How Tottenham can qualify for Champions League after Aston Villa draw with Liverpool

Tottenham have learned what they must do against Manchester City on Tuesday night to keep their Champions League dreams alive. Ange Postecoglou's side are currently fifth in the Premier League table but are running out of time to finish in the top four.

After defeating Burnley on Saturday, Spurs sit five points behind Aston Villa with two games remaining. They welcome Man City to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in midweek before they end the season at relegated Sheffield United.

On Monday, Aston Villa failed to confirm their place in next season's Champions League. Victory for Unai Emery's team against Liverpool would have finalised their spot in fourth but they were held to a 3-3 draw.

Jhon Duran scored twice in the final five minutes at Villa Park to strengthen their hopes of returning to the pinnacle of European football. They are now five points ahead of Tottenham with their fate in their own hands.

For Tottenham, they are now faced with a tough task to qualify for the Champions League. Postecoglou's side must win their final two games and hope Crystal Palace beat Villa on the final day if they don't overturn a goal difference of eight.

When Man City come to town on Tuesday, Spurs must defeat them to keep their hopes alive. Victory over Pep Guardiola's side will keep their hopes running to the final day but will give Arsenal a huge opportunity to win the Premier League.

READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou confirms new Tottenham injury blow in double update before Man City

READ MORE: Tottenham stars' thoughts on helping Arsenal clear ahead of crunch Man City clash

Sections of the Spurs fan base have claimed they'd rather lose to City than see their north London rivals become champions of England. However, Postecoglou is having none of it.

Asked about the supporters who have decided they want Spurs to lose, Postecoglou replied: "A proportion of our fans? What does that mean? What proportion? Really? 50%? 20%? 1%? You don’t know, OK. So let’s answer a question we don’t know the answer to. Yeah, that’s fine. People are allowed to feel the way they do.

"I think I have been really consistent and I think really strong in my beliefs that it is important for this football club to get to where to want to, to a) not look for some silver bullet that is going to get us to where we want.

"It is hard work, it is perseverance, it is resilience, it is quality that will get us where we want. Not to fall for any sort of false dawns or short-term result reactions. Stick to the course.

"Thirdly, know what real success looks like. Real success looks like trophies. Anything else in between, bragging rights, whatever it is, it is absolutely meaningless to me, to anyone involved with me. We have a game tomorrow we want to win."