Liverpool and Manchester City have discovered their route to the Champions League final after both English clubs reached the last four of the competition.
The Premier League 's finest both got the job done with first-leg victories last week before frantic draws on Wednesday, with Liverpool drawing 3-3 with Benfica at Anfield and City grinding out a fiery 0-0 draw on the road against Atletico Madrid. The Reds will now face Villarreal - the unlikely conquerers of Bayern Munich - in their semi-final, with the first leg at Anfield before a return fixture at El Madrigal.
The Citizens also start off on home turf, with the task of beating 13-time winners Real Madrid, who dramatically knocked Chelsea out in extra-time on Tuesday. The first legs of the semi-finals will take place on Tuesday, April 26 and Wednesday, April 27. The return fixtures will then be on Tuesday, May 3 and Wednesday, May 4. The final is set for Saturday, May 28 at the Stade de France in Paris. The showpiece had originally been scheduled to take place in St Petersburg but was moved after Russia 's invasion of Ukraine.
Liverpool were made to work by opponents, as Jurgen Klopp made seven changes from Sunday's thrilling 3-3 draw with City. The Reds took an early through Ibrahima Konate, just like in the first leg. The defender leapt highest to meet Konstantinos Tsmikas' in-swinging corner and get Klopp and co off to the perfect start.
Only 11 minutes later, though, Benfica were level on the night. Goncalo Ramos was picked out by Diogo Goncalves and drove a low shot beyond Alisson. After VAR checked offside, the equaliser was awarded and the tie was far from over at the break.
But shortly after half-time, Benfica's hopes were dashed, as Roberto Firmino took full advantage of an error from goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos, whose mistake was followed by a botched clearance which fell to Diogo Jota. The ex-Porto man played Firmino through, who regained the lead.
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The Brazilian bagged a second 10 minutes to put the tie to bed, courtesy of another Tsimikas assist, but not before Roman Yaremchuk hit back for the Portuguese giants and threatened to at least manage a draw on the night. And they did just that through star striker Darwin Nunez in the 82nd minute, but their efforts went unrewarded.
Meanwhile in Madrid, it was vastly different affair; with Pep Guardiola's men typically dominating possession and a stern Atletico battling away to give themselves a chance on taking round two to extra-time. Although the game ended as a goalless draw, it became a true battle of the pitch when the two teams were embroiled in a mass brawl in the dying embers.
Atletico defender Stefan Savic attempted to drag Citizens star Phil Foden back to his feet after being fouled by Felipe, resulting in Savic receiving a yellow card and Felipe being sent off for a second booking before 13 minutes of injury time on another chaotic night of Champions League football. Exact dates and kick-off times for the semi-finals will be confirmed in due course.
