Key events
David Hytner was at the Bernabéu. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Bellingham: squad “100%” behind Alonso
Jude Bellingham gives TNT the view from the Real dressing room. “A number of things [are not working] … we’re still trying to work out within the changing room, regardless of what goes on outside … one of the things that’s probably quite obvious is how we’re managing games … certain points where we have to suffer, it feels like we always concede … it puts us on the back foot … makes us maybe play in a way we don’t want to … inside the changing room, seeing what we’ve got in there, working with the coach every day, we have everything we need to turn it around … a bit of luck … a bit more of something we need to discuss internally … I’ve got full faith that this season isn’t over just because we’ve been on a bad run of form … as players it kills us and we’re going to turn it around.”
And are the players still fully behind Alonso? “One hundred percent … the manager’s been great … I’ve personally got a great relationship with him … a lot of the lads do as well … the last couple of games we’ve let ourselves down … no-one’s downing tools … no-one’s complaining, moaning and thinking the season’s over … we’ll have to take a bit of the shit on the chin … we’ll have to keep fighting … I play for the biggest club in the world and one of the most scrutinised countries … I don’t want pity, I’m living the dream … people would die for the position I’m in … I roll with the punches.”
Pep Guardiola, ever the perfectionist, talks to TNT Sports. “It could be better … so difficult … four or five players were playing their first game here … so perhaps we were not completely ready … it’s a process … a lot of new players … winning here, we have to be happy … to have 13 points already … top eight is the target … winning here after what happened against Leverkusen is good … we started with mistakes … we have to improve but I will take it! … [Nico O’Reilly] was top, top … [Erling Haaland’s] numbers speak for themselves … we have to find him more … more present in the game … we are not ready [to win the Champions League] … but in February we will be better … margins to improve.”
This is what the table looks like after the completion of all the matchday-six matches. Manchester City leapfrog Real Madrid into fourth spot. They play Bodø/Glimt (a) and Galatasaray (h) in January, so you’d expect them to secure a top-eight berth and direct qualification for the round of 16. Real face Monaco (h) and Benfica (a) in the New Year.
More from Haaland, who is being his usual laid-back, entertaining self. “You could see after one minute [Raúl] Asencio was starting to push me and tried to beef with me [highly amused smile] … it’s something I like … I don’t mind it! … of course [Antonio] Rüdiger as well … we’ve been having some great battles … today he wanted a bit too much! … for me a clear penalty.”
As for chasing down Arsenal in the Premier League: “I don’t like to speak too much about this because I think we should focus on ourselves … which City has been so good at for the last ten years … don’t think too much about others … try to win the next game … that’s what we need to do … focus on Palace on Sunday … a really tough game … it is not easy … it’s about enjoying this now for a few hours but tomorrow you need to recover as well as you can … stay fit … hopefully win on Sunday.”
Erling Haaland talks to TNT Sports. “It’s difficult to come here … tough … the game gets how it gets … loads of transitions … we could have had another goal … a bit chaotic … we could not control it … but we are super happy … this is a place you want to play … look at this, it’s incredible … with this new format in the Champions League, you get to play more games … it’s nice, I like it … this win is really important … now we have two more games left … we need to finish strong and hopefully we can be in the first eight … we expected [Kylian Mbappé] to play … you are not happy because you want to play the best … but it gives you a psychological boost.”
Player of the match Nico O’Reilly speaks to TNT Sports, and he’s as calm and assured being interviewed as he was tonight in defence. “Such a good feeling … to come here … so tough to play here … we got the three points and that’s the most important thing … [my goal is] very special … over the moon with it … this goal will be with me forever … [Erling Haaland] has been giving me a few tips! … I’m loving [this season] … taking it all in my stride … take every game as it comes … I’m enjoying it, loving it … we know how good Real Madrid are … it shows how good we’re playing at the minute … I could have stopped the first goal but I made up for it in the end!”
Manchester City are deserved winners. Their response to falling behind to Rodrygo’s first goal in 32 matches was excellent. Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku and Nico O’Reilly were magnificent; the centre-back pairing of Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol weren’t half bad either. City to a man are delighted, Pep Guardiola almost skipping lightly across the Bernabéu turf. By contrast, Real Madrid’s players stand stock still, staring into the middle distance. As impressive as City were, they were extremely poor tonight. That’s two defeats on home soil in four days, and the pressure on Xabi Alonso is cranked up almost unbearably. Some reports from Spain earlier in the week suggested defeat tonight would be fatal to his brief reign; well, here we are.
