Tottenham became the latest club to be stunned at home to Ajax in the Champions League, suffering a damaging 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their semi-final.
Spurs have it all to do in Amsterdam next Wednesday after Donny Van de Beek grabbed a crucial away goal for the fearless visitors without reply.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men could’ve had a mountain to climb following a disastrous first-half during which they barely saw the ball.
And while they steadied the ship after the break, the hosts failed to seriously test Andre Onana – and the absence of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane was notable.
But the best chance of the second-half fell to Ajax’s David Neres, who came inches from doubling the lead when he hit the post late on, and that might prove a crucial moment ahead of Son’s return for the second leg.
Questions will be asked of Spurs’ medical team after they allowed Jan Vertonghen to return to the field after a nasty head injury.
The Belgium defender was given the all-clear by the doctors but was barely able to walk moments later and was escorted off.
Erik Ten Hag’s side showed glimpses of exactly why they have beaten Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the last four as they cut Spurs open in the opening 20 minutes.
Spurs had home advantage and a vociferous support, with the acoustics of their fine new stadium fuelling a brilliant atmosphere, but that soon passed as Ajax assumed total control.
The hosts had hardly had a kick by the time they were sliced open by a brilliant passing move in the 15th minute.
It involved Lasse Schone and Hakim Ziyech, who slipped in Van De Beek and he had an age to pick his spot low past Hugo Lloris.
The goal survived a VAR check for offside and it was almost two eight minutes later but another picturebook move, which saw Dusan Tadic play Van De Beek in, was thwarted by the legs of Lloris.
Spurs’ evening took another turn for the worse after Vertonghen suffered a head injury which left him bloodied and dazed and he could barely walk down the tunnel after a brave attempt to play on was short-lived.
That injury forced the early introduction of Sissoko and that gave Spurs an extra dimension as they showed Ajax could be got at with a direct approach.
Lucas Moura caused panic with a surging run into penalty area while Toby Alderweireld headed a good chance over.
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They carried on that momentum after the restart as Dele Alli, totally anonymous in the first half, had a shot blocked then fired an instinctive first-time volley straight at Onana before heading another opportunity over.
The game had completely changed as Ajax had begun to struggle to cope with Tottenham’s physicality, but the home side just lacked that quality at the vital moment, making the questions Pochettino and Lucas had to field before the game about who was going to score entirely pertinent.
For all their bluster, Spurs were unable to force Onana into a serious save and in the end it was the woodwork that kept them in the tie.
A quick counter saw Ajax work the ball across goal to Neres, but his side-footed shot hit the far post and Spurs survived.
There was one last push to find a leveller but it never looked like coming, meaning they have work to do in Amsterdam next Wednesday.
Loris Karius’ partner was furious after she had the word ‘LOSER’ spray painted onto her car by vandals.
Sophia Thomalla, a German actress, presenter and model had her car targeted after the goalkeeper – on loan from Liverpool – said he was keen to remain with Besiktas.
Thomalla, 29, sarcastically captioned the snap on her Instagram; “na klasse” – which translates to ‘no class’.
Liverpool signed Alisson from Roma in a £68m deal to replace Karius as no.1 and the German was sent to the Turkish Super Lig outfit in August, a couple of months after his poor display in the 2018 Champions League final.
Speaking after Besiktas’ 2-1 loss to Trabzonspor, the 25-year-old revealed he does not believe he will return to the Premier League.
“This is a team game. I must not forget this, I am disappointed,” he said.
“Maybe we could have got a point. We have another game [before the end of the season] and a game to win.
“Then we will continue our preparations. I think that if all parties are happy and satisfied, I will continue. My contract with Besiktas continues.”
Recently, however, Karius’ form has improved after a series of costly errors and Besiktas are no longer against the keeper staying for the 2019/20 season.
On Sunday, Karius wrote a lengthy post on his own Instagram, thanking the ‘wonderful’ Besiktas family.
Jadon Sancho has been one of the breakthrough youngsters across Europe’s big five leagues in 2018/19.
