Manchester United might be able to claim misfortune, if they look hard enough.

Just when Manchester United had kidded themselves they were closing the gap on their noisy neighbours, even if it was only by a fraction, they were brought back to cruel reality at Old Trafford in this Carabao Cup semi-final

Down with the bunting, box up the tinsel. The league is over and we can all relax in the afterglow of our trophy gluttony. No late-campaign jitters, sleepless nights worrying about goal difference and whether our little star will shine brightest. It’s over and everyone knows it is.

Ian Whittell on the biggest talking points from a dramatic Manchester Derby.

“So what do you make of VAR?” the guy behind the counter in my local garage asked the customer in front of me in the queue.

Mauricio Pochettino wore the smile of a proud man after his Tottenham team somehow escaped with a point from the Etihad, but beneath that was the stark realisation that his club is in danger of being left behind in the Premier League arms race.

Vincent Kompany, 11 years a loyal Manchester City servant and a symbol of the stratospheric changes the club has undergone in that time, scored his first goal in 13 months at the most opportune moment and in the most spectacular fashion last night.

In a title race which has been billed as the heavy metal football of Liverpool against the melodious harmonies of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola’s side proved they can crank up the amps when they really need to - and the Etihad maestros must surely now be favourites to be crowned champions.

Football, bloody hell.

Put Sunday May 12 in your diary now because Liverpool have given the best possible indication that this remarkable title race is going to go to the very final day of the campaign.

One of the nice things about Graeme Souness’ stubborn refusal to sugarcoat his punditry is that he sometimes seems to forget who his lords and masters are, writes Liam Mackey.

And now for something totally unique: Manchester City v Liverpool. The earliest title decider ever seen. Well, not quite, of course. The pre-match heat, so intense and febrile, begot a match sizzling with fervour and movement, but when the mists cleared, we found that we’re all still gripped by the icy fingers of the first week of January.

Daniel Storey picks out the five biggest questions emerging after Liverpool's first loss of the season to champions Man City.

Sergio Aguero is well aware just how big an impact tomorrow night’s meeting with Liverpool could have on Manchester City’s ambition to retain their Premier League title, and the Argentinian is hopeful he can continue his excellent scoring run against Jurgen Klopp’s side at the Etihad.

Jose Mourinho has suddenly found the secret formula to beating team full of high quality, big-impact stars who play at a higher level than his own side, just in time for a similar test against Manchester City in the Premier League.

Manchester City 1 Lyon 2

Shamrock Rovers will receive a League of Ireland record fee if goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu plays for Manchester City’s first team or the senior international team.

Manchester City face Newcastle United today on the 10th anniversