Pep Guardiola Says Manchester City Exit in UCL 'Hurts,' Still Supports VAR

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said the UEFA Champions League exit his team suffered at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur still "hurts" on the eve of the third meeting between the two sides in 10 days.

City were knocked out of Europe on Wednesday in dramatic fashion, as they saw what would have been a winning goal ruled out in stoppage time after a VAR review. 

Guardiola's team were 4-3 winners on the night, but a 1-0 victory for Tottenham in the first leg meant they progressed into the semi-finals on away goals. After their Champions League double-header, they will face off in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

Speaking ahead of the game, Guardiola said Wednesday's result stings but made it clear he is still an advocate of technology being used in these circumstances, per the Manchester Evening News:

"You know my opinion on VAR. Nothing changed. It hurts what happened, it was tough. The ref can make a mistake. VAR can take time and longer to see the images and different angles, if we make mistakes in VAR I don't agree make a lot of minutes to make the right decision. If the goal for Raheem is offside and Tottenham go out that is not nice on them.

"That's why I support it a lot because it's fair. Other managers don't agree with the VAR, maybe they are."

The climax of the game between the two Premier League sides on Wednesday was extraordinary, as the Etihad Stadium went from ecstasy to agony in a two-minute period (U.S. only):

Here is the moment Guardiola realised the goal had been chalked off (UK only):

Earlier on in the game, Fernando Llorente's header was also subject to a VAR review, as the officials checked to see whether the ball had struck him on the hand (U.S. only):

City were outstanding in an attacking sense in the game, with Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva too good for Spurs to handle for long spells. However, they were undone by poor play at the back and clinical finishing from Tottenham.

It's not the first time Guardiola has watched his side falter in such circumstances in the Champions League, as Miguel Delaney of The Independent noted:

Rory Smith of the New York Times thinks the manner of the elimination will inspire City in the upcoming game:

While City can no longer win the quadruple, they are still involved in a fierce battle for the Premier League title with Liverpool. They need to beat Spurs on Saturday in order to move back to the top of the table and apply pressure to the Reds ahead of their trip to face Cardiff City on Sunday.

For City, a domestic treble would still be an incredible achievement, and they are six wins away from making that a reality. If they can pick up three points against Tottenham on Saturday, that will be one of the biggest hurdles they have remaining overcome.