Two Manchester City players showed their class against Real Madrid | OneFootball

Come the final whistle there didn’t feel like there were many positives to take from last night’s match from a Manchester City point of view. How they collapsed late to fall to a 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid has been the focus of attention. But there were positives to come from the game for Manchester City.

The performance of John Stones was one. Savinho’s willingness to do whatever it took for his team was another. Another positive to come from the game was the performances of Erling Haaland and Josko Gvardiol. Both players were desperate to do all they could to help inspire their team to a famous victory. On another night they possibly could have.

Josko Gvardiol showed that he is developing into one of the finest attacking left-backs in the game. He was superb in possession last night and the occasion didn’t phase him. That’s not a surprise. But Gvardiol’s quality on the ball stood out. Especially when Manchester City had their spell of dominance in the first half. He was also good defensively when Real Madrid put Pep Guardiola’s side under pressure. One challenge in particular on Kylian Mbappe in the second half perfectly summed up Gvardiol’s performance and determination on the night.

Erling Haaland scored a brace last night, and he was lively right across the full 90 minutes last night. His first goal came from a well-taken finish after some superb interplay between Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish. Haaland’s second goal was a calm finish from the spot when the pressure was at its highest. Outside of his goals, Haaland’s overall performance was superb. There was an energy to his pressing and he did drift all over the pitch to have an influence on the game. Haaland is evolving as a player and that was on full display last night.

Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland both put in superb performances against Real Madrid last night. Their quality was on full display at the Etihad as they tried to help their side pick up a crucial victory. But it wasn’t to be. But if they can repeat those performances at the Bernabeu next week, City will have a chance of overturning the 3-2 deficit they are faced with in their Champions League knockout play-off tie.