Man City narrowly beat Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final thriller and Liverpool take charge of their Champions League semi-final after dominant display against Unai Emery’s Villarreal.
The English champions could live to regret not killing off the 13-time winners after taking a two-goal lead three times.
Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were on target for Pep Guardiola’s men, who should have scored many more.
But Karim Benzema’s double and a brilliant individual effort from Vinicius Junior gave Madrid hope of another famous Champions League fightback at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4.
Guardiola lamented letting Liverpool escape “alive” in the Premier League title race after a 2-2 draw at the Etihad nine days ago and will have similar regrets after a blistering opening that could have seen City go 4-0 up inside half an hour.
Madrid were playing in their 30th semi-final to City’s third, but the English giants lived up to their tag as pre-tie favourites early on.
Only 92 seconds had passed before the Madrid rearguard was breached by Riyad Mahrez’s quick feet and perfect cross for De Bruyne to stoop and head past Thibaut Courtois.
Guardiola has often been criticised for overthinking his team selection at the business end of the Champions League.
But his decision to break from the mould of the past two seasons and play Jesus as a central striker was inspired as the Brazilian ran the Real defence ragged.
Jesus pounced to make it 2-0 after just 10 minutes after David Alaba failed to deal with De Bruyne’s cross.
The Spanish champions-elect were without Casemiro and his absence showed as City cut through midfield on the counter-attack at will.
Guardiola was furious with Mahrez after he selfishly smashed into the side-netting with Foden awaiting the cross for a tap in.
Moments later it was Foden who was guilty of wasting a glorious chance when he dragged wide another pinpoint De Bruyne through ball.
Benzema dragged Madrid back from the dead to see off Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the previous two rounds and again rose to his side’s rescue before half-time.
The Frenchman cushioned in his 40th goal of the season off the post from Ferland Mendy’s cross.
Yet, Madrid’s good work in steadying the ship towards the end of the first half was undone in another slow start after the break.
Mahrez hit the post when one-on-one with Courtois before Dani Carvajal blocked Foden’s follow-up on the line.
Fernandinho was forced to deputise at right-back after replacing the injured John Stones in the first half.
And the City captain had a major role to play in two goals in two minutes at either end.
Firstly, he picked out Foden to restore City’s two-goal lead.
But the 36-year-old showed his age as Vinicius sprinted clear of his Brazilian compatriot from the halfway line before slotting past Ederson.
City continued to create chances at an alarming rate for Carlo Ancelotti but it took something special when they did finally get a fourth.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was fouled on the edge of the area, but Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs played advantage and Silva thrashed into the top corner.
Again City failed to put the tie to bed as Mahrez was inches away from finding the far corner from the narrowest of angles.
But there was a final twist eight minutes from time when Aymeric Laporte handled inside the area.
Benzema was the coolest man in the stadium as he chipped the spot-kick down the middle to leave the tie on a knife-edge headed back to the Spanish capital.
When Liverpool got their breakthrough goals – two in two minutes – they had spent the best part of an hour throwing themselves against a yellow wall of resistance. Villarreal defended superbly in the first-half and were threatening to do the same again. It took a sizable slab of luck for Liverpool to score and, as often happens, with tails up they then took further advantage.
If there was a downside to this win for Liverpool it was that, two goals clear with 35 minutes remaining, they did not score more. Had Liverpool got to say, four, then they might have even been able to rest players for the return leg.
Such matters are significant for a team chasing a quadruple, and needing to overhaul Manchester City. For all the respect shown to Villarreal, undeniably City have copped the tougher half of the draw in the Champions League knock-out stages.
The trip to Real Madrid threatens to take considerably more out of them than Liverpool’s second leg – as happened when City played Atletico Madrid in the previous round. The effects were still being felt when they met Liverpool at Wembley that Saturday, and lost.
Liverpool got what they deserved, eventually, but it was a fair time coming. And not just on the night.
Believe it or not, they haven’t won a Champions League knock-out tie at Anfield since that astonishing night against Barcelona in 2019, also at the semi-final stage.
This most certainly wasn’t a repeat of that. Villarreal are no Barcelona, and this was a first leg. Technically, it’s half time even if we all think we know where the tie is heading. Yet this victory was, in its own way, no less hard fought.
No surprise that the goals came after half-time, either. Villarreal, the epitome of organisation, have not conceded a single first-half goal in their six Champions League away matches this season. Seeing how events unfolded, there’s a reason for that.
We all look forward to the second leg and the exciting football to follow.
My Goat Sports 