Manchester City produced one of the all-time great Champions League semi-final performances to hammer holders Real Madrid 4-0 and book their place in the final against Inter Milan next month.
Pep Guardiola's side utterly dominated the 14-time winners of the competition from start to finish to turn their 1-1 draw from the Bernabeu into a statement-making 5-1 aggregate victory.
Madrid struggled to get close to their hosts on a chastening night which saw them equal their heaviest-ever European defeat, but they can have no complaints after being convincingly outclassed by the treble-chasing Man City.
Bernardo Silva scored twice in the first half to put his side in deserved control of the tie, before late goals from Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez underlined Man City's dominance and ensured that the scoreline reflected the one-sided nature of the match on the night.
Indeed, it could have been much worse for Madrid too, with Thibaut Courtois making three world-class saves to deny Erling Braut Haaland.
Man City will now face Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10, a game which could see them gunning for the treble with the Premier League title potentially being wrapped up this weekend and an FA Cup final against Manchester United to come on June 3.
Here, Sports Mole looks at the highlights, man of the match and standout stats from a memorable night at the Etihad Stadium.
HIGHLIGHTS
7th min: Erling Braut Haaland is played through in the box and is able to take the ball past Thibaut Courtois, but he is forced too wide to go for goal and instead pulls in back into an area where there are only Real Madrid players. The visitors do not fully clear their lines, though, and eventually Rodri bursts into the box before dragging an effort wide of the far post.
13th min: Jack Grealish clips a beauty of a cross into the box which is inch-perfect to beat the defender and reach Haaland, who looks certain to score from point-blank range. However, Courtois makes himself as big as possible to make the save before David Alaba completes the clearance off the line.
So close!!! 🫣
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 17, 2023
Erling Haaland comes desperately close to opening the scoring for Man City!#UCL pic.twitter.com/JLR9n6UgGk
21st min: What a save from Courtois! A smart corner routine from Man City sees Kevin De Bruyne cross the ball in to Manuel Akanji, who nods it back across goal for Haaland. The Norwegian gets a firm head to the ball and looks for all the world as though he has opened the scoring on the night, but Courtois somehow changes direction and pulls off an incredible one-handed stop to push it wide of the post.
Brilliant save from Thibaut Courtois!! 🧤
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 17, 2023
The Belgian keeper has already kept Erling Haaland at bay twice tonight!! 🔥#UCL pic.twitter.com/kZ9J1Jlzzp
23rd min: GOAL! MAN CITY 1-0 REAL MADRID (BERNARDO SILVA)
Nothing Courtois can do about this one! De Bruyne slides a pass into the box for Bernardo Silva, who shapes as though he will whip it into the far corner but then fires it in at the near post. A deserved lead for the hosts midway through the first half.
Bernardo Silva makes the breakthrough!! 🤩
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 17, 2023
It's 1-0 Man City!! 🔥#UCL pic.twitter.com/x4G9aGxyib
26th min: It has been one-way traffic so far, and Haaland comes close again here as he collects the ball with one touch and blasts a thunderbolt a couple of yards high and wide from the edge of the box.
35th min: A warning for Man City as Toni Kroos lets fly with a powerful strike from range which clatters against the crossbar, via the slightest of fingertip saves from Ederson.
37th min: GOAL! MAN CITY 2-0 REAL MADRID (BERNARDO SILVA)
Man City double their advantage, and it is Bernardo Silva who is the darling of the Etihad again! Grealish plays the ball inside for Ilkay Gundogan, whose effort is blocked but deflects into the path of Bernardo, who loops a header over the defender on the line and into the unguarded net.
Bernardo Silva is leading Man City to Istanbul!! 🔥
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 17, 2023
The Portuguese star bags his second of the night! 🤩#UCL pic.twitter.com/k3OxPucX4b
45th min: Bernardo Silva, on a hat-trick, drills a low shot towards goal, but it is a fairly straightforward one for Courtois to collect.
51st min: Alaba goes for goal from a long way out with a free kick, and he hammers a vicious, dipping effort which needs Ederson to tip it over with a fine stop.
74th min: Real Madrid may have been comfortably second best tonight, but in the personal battle between Haaland and Courtois, the Madrid keeper is coming out on top. He makes another brilliant save to deny Haaland when one on one here, spreading himself and saving it with his leg to send the shot up onto the crossbar and over. Haaland cannot believe he has not added to his season's tally yet tonight.
76th min: GOAL! MAN CITY 3-0 REAL MADRID (MANUEL AKANJI)
If it was not already, it is game well and truly over now! De Bruyne swings a free kick into the box and Manuel Akanji flicks it on at the near post. However, it then comes off Eder Militao and bounces past Courtois to give the hosts their third of a memorable night at the Etihad.
