Manchester City have reached their second Champions League final after beating Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday night.
It was all to play for at the Etihad, with the first leg of the semi-final tie finishing 1-1 in the Spanish capital eight days ago. A pulsating first-half performance from Pep Guardiola's side allowed them to establish a two-goal advantage, with Bernardo Silva hitting a brace.
From there, City didn't look back. An own goal from Eder Militao and Julian Alvarez's late strike settled the tie, with City's hopes of winning a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble - emulating Manchester United in 1999 - more alive than ever.
City will face Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10 after the Italian giants defeated local rivals AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in the other semi-final tie. Here are the main talking points from City's unforgettable display against the dethroned European champions.
Same again
With a squad as strong as City's, all eyes were on Guardiola's starting XI ahead of the second leg. He named an unchanged team from the 1-1 draw in Madrid last week, with Jack Grealish picked ahead of Phil Foden on the left flank and Riyad Mahrez benched.
As for Real, Militao returned to Carlo Ancelotti's side after missing the first leg through suspension, with Antonio Rudiger dropping to the bench. That was a brave call, as former Chelsea defender Rudiger put in a stellar display against City's fierce attack a week ago.
Ultimately, it proved to be the wrong call.
Spicy start
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Games of this magnitude are usually either cautious or chaotic. Thankfully, this was the latter. City flew out of the blocks in search of an early goal, with Real trying desperately to keep up.
That was evident from Eduardo Camavinga's naughty challenge on Silva that was missed by 2022 World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak, but not by the outraged home fans. The Portuguese ace retaliated by shoving Toni Kroos over a corner flag.
Moments later, Erling Haaland went around Thibaut Courtois but the angle was too tight for a shot. Rodri then had a good chance to test the goalkeeper but pulled his effort wide.
Haaland vs Courtois
After drawing a blank in Madrid, much was expected of Haaland in Manchester. The prolific forward should've scored in the 13th minute, when he was picked out in the six-yard box with the goal at his mercy. Yet his header was straight at Courtois.
Haaland got another opportunity moments later. This time, he produced a powerful header back across the goal that seemed destined for the top corner. But, somehow, Courtois managed to claw the ball away.
Sensational Silva
There was nothing Courtois could do about Silva's opener, though.
City made the breakthrough in the 23rd minute, when Kevin De Bruyne threaded a ball in between two defenders for Silva to run onto. The former Monaco winger then waited for Courtois to commit before hammering the ball down the middle.
City fans went wild in response, but those cheers were almost silenced when Kroos unleashed a thunderous long-range effort. The home fans were relieved to see the ball flick Ederson's fingertips before smashing into the crossbar.
Guardiola's side needed a second goal... and it was Silva who did the business again. Ilkay Gundogan's shot deflected off a desperate sliding defender and looped into the path of the little livewire, who composed himself and waited for the ball to drop.
The ball sat in the Manchester sky for what seemed like an eternity, but that split-second gave Silva time to pick his spot and calmly slot a header into the top corner. City fans would've been forgiven for looking at flights to Istanbul after that.
City finish the job
The second half was a more cagey affair, but City were always in control. Haaland almost made it 3-0 when he got in behind the defence, only for Courtois to produce another ridiculous save to deny the Norwegian. Haaland's furious reaction spoke volumes.
Yet City's 52-goal striker was delighted a few moments later when Manuel Akanji's header diverted off Militao and into the net. There was just enough time for Alvarez to come off the bench to score a fourth. City were outrageously good, Real were overwhelmed.
Applaud the fans
City's victory against Real mean they've now gone 26 home games unbeaten in the Champions League since they lost to Lyon at the Etihad in September 2018. Astonishingly, Guardiola's side have won 24 of those games - such has been their dominance in Europe.
In the Premier League, City do lose at home from time to time. Yet, just like Anfield, the Etihad has become a special place on European nights. City fans deserve a lot of credit for bringing the noise... and they deserve to have their day out in Istanbul next month.
