Tottenham Hotspur fell to 2-0 defeat to Manchester City despite a good display in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.
Spurs were taking on Pep Guardiola's in-form side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in the knowledge that two wins from their two remaining fixtures would force Aston Villa to have to win their final game at in-form Crystal Palace in order to stop Postecoglou's team from finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League,
There was also another side to matters as while a City win would take the visitors one step closer to lifting the Premier League trophy for a fourth consecutive year, a Spurs triumph or draw would hand the initiative to their north London rivals Arsenal on the final day.
Postecoglou was without Yves Bissouma for the final two games of the campaign with a knee injury, while Richarlison's calf problem meant his season is also over. The Australian brought in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur as well as Radu Dragusin with Pape Matar Sarr playing as a false nine of sorts.
The hosts played well for much of the first hour of the game but found themselves behind when Kevin De Bruyne fired a low ball across the six-yard box for Erling Haaland to tap home.
Tottenham had further chances, including a big one when Son Heung-min ran clear, but it was City who doubled their lead when Pedro Porro brought down Jeremy Doku in the Spurs box and Haaland buried the resulting penalty.
READ MORE: Postecoglou makes it clear what Tottenham need in transfer windows to challenge Manchester City
READ MORE: What Micky van de Ven told James Maddison just before he scored and why Vicario jumped on Romero
Here are our Tottenham players ratings from the match:
Guglielmo Vicario
Made a great point blank save from Foden's volley after a Hojbjerg slice. Then made a flying save to deny De Bruyne but couldn't do much about Haaland's close range finish. The Norwegian then sent him the wrong way with his spot kick. 7
Pedro Porro
A busy night down his flank but ended it with a trip on Doku that brought the penalty and second City goal. 6
Cristian Romero
Played well for much of the game but did clatter a pass against Foden which led to the City goal early in the second half. 7
Radu Dragusin
Made an excellent tackle on Haaland 18 minutes in after chasing back and then another big header from a Silva shot, although the Spaniard was later flagged offside. The Romanian still celebrated the excellent moment like a goal as did Vicario. Continued to do well for much of the encounter and he's going to get plenty of game time next season. This was a very good display against top opposition. 8
Micky van de Ven
Played at left-back and it didn't really get the best out of him. He also looked tired within half an hour, waving away one attempted pass to him. 6
Rodrigo Bentancur
Almost opened the scoring with an effort from just outside of the City box after a flowing move. One of his best performances of the season but picked up a yellow card that prevented him challenging Foden in the build-up to the City goal. Came off soon after and took out his frustrations on his dugout seat. 8
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Sliced a clearance straight to Foden for a big chance in the first half. Worked hard but gifted City with another chance in the second half from a loose pass. 5
James Maddison
Another performance that showed he's back on the right track after a difficult couple of months with plenty of movement and good use of the ball. 7
Brennan Johnson
Had a shot blocked in the City box after a good Spurs move. Not his most effective game but he did press well and did so for the move that led to Son having a big chance. 6
Pape Matar Sarr
A busy role as the false nine and he worked hard in a dual role before coming off. 7
Son Heung-min
Covered plenty of ground and had a huge chance to grab an equaliser on 85 minutes as he ran clear but hit his low shot at Ortega. 6
Subs
Dejan Kulusevski
Came on and caused plenty of problems for City, almost forcing a shot through Ortega's legs. 7
Giovani Lo Celso
Came on for the final 10 minutes to add some legs in the midfield. N/A
Oliver Skipp
Also added energy in the middle of the park. N/A
Mikey Moore
What a moment for the 16-year-old, making his Premier League debut for the 10 minutes of added time. Hopefully the first of many. N/A
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