It's 3-0 Man City!! 🔥
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 17, 2023
Istanbul here they come!! 🤩#UCL pic.twitter.com/IwTfizaBdL
83rd min: Madrid push for a late consolation, with Karim Benzema denied by Ederson before the ball works its way back to Dani Ceballos, who also sees his shot saved by the Man City keeper.
90+1 min: GOAL! MAN CITY 4-0 REAL MADRID (JULIAN ALVAREZ)
Moments after coming on as a sub, Julian Alvarez gets a fourth for Man City to put them in dreamland! It looks so easy for Pep Guardiola's side as Rodri slides a pass to Phil Foden, whose through-ball sends Alvarez into the box with only the keeper to beat. From there, the World Cup winner just slips his finish into the bottom corner to make this an even more chastening night for the 14-time European champions.
Manchester City are heading to Istanbul!! 🤩
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 17, 2023
Julian Alvarez makes it 4-0 to the Cityzens! 🔥#UCL pic.twitter.com/fN4pdodcAD
MAN OF THE MATCH - BERNARDO SILVA
© Reuters
This could have gone to any of a few Man City players, with Jack Grealish worthy of an extra-special mention, but Bernardo Silva's two-goal showing gets him the nod.
The Portuguese forward's first was very well taken as he whipped his finish past Courtois, who had already made two big saves to deny Haaland from close range, and his second was a clever, measured header to lift the ball over the man on the line.
In addition to the two goals, Bernardo also helped Man City completely dominate their opponents from start to finish.
STANDOUT MOMENT
© Reuters
Real Madrid did not have a lot to cheer this evening, but their best player on the night - Thibaut Courtois - did provide the moment of the night with a truly world-class save while the game was still goalless.
The Belgian had already denied Man City's goal machine Haaland once from point-blank range - and would do again when one on one later in the match - but his save in the 21st minute was a bona-fide 'wow' moment.
Haaland's header seemed destined for the net with Courtois seemingly heading the opposite way as he scrambled back across goal, but the keeper somehow got his fingertips to it to turn it round the post.
It proved to be meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but it was a stunning save which deserves to be remembered on a night which Madrid would otherwise want to banish from their memory as quickly as possible.
BEST STATS
13 - @realmadriden have faced 13 shots in the first half against Man City, equalling their highest tally in a knockout stage Champions League game since Opta collects this data (2003/04), established against Bayern Munchen in April 2012 (semi-finals). Siege. pic.twitter.com/rJVNsuGfHO
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 17, 2023
Manchester City have averaged 70%+ possession in the first half of a #UCL game for the first time in their history...
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) May 17, 2023
It's come in the semi-final second leg vs. Real Madrid🤝#RMAMCI
2 - Bernardo Silva is the third player to score 2+ goals in a #UCL semi-final match against Real Madrid, after Lionel Messi (2011) and Robert Lewandowski (2013). Control. #MCIRMA
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 17, 2023
⬆️ - Most @ChampionsLeague matches as a manager
— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) May 17, 2023
191 - Carlo Ancelotti🇮🇹 (+1)
190 - Alex Ferguson🏴
184 - Arsène Wenger🇫🇷
160 - Pep Guardiola🇪🇸
151 - José Mourinho🇵🇹#MCIRMA #UCL
💯 - Most Champions League victories as a manager
— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) May 17, 2023
107 - Carlo Ancelotti🇮🇹
102 - Alex Ferguson🏴
100 - Pep Guardiola🇪🇸#MCIRMA #UCL
4 - Real Madrid lost a Champions League match by at least four goals for the second time in their history, following a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool in the last 16 of the 2008-09 edition. Adios. #RMAMCI pic.twitter.com/wkR9KDV6hu
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) May 17, 2023
MATCH STATS
Possession: Man City 60%-40% Real Madrid
Shots: Man City 16-7 Real Madrid
Shots on target: Man City 7-3 Real Madrid
Corners: Man City 7-3 Real Madrid
Fouls: Man City 16-14 Real Madrid
LINEUPS
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji; De Bruyne (Foden 84'), Rodri, Gundogan (Mahrez 79'); Bernardo, Haaland (Alvarez 89'), Grealish
REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal (Vazquez 80'), Militao, Alaba, Camavinga (Tchouameni 80'); Valverde, Kroos (Asensio 70'), Modric (Rudiger 63'); Rodrygo (Ceballos 81'), Benzema, Vinicius
Barney Corkhill
