Pep Guardiola saw a year of pain and criticism pour out onto the Etihad pitch as Manchester City avenged their semi-final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid with a thumping victory.
City beat Real at this stage of the Champions League last year 4-3 in the first leg and went another goal up at the Bernabeu, only to concede two goals in injury time and lose the tie in extra time to suffer another painful exit from a competition they are yet to win. An impressive 1-1 draw last week left this year's contest in the balance but Guardiola's team swept to a 4-0 win at the Etihad to confirm their place against Inter Milan next month.
Guardiola had been at pains to tell his players not to seek revenge in this game as he spent the build-up to both legs playing down the importance of it. However, once it had concluded the manager lifted the lid on how he and the squad had embraced the idea of taking on the criticism they had received for their disappointment last season.
