2 hours ago
25
Manchester City were unrecognisable from the team that surrendered at the Bernabeu 10 months ago in the Champions League
Manchester City withstood a late charge from Real Madrid to come away with an impressive 2-1 win at the Bernabeu. Rodrygo had given the home team the lead but goals from Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland turned the game on its head in the first half and Pep Guardiola's side deserved their win.
With the same XI from the Sunderland game, City took the game to Real and were encouraged by the sight of Kylian Mbappe on the bench for a home team that were under pressure from their own fans after being booed off at the weekend. Real laid siege to the City goal in the final few minutes but otherwise it was an excellent night for the visitors as they picked up their fourth straight victory in all competitions
Lijnders and Toure set tone for new City
The last time City were at the Bernabeu, they were almost beaten before they had kicked off. A goal down from the first leg after a late collapse and with Erling Haaland joining the ranks of sidelined stars, the Blues were waving a white flag from the off and within five minutes they had conceded and seen John Stones go off with injury.
It has taken time for the scars of last season to heal and £350m has been spent in the calendar year as well as a refresh of the backroom staff to try and get over those psychological blocks. There have been plenty of instances this year where it has been clear more work is needed, yet arriving at the Bernabeu only two points behind Arsenal in the Premier League is a sign of the promising platform City have given themselves.
The chat assistant Pep Lijnders had with Steven Gerrard before the pundit went on air with TNT also spoke to that, with Lijnders telling him that City were 'very confident' and were going to be aggressive to take advantage of the problems that Real had. They were bold words and they were backed up on the pitch, with Pep Guardiola's side far more open than usual as they risked conceding to pile forward and take the game to their Champions League rivals.
They could have been behind earlier than they were in February if the foul on Vini Jr had not been correctly revised to being outside the box, but they offered so much more than earlier in the year they deserved the rewards that they got. Having had a chat with Lijnders pre-match, Gerrard then got jumped on by Kolo Toure afterwards as City celebrated the win. Nine months on from their Bernabeu disappointment, the new faces have helped them to get their aggression and joy back.
Same XI raises Palace question
A decent number of City fans would have rather beaten Crystal Palace than Real Madrid this week. Obviously you would want to win both, but with the Premier League title race feeling more alive after Arsenal dropped points at the weekend there is a feeling that City cannot allow them to let up.
Picking the same XI for Real as had played against Sunderland risks the Palace game because this is probably the team that everyone would want to start at Palace, give or take one or two. That was the case before kick-off and it was definitely the case after they had beaten Real.
It is a big ask to expect the same 11 players to turn out for the third time in a week in games of such pressure and quality, so Guardiola has some thinking to do for Sunday. The fact that Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and Rayan Cherki were all taken off with 20 minutes to go perhaps hinted at that reality.
O'Reilly a net positive
O'Reilly wasn't close to starting at left-back when these two teams met in February despite City's numerous issues in defence. Even now, he admitted in his recent interview with the Manchester Evening News that he is still learning the ropes in a position that he hadn't really played in the academy.
He is not the first to be beaten by Real's Rodrygo but it still felt like he could have done better when the forward paced away from him to belt in the opening goal of the night. At that point, City looked second best.
However, O'Reilly then scored the equaliser, made the cross that resulted in the City penalty for them to take the lead and set off on a 50-yard run that ended with him teeing up Haaland as he and Cherki nearly made it 3-1. For all the learning O'Reilly still has to do defensively, he remains a huge net positive for City on the pitch and one of the biggest finds of 2025.
Leverkusen what now?
It was all doom and gloom after the dismal home defeat to Leverkusen last month, with City seemingly blowing their chance to get a top-eight finish in the Champions League that will make the knockout stage easier for them. That is all forgotten with the win in Madrid, leaving the Blues fourth in the table and with games against Bodo and Galatasaray to come.
Not only are City primed to make it into the top-eight now, they should make the top four and could even make the top two. That would give them home advantage in the knockout rounds and could mean they cannot face Arsenal before the final if both make it, again helping them through the competition.
If they can beat Real in their own backyard, they will feel they can beat anybody.
English (US) ·