, (a) W 1-3 Quarter-final Porto (h) W 2-0, (a) W 1-4 Semi-final Barcelona (a) L 3-0, (h) W 4-0 Compiled by Benjy Nurick Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images Europe Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. The next one came four minutes later after André Onana, Ajax’s goalkeeper, had kept out Llorente’s effort from point-blank range. Moura was quickly on to the loose ball, eluding a couple of challenges, despite the close proximity of several defenders, and somehow finding a gap in which to fire the ball through a heavily congested six-yard area. More hope, again. All of which felt markedly different to a first half in which Matthijs de Ligt headed in a corner after only four minutes and Ziyech lashed in a diagonal left-foot shot to make it 2-0 and leave Spurs contemplating an ordeal in the making. Time and again, the question has been asked about whether this team can go up to the next level. The evidence of that opening half suggested they had come up short again. Hakim Ziyech lashes in Ajax’s second to leave Tottenham needing a miracle. Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/REX/Shutterstock In those moments Ajax’s most boisterous supporters behind Onana’s goal, standing bare-chested behind their drums and their ‘F-Side‘ banners, could have been forgiven for wondering whether the strategically placed flags beneath the roof of the stadium, showing all the club’s trophies in order, year by year, might be getting a new addition. David Neres had been injured during the warm-up, meaning a shift in personnel for Ajax in which Dusan Tadic took over on the left, Kasper Dolberg was promoted from the bench to lead the attack and Ziyech switched to the right. Tadic, in particular, was a dangerous opponent and Kieran Trippier had a hard time restraining him during that opening 45 minutes, in keeping with what has been a difficult season for one of the key players in England’s World Cup adventures. Spurs had to improve and in fairness to Trippier, who had lost De Ligt for the first goal, he managed to shake the opening half out of his system. They all did.<doc-sep>Alan Sugar trolled Arsenal supporters and old foe Piers Morgan on talkSPORT after Tottenham’s miraculous Champions League comeback against Ajax. The former Spurs chairman was on a wind-up mission on Thursday’s Sports Breakfast as he revelled in the club’s progression to the final in Madrid, while the Gunners gear up for their Europa League semi-final. 3 Tottenham players celebrate their Champions League semi-final victory over Ajax Arsenal fans around the world would have tuned into the game hoping to see their arch rivals dumped out by the Dutch giants and their hopes of European glory shattered. They would have been delighted to see Ajax go two goals up in Amsterdam… but their delight soon turned to horror as Lucas Moura’s second-half hat-trick sent the north London side through on away goals. And Lord Sugar couldn’t help but rub the salt in the Gooners’ wounds, and especially nemesis Morgan. @PiersMorgan on Twitter 3 Piers Morgan’s Twitter made amusing reading for Tottenham fans on Wednesday night “He’s going to have to pay up, isn’t he,” said Sugar, who revealed he bet Morgan £10k that Spurs would win the title, with the proceeds going to charity. “We’re in the Champions League final and tonight they are playing in the other thing [Europa League]. “It could end up that we’ve got two English teams in the Champions League and two English teams in the other thing – what’s it called?” getty 3 Harry Kane celebrates Tottenham’s Champions League heroics When he was reminded that Tottenham’s biggest European achievements to date are their UEFA Cup wins in 1972 and 1984, Lord Sugar added: “That’s true, that’s true. “I suppose I’m getting a bit blasé that we’re in the Champions League and Morgan and the Arsenal fans have to watch Thursday night football. “Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m not trying to rub it in, but they’re below us the league at the moment aren’t they?” We are off to Madrid June1st unbelivable to bring back the CL throphy @SpursOfficial eat your heat out @piersmorgan I will bring you back some Castinets — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) May 8, 2019 Listen to Lord Alan Sugar on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast IN FULL above!<doc-sep>While Liverpool and Tottenham fans have been rejoicing at their teams' remarkable progress to the Champions League final, spare a thought for England manager Gareth Southgate. Hoping to lead England to their first major tournament win since 1966, Southgate will have to adjust his preparation plans for next month's Nations League finals, with up to 10 players now set for a delayed arrival to the squad. The Three Lions play their semi-final against Holland on Thursday June 6, just five days after Liverpool and Tottenham go head-to-head in Madrid for the Champions League final on Saturday June 1. On Tuesday Liverpool's emotional Anfield victory over Barcelona ensured Southgate could expect delayed arrivals from the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. That was the compounded 24 hours later as Tottenham, a squad packed full of English players, pulled off another remarkable comeback against Ajax. Danny Rose, Kieran Tripper, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Harry Winks will all be hoping to feature in the Spanish capital as Spurs bid for Champions League glory.<doc-sep>