The 19-year-old has been lighting it up for Borussia Dortmund – scoring nine and providing 14 assists for the Budesliga giants in all competitions this season.
Sancho’s form also earned him his first senior call-up to the England squad earlier this campaign.
The winger made a brave decision to turn his back on Premier League giants Manchester City and start a new life abroad in August 2017 – a decision which appears to have turned out for the best.
His success has made him something of a pioneer for young English players struggling for first team opportunities to try their hand in Germany – with Callum Hudson-Odoi having been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich.
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And to show their huge appreciation for Sancho, Dortmund sent out a hilarious Lion King inspired tweet liking him to the main character Simba.
The caption read: “Look Jadon. Everything the light touches is your kingdom” alongside three lion emojis to no doubt symbolise the fact he’s an England international.
It was a funny tweet which also features Dortmund’s home ground in the background, though their recent form has been no laughing matter at the Westfalenstadion.
BVB are no longer control of the Bundesliga’s title race after being humbled by rivals Bayern 5-0 at the weekend.
The Bavarians are now top of the table by one point, despite the fact Dortmund had a six-point lead going into the winter break.
Sancho’s side are out of the DFB Pokal (German Cup) and were well-beaten by Tottenham in the last-16 of the Champions League, losing 4-0 on aggregate.
Manchester United have told Paul Pogba he can LEAVE Old Trafford as long as Real Madrid cough up £130million, according to reports.
Super agent Mino Raiola is trying to orchestrate a multi-million pound move away for his client, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer already on the hunt for replacements.
Before the Norwegian replaced Jose Mourinho towards the end of 2018, it is understood the 26-year-old was planning a move away after a falling out with the Portuguese.
But, since Solskjaer took charge, Pogba has been in sparkling form for the Red Devils and seemed ready to commit his long-term future to the club.
Rumours of the relationship between the pair deteriorating began to gather pace, with Pogba on record saying it would be a ‘dream’ to play for Real Madrid.
And it seems his current club are ready to grant his wish and cut their losses on the World Cup winner.
According to Marca, Raiola has been told he can agree a move to the Bernabeu this summer, but only if Los Blancos fork out £130million.
When United brought the midfielder back to the Premier League from Juventus in 2016, it cost Mourinho a world record £89million.
With the extra £30million from Madrid, Solskjaer would look to fill the void instantly and has already reportedly begun to eye up potential replacements.
Scouts watched Sporting Lisbon ace Bruno Fernandes score his 28th goal of the season on Saturday.
And the club have reportedly enquired about Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who almost moved to Old Trafford in an £80million deal last summer.
And United chiefs are reportedly considering offering Christian Eriksen three times as much money to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.
David De Gea and his team of representatives remain locked in negotiations with Manchester United over a potential new contract.
In summer 2020, the Spain international will officially be a free agent – a scenario Old Trafford chiefs are keen to avoid.
The Red Devils want to pay De Gea £350,000-a-week to keep him in the Premier League which is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms.
According to the Daily Mirror, the 28-year-old is holding out for closer to £500,000-a-week and that is holding up the negotiation process.
Were it not for a faulty fax machine, the shot-stopper may well have joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2015 and Los Blancos have retained an interest.
Former Chelsea star Thibaut Courtois moved to the Bernabeu in the summer, but has failed to justify his £35million fee.
New boss Zinedine Zidane always had complete faith in Keylor Navas during his first spell as Madrid manager and dropped the Belgium keeper for the win over Celta Vigo.
With the Frenchman looking to deliver a complete overhaul of his squad to re-establish Real as the strongest side in Europe, United will have to move quickly to keep their prized asset.
Harry Kane is happy at Tottenham, as long as the club continue to compete at the top of the table.
Since becoming a regular in the first team in 2014, the striker has developed into one of the world’s best, with Manchester United and Real Madrid previously linked with him.
He has top scored for the club in each of the past four seasons and signed a new contract last summer.
“I’ve always said as long as the club is moving in the right direction and showing the right ambition, I want to be part of the journey,” Kane told ESPN.
