Jose Mourinho says the match officials “got it right” in crucial moments as they consulted the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in Manchester City’s dramatic Champions League exit at the hands of Tottenham on Wednesday night.
Speaking to RT in his role as a pundit, Mourinho discussed the drama surrounding City’s defeat to Spurs on away goals, after the Premier League rivals’ quarter-final meeting ended 4-4 on aggregate following a seven-goal thriller the Etihad Stadium.
READ MORE: Spurs knock out Man City on away goals after seven-goal Champions League thriller
Two crucial VAR moments in the game came in the second half, first when Spurs’ Fernando Llorente leveled the tie on aggregate when he bundled the ball home from a corner with a strong suspicion of handball.
After checking with VAR, Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir allowed the goal to stand.
Pep Guardiola’s City thought they had won the tie in injury time when Raheem Sterling had the ball in the net, only for VAR to adjudge that Sergio Aguero had been offside in the build-up.
“Two inches offside, no referee, no linesman in the history of football would disallow that goal in these circumstances, only the VAR,” Mourinho said.
“I think they got it right,” he added.
You can watch the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United boss give his take on all this week’s Champions League drama when the full episode of ‘On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho’ airs on RT later on Thursday.