5 Things We Learned As Manchester City Dismantled Real Madrid to Reach UCL Final

Manchester City ripped Real Madrid into irreparable shreds on Wednesday, booking a spot in the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan in the process.

A relentless performance from City ensured the Premier League giants were two-nil up at half-time, before an own-goal from Eder Militao and a sublime finish from substitute, Julian Alvarez handed City a four-nil win and 5-1 victory over two legs.

Here are the five takeaways as Manchester City reached the second Champions League final in the club's history at the expense of Real Madrid:

Pep Guardiola's tactical masterclass

A Pep Guardiola tactical masterclass ensured Manchester City completely blew away Real Madrid - the greatest club in Champions League history - to book their spot in Istanbul for the final against Inter Milan.

The former Barcelona manager kept faith with the same lineup that secured a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last Tuesday. However, Guardiola'ss charges upped the ante to whitewash the defending champions in a devastating fashion.

The victory against Ancelotti's Real Madrid was Pep's 100th win in Europe's premier club competition, as the Spaniard chases his third Champions League title.

Poor selection kills Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti surprised everyone, perhaps including himself, when he opted to drop Antonio Rudiger from the starting lineup after the German international had pulled off a defending masterclass against Erling Haaland in the first leg.

That is not to say Rudiger's presence would have prevented the heavy defeat, but for a player to put up a near-perfect performance against the current most clinical centre-forward in the game, and be dropped in the return leg, shows the Italian coach was not in the right tactical mindset.

Additionally, the decision to start Rodrygo did not pay off, while talisman, Karim Benzema was off-colour. The 63-year-old's reluctance to withdraw his skipper, despite having a bad day, underlined his tactical flaws against City.

Ancelotti reaches landmark in defeat

While Guardiola rejoiced in unbridled joy as he watched Man City cruise to the Champions League final, Ancelotti writhed in agony, watching the current holders suffer a chastening 4-0 loss at the Etihad Stadium.

Regardless of the 4-0 loss and 5-1 defeat over two legs, he wrote his name in the annals of Champions League history, surpassing the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson in becoming the manager with the most games in Europe's top club competition.

The ex-AC Milan boss, who doubles as the most successful manager in the UCL, was tactically outclassed by his opposite number and could see his job on the line after crashing out of Europe in such a manner.

Silva stars in City's win

Bernardo Silva promised Manchester City would exact revenge against Real Madrid in the repeat of last season's Champions League semi-final. Silva ensured he walked that very bold talk, inspiring City to a four-nil triumph.

The diminutive Portuguese playmaker was a thorn in the flesh of Madrid's defence from the blast of the whistle, and it came as no surprise when he broke the game's deadlock with a clever goal. He doubled his tally and City's lead with a free header inside the box to effectively put the game out of sight.

He capped off an excellent outing with the man-of-the-match award as he seeks to help the Premier League leaders win their first-ever European trophy.

Courtois saves Madrid from embarrassment

Real Madrid might have lost heavily to the Citizens, but the scoreline could have been a lot worse had it not been for Thibaut Courtois.

Wayne Rooney issues brutal warning to Real Madrid ahead of Champions League showdown with Man City

Football

The Belgian shot-stopper pulled jaw-dropping saves, including two attempts bound to end at the back of the net from Haaland. Unfortunately, his best attempts amounted to nothing as Pep Guardiola's charges managed to put four past him.

He is the only member of the Los Blancos' roster that made the trip to Manchester, who can head back to Madrid with his head held high following his outstanding performance on a night the current holders of the Champions League were ripped apart.