Man City must refocus on title race after Real blow

Manchester City must quickly put the disappointment of Champions League failure behind it as the battle for Premier League supremacy with Liverpool resumes over the weekend.

Real Madrid fought back from the brink of elimination to beat Manchester City 3-1 after extra time and 6-5 on aggregate in an enthralling and dramatic European semifinal on Wednesday.

City led 1-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate when Riyad Mahrez scored after 73 minutes but Real substitute Rodrygo equalized in the last minute of normal time and headed home one minute later to level the tie at 5-5.

Five minutes into extra time Karim Benzema converted a penalty awarded for a foul on him by Ruben Dias and Real, the record 13-time European champion, held the shellshocked English side at bay to reach the final.

Real will play Liverpool on May 28 in Paris, a repeat of the 2018 final in Kyiv which the Spanish team won 3-1.

“We didn’t play our best, but it is normal, a semifinal, the players feel the pressure and wanting to do it,” said Guardiola. “Football is unpredictable, it is a game like this. We have to accept it.”

The European trophy is the one the Abu Dhabi-owned club, whose sole European club trophy remains the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970, yearns for.

In 2016, City lost in the semifinals to eventual winner Real, and in 2018 and 2019 in the quarterfinals to domestic rival Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively.

French side Lyon knocked it out of the quarterfinals in 2020 and in last year’s final, City’s first in the Champions league, it lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

With only a point separating leader City from Liverpool in the league with four matches left, Pep Guardiola’s side hosts Newcastle United on Sunday, a team it beat 4-0 away in December, but which has shown much improvement recently.

Liverpool hosts Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and has the opportunity to retake the lead as it continues its bid for a historic quadruple of trophies.

Jurgen Klopp’s team is unbeaten at home in the league this season, having won 14 of 17 games at Anfield, and will be full of confidence after winning at Villarreal in Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg.

Spurs last won at Liverpool in 2011 but Spurs manager Antonio Conte said his side would go to Anfield looking to take something from the match.

“Maybe someone can think that we have to get points in other games, but I think we have to prepare for this game and to go there and try to get points,” he said. “For us, every game is vital.”

Tottenham is fifth and chasing a berth in next season’s Champions League but London rival Arsenal, which is two points ahead in fourth spot, has an opportunity to solidify its advantage by beating struggling Leeds at home on Sunday.

Norwich City has been relegated and Watford has little chance of survival, leaving Burnley (34 points), Leeds (34) and Everton (32) fighting to avoid the third relegation slot.

Burnley hosts Aston Villa on Saturday while Everton, which stunned Chelsea 1-0 last weekend, travels to Leicester City on Sunday. (Reuters)