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Crouch winner gives Tottenham chance of $75M Champions League bonus

Tottenham striker Peter Crouch, center, heads home the only goal of the match against Manchester City.
Tottenham striker Peter Crouch, center, heads home the only goal of the match against Manchester City.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Tottenham claim England's fourth Champions League spot, denying Manchester City
  • Striker Peter Crouch heads late winner as Spurs win 1-0 away to fifth-placed City
  • London side qualify for Europe's premier football competition for the first time since 1961
  • The victory could be worth $75 million in revenue next season for Harry Redknapp's team

(CNN) -- Peter Crouch netted a late winner as Tottenham defeated Manchester City 1-0 on Wednesday night to claim England's fourth Champions League place -- a result which could be worth $75 million to the London club.

Harry Redknapp's team have qualified for Europe's premier football competition for the first time since 1961, as the win put Spurs four points clear of fifth-placed City with one round of the English Premier League remaining.

It also kept alive Tottenham's hopes of overhauling London rivals Arsenal, who are two points ahead in third.

If Arsenal lose at home to Europa League finalists Fulham on Sunday, then Tottenham can avoid having to play Champions League preliminary round qualifiers by winning at relegated Burnley.

When you build a house you don't start from the roof, but the basement. We are near the roof.
--City boss Roberto Mancini
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If Tottenham can reach the group stages of the lucrative tournament, it is expected the club could go on to earn a potential $75 million in television and prize money.

"It's fantastic. It's been a terrific season for us, we've played some great football along the way and we deserve it," Redknapp, who before the match accused City of threatening to out-bid his team for midfielder Wilson Palacios if he tried to sign striker Craig Bellamy from West Ham last year, told reporters.

"It was a good night, we played some good stuff and I could see the goal coming. Crouchy was fantastic, led the line, unbelievable. It was a good performance."

The defeat may have serious significance for City manager Roberto Mancini, who was given the remit of finishing at least fourth by the club's big-spending billionaire Abu Dhabi owners when he replaced the sacked Mark Hughes in December.

As it is, City will have to make do with a place in the second-tier Europa League, which will make it harder to attract top players to the club and may even result in top scorer Carlos Tevez -- who has recently criticized Mancini -- leaving Manchester.

"Yes I'm confident. I don't know but I think I stay here. Why not?" the Italian coach told reporters when asked about his future.

"I work here four or five months, and I think when you build a house you don't start from the roof, but the basement. We work very well but we are near the roof.

"I am not a magician, I don't have a magic wand. We wanted this place and we tried like Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa.

"I think we've had a good season because we'll play in the Europa League next year and we've improved a lot. I'm disappointed with this result, but it's football."

Both teams had many chances to break the deadlock in a tense end-to-end match, but England striker Peter Crouch finally made amends for some glaring misses of his own when he headed home with eight minutes to play after goalkeeper Marton Fulop did well to keep out a cross by Younes Kaboul that deflected wickedly off City defender Wayne Bridge.

Crouch, who hit the post in the 18th minute, ended his recent barren run with his 13th goal this season to boost his chances of going to the World Cup in South Africa.

Teammate Ledley King, who will also be hoping to be in Fabio Capello's squad after playing his third match in 11 days despite his notoriously fragile knee, had a header ruled out for allegedly leaning on the recalled Gareth Barry just three minutes later.

Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who was passed fit after suffering a groin injury in Saturday's 1-0 win at Bolton, did well to save a fierce shot from City's young England hopeful Adam Johnson -- and then turned away a deflection off his own player Gareth Bale.

Fulop denied Jermain Defoe with a fine save in the 56th minute, then the diminutive England striker and Crouch both just missed a low cross from Benoit Assou-Ekotto with the City goal at their mercy.

Crouch then headed straight at Fulop when it seemed easier to score, but six minutes later he pounced to give Tottenham a fifth win in six visits to City's Eastlands stadium.

In Wednesday's other Premier League match, Europa League finalists Fulham lost 1-0 at home to Stoke, who moved up to 10th place thanks to winger Matthew Etherington's 83rd-minute winner.