Jose Mourinho felt Ajax's insistence of sticking to their football philosophy contributed to their dramatic Champions League exit.
The Amsterdammers cruised into a 2-0 half-time lead in the second leg of their semi-final against Tottenham, goals from captain Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech gifting them a 3-0 aggregate lead with just 45 minutes remaining in the tie.
Mourinho felt that was the time to divert from their usual attacking style and adopt a more defensive approach in order to see the job through.
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Instead, Ajax boss Erik ten Hag changed little and a Lucas Moura hat-trick, including a 96th-minute winner, sent Spurs into a final meeting with Liverpool in Madrid on June 1.