Tottenham, under manager Mauricio Pochettino, are currently third in the Premier League and into the Champions League quarter-finals. They’ve also achieved top three finishes for the last three seasons and not spent any money in the previous two transfer windows, while they move into their new stadium next month.
The club have not won a trophy since their 2008 League Cup triumph over Chelsea, however, while the wait for a league title stretches back 58 years.
“People forget that, not too long ago, we were nowhere near this level,” he added.
“We’ve got as many points as we’ve ever had, I think, at this stage of the season.
“We’ve done so much in a short space of time.
“Of course we want to go on to the next level and win the Premier League, and win trophies,” he said. “But to consistently outperform these teams that have always been above us, it shows that we’re in a good place.”
Pochettino’s side has won admirers for the style of play, but many in the game, including Jose Mourinho, will point to the fact that sooner or later, trophies are what counts.
“A lot of people look at it and say this is maybe the best team we’ve had, maybe the best team we’ll ever have, and the best manager, but it’s important that we have something to show for it,” the 25-year-old, who has scored 125 goals in 179 Premier League games and won two Golden Boots, acknowledges.
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“It’s not just, when we look back in 10 years, we had a great team.
“It’s, ‘Look what they did. Look what they won.’ The challenge for us is, can we keep going up and up and up?
“It’s going to be difficult in the next couple of years with the stadium and the finances.”
The Premier League season comes to and today.
All 20 teams are in action on Sunday, with every game kicking off at 3pm as the title race and battle for a top four finish are decided.
Manchester City and Liverpool have taken the fight for silverware down to the wire, with Pep Guardiola’s side one point ahead of their title rivals heading into the final day.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are hoping they can do the unlikely and overtake Tottenham to guarantee Champions League qualification.
talkSPORT.com explain all the permutations for the Premier League final day, below…
Brighton vs Manchester City
Burnley vs Arsenal
Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth
Fulham vs Newcastle
Leicester vs Chelsea
Liverpool vs Wolves
Manchester United vs Cardiff
Southampton vs Huddersfield
Tottenham vs Everton
Watford vs West Ham
*All matches kick-off at 3pm on Sunday, May 12
If Man City beat Brighton by any scoreline, they will retain the Premier League trophy as they are already one point ahead of Liverpool.
A draw for City will be fine as long as Liverpool lose or draw their match against Wolves, while if City are beaten by Brighton they must rely on Wolves to defeat Liverpool to become champions.
Any defeat for Liverpool means they cannot claim the Premier League crown.
A draw against Wolves would win Liverpool the title if Man City lose to Brighton by at least four clear goals.
Winning against Brighton would move Liverpool onto 97 points. They will win the title if City draw or lose their match on the south coast.
Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea are all guaranteed to finish in the top four, with Arsenal and Tottenham battling it out to claim the final spot.
Tottenham will finish in the top four if they win or draw against Everton regardless of Arsenal’s result.
The Gunners can only overtake Spurs if they beat Burnley and Tottenham lose to Everton, and there is an eight-goal swing. If this happens, Arsenal will finish ahead of Spurs on goal difference.
Whichever one of Arsenal or Spurs fails to finish in the top four will instead qualify for the Europa League.
They will be joined by Manchester United, who are guaranteed to finish inside the top six.
Wolves have secured seventh place in the Premier League so could also qualify for the Europa League, though only if Manchester City beat Watford in next week’s FA Cup final.
If the Hornets claim silverware at the Wembley showpiece, however, they will qualify for Europe instead of Wolves.
The relegation fight has already been determined heading into the final day, with Huddersfield, Fulham and Cardiff failing to secure top flight survival. The latter two drop back down to the Championship after just a single season in the Premier League.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah leads the way ahead of the final day. He is on 22 goals, two ahead of his nearest challengers – teammate Sadio Mane, Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Jamie Vardy is four goals back on 18 strikes for the season.
Matchday Live on talkSPORT takes you around all the Premier League grounds on Sunday’s final day, keeping you up to date with the title race and the battle for top four.
However, you can also tune into talkSPORT 2 to hear full commentary of Tottenham vs Everton, as Spurs look to guarantee Champions League qualification.