A tearful Mauricio Pochettino hailed his players as "superheroes" after they fired Tottenham into the Champions League final against all the odds. The Spurs manager insists all the congratulations must go to them because "they own the football", following Lucas Moura's dramatic second-half hat-trick that knocked out Ajax and booked a showdown in Madrid against Liverpool one June 1. After Pochettino spent more than 20 minutes on the field with his squad celebrating with the travelling Spurs fans, he told the media: "This is one of the most important nights of my life - it is difficult to describe my feelings. "I said before my players were heroes - now they are superheroes. The most important thing I want to say is congratulations to them - they own the football. They delivered the job. "To go to the final is close to a miracle. Nobody believed in us in the beginning of the season. But we fully deserve to win tonight and be there." Image: Pochettino with Hugo Lloris after the stunning comeback Spurs looked down and out at half-time in Amsterdam after goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech made it 3-0 to Ajax on aggregate, but Lucas and his team-mates refused to cave in and produced a comeback to rival Liverpool's miracle at Anfield against Barcelona. "Everything in the second half was amazing," Pochettino said. "The first half was so cruel, how we went down. We did not deserve this because we made many chances. "But at half-time we made some changes and started to play and always believed, and never gave up. "We have been so tough on the players in our five years here, to deliver their best. And tonight I learned so much from them. They are the best teachers. I am so grateful to them. 1:19 Jamie O’Hara says Tottenham’s dramatic second-half comeback against Ajax has made this season’s Champions League the best ever "All the effort we have made in the last five years, it is today when you have the satisfaction and realise it was all worth it. "Its been an amazing season in our new home and now to close this chapter with the final and the chance to win it can be amazing too." Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Pochettino could not keep back his tears, as he had on the pitch after full-time, and thanked football for giving him this moment. "It's still difficult to talk, the emotion is amazing," he said. "Thank you football, thank you these guys, these players are my heroes. I told you in the last year, I told everyone that we have a group of players who are heroes. They showed today. The second half was amazing. "Thank you. Thank you football. Thank you to our fans. Thank you to the people who believed and helped us achieve this amazing moment. It's difficult to describe. Image: Spurs were 3-0 down in the tie going into the second half of the second leg "The game against Man City [quarter-final] and today, it's amazing. I am so grateful to be a coach. To have a chance to play in this final is amazing. For my family. It's amazing to award them." "Thank you, football. Those were the words of Mauricio Pochettino afterwards and everyone understood. After Liverpool turned around a three-goal deficit in 90 minutes to win their semi-final against Barcelona on Tuesday, Tottenham pulled off the feat in 45 manic minutes to leave Ajax heartbroken in Amsterdam. Spurs are in the Champions League final." Tottenham's outrageous comeback in Amsterdam was a fitting reward for Mauricio Pochettino's five-year project, writes Adam Bate. We rate the performances of the players in Amsterdam as Tottenham stunned Ajax in a thrilling game to reach the Champions League final. For the third night in a row, the footballing world were marvelling on social media at what they had witnessed. There was a mix of shock and joy across social media, and we rounded up the best of it... Yesterday, it was a Barcelona vs Ajax final. 🤷🏼‍♂️ That’s why football is the best sport on the planet, bar none... — Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) May 8, 2019 A day after Liverpool's stunning turnaround against Barcelona, Spurs pulled off an incredible comeback of their own. Where do they rank? It's fair to say Pochettino enjoyed Wednesday night... the best photographs from Tottenham's incredible comeback against Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena. When is the Champions League final?