Felipe sent off late as Manchester City battle past feisty Atlético Madrid

It was fraught, it was suffocating, it was full-blooded – entirely as billed. And for Manchester City, it came down not to whether they could add to their first-leg lead in this Champions League quarter-final but whether they could hold on.

It is difficult to remember Pep Guardiola’s swashbucklers being pinned inside their own half for so long but that was precisely what happened for the entirety of the second period. They had imposed themselves in the first-half but it was a different story after the interval, Atlético Madrid – urged on by a noisy and partisan crowd – choking them, forced them back, asking uncomfortable questions.

Could Atlético make the breakthrough? The answer was no. Despite a few heart-in-mouth moments, City kept the back door shut and it seemed entirely in keeping with the volcanic currents that the tie ended in a bench-emptying melee after Felipe, already booked in the first half, went into Phil Foden and kicked him again.

Felipe would eventually be sent off, after the warring factions were prised apart, but all City cared about was the result. Gündogan almost nicked it for them at the very end. City’s Champions League dream remains alive.

The prize was a semi-final meeting with Real Madrid, the Spanish league leaders having advanced 24 hours previously after what was an epic against Chelsea across town. It had to be said that the expectation of another classic was low at kick-off time, mainly because of what had happened in the first leg – when Atlético did not muster a shot – and also how Diego Simeone had said that he would not alter his approach. Simeone’s idea was simply to be tighter, quicker, more precise, better.

Guardiola had to find the correct balance. It has been a difficult season for