Manchester City picked up a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals earlier tonight.
The Premier League side had managed to win the first leg 2-1 away from home, and this is the first time they have made it to the finals of the European competition since Pep Guardiola took over as their manager.
The Spaniard has been desperate to win the Champions League during his time at Manchester City, and he will fancy his team’s chances of going all the way this year.
Here at Anytime football, we look at the six major talking points from tonight’s clash.
Guardiola’s tactical decision
The Manchester City managers chose to start Fernandinho ahead of Rodri for tonight’s game, and the move proved to be a masterstroke in the end.
Both players are excellent defensive midfielders, but Fernandinho has much more experienced. His tactical fouling from time to time disrupted the play and prevented PSG from building up a rhythm.
The rise of Phil Foden
The Manchester City youngster has been in spectacular form this season in the Premier League and the Champions League.
He was outstanding once again tonight, and he continues to show that he has the potential to reach the very top.
PSG struggled to cope with his incisive passing, flair and ingenuity in the final third.
Weak links in Pochettino’s squad
The likes of Mauro Icardi and Ander Herrera were quite disappointing tonight, and PSG will have to flesh out the weak links if they want to win the Champions League anytime soon.
Icardi looked like a shadow of his former self, and the Argentine lacked confidence and sharpness in front of the goal. Moise Kean should have been brought on earlier to change the game.
As far as Herrera is concerned, the former Manchester United midfielder struggled with the intensity of Manchester City’s play, and the game passed him by just like it did in the first leg.
PSG lacking in the final third
It wasn’t just Mauro Icardi who failed to fire in the attack tonight.
The likes of Neymar seemed disillusioned with the lack of support tonight, and Angel Di Maria’s sending off later on in the game also hurt the visitors’ attacking play.
Furthermore, the injury to Kylian Mbappe had already weakened the PSG attack, and the combination of various elements rendered the away attack toothless.
Ruben Dias the real MVP
The Portuguese defender is arguably the best signing of the season in the Premier League, and he has produced two flawless performances against PSG over the two legs.
Dias was outstanding once again tonight, and he dominated the PSG attack with his physicality, reading of the game and positioning.
If Manchester City go on to win the Champions League this season, the majority of the credit has to go to the Portuguese international who has transformed the side since his arrival.
Riyad Mahrez double made the difference
As the Manchester City move forward after Sergio Aguero era, Riyad Mahrez have kept scoring important goals in Premier League and in Champions league.
He is only the second player in Champions League history, to score in both the semifinals. Sadio Mane achieved this feat in 2017-18.