FULL TIME: Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City
Pep Guardiola does a number on Real Madrid once again. It could have serious repercussions for Xabi Alonso. Whistles pierce the air.
90 min +4: Vinícius Júnior hits a cross-cum-shot from the left. Donnarumma stoops to claim, and that’s surely that.
90 min +3: Real continue to pin City back, but can’t get a shot away. The visitors holding firm.
90 min +2: Savinho races in from the right but his shot is blocked. Real counter through Vinícius Júnior, who curls for the top right only to hit his own man in Arda Güler. The ball pings out for a goal kick. A lot of whistling. There’ll be a lot more soon, too, unless Real can find a late, late equaliser.
90 min +1: The first of four additional minutes goes by. City close to a huge victory. Xabi Alonso in all sorts of bother here.
90 min: Silva lunges in late on Brahim Díaz, cynically so with Real looking to break upfield. He’s booked and will miss City’s next match, away to Bodø/Glimt.
89 min: From the resulting free kick, O’Reilly has a dig from the edge of the D. The ball’s deflected out for a corner, from which nothing occurs. But the clock ticks on.
88 min: Carreras is booked for hauling back Savinho, who was making off down the right. The referee strangely scattergun in his punishments.
87 min: Doku, who has been excellent tonight, is replaced by Ake, as City look to shore things up at the back.
86 min: Real have City pinned back. But Rodrygo needlessly shoves Matheus Nunes in the back, then is booked for dissent. Not the wisest couple of decisions.
85 min: Carreras smoothly advances down the left and crosses to Endrick at the near post. Endrick looks for the top-left corner with his header from six yards, but skims the top of the bar. Goal kick. Real so close to saving themselves … and perhaps their manager.
84 min: Savinho wriggles down the right touchline and has the opportunity to release Marmoush through the middle … but overhits the pass forward. A huge chance for City to wrap this up goes by.
82 min: Nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
81 min: Savinho chases after a long pass down the right. Rudiger clumsily clatters into him from behind, just before he enters the box. Not a penalty, but it’s surely a second yellow for Rudiger. The referee does Real Madrid a huge favour by not booking the Real defender … then adds insult to injury for City by booking Pep Guardiola, incandescent with rage at another weird non-decision.
80 min: Bellingham sends Valverde into space down the right. His low cross looks for Endrick. Gvardiol extends a leg to deflect behind. The corner comes in from the right, hit long. Vinícius Júnior tries an overhead kick at the far post, but shins over the bar. Big chance.
79 min: Endrick comes on for Raúl Asencio.
77 min: Arda Güler takes the free kick, just to the right of the City box. He whips a shot towards the near post. Gvardiol heads clear. Real come again through Rodrygo down the left. He sends a peach of a cross onto the head of Vinícius Júnior, eight yards out. Vinícius Júnior flashes a header wide right. He had to work Donnarumma at the very least. He probably should have scored.
76 min: Valverde gets in ahead of O’Reilly down the right. Just before he reaches the City box, O’Reilly shoves him in the back. A free kick and a yellow card.
75 min: Kylian Mbappé sits on the bench looking miserable. All wrapped up. It doesn’t look like he’ll be coming on.
74 min: Doku threatens to burst into space down the left only to be upended by Bellingham. But he’s not getting the free kick. This referee has made a few strange decisions this evening.
72 min: Real are seeing quite a bit of the ball right now. They’re doing absolutely nothing with it. More of the whistling.
70 min: City make a triple change. Marmoush, Savinho and Reijnders come on for Haaland and Cherki, who have been excellent, and Foden, who was below his usual top-drawer standard tonight.
68 min: Courtois hoicks the ball straight out of play, and the whistles start again. Ear-splitting. They’re not happy. The Spanish TV director cuts to Xabi Alonso. Join the dots.
67 min: Foden’s delivery of the free kick is dreadful. When the ball goes out for a throw, Brahim Díaz, a Manchester City lad in his youth, comes on for Ceballos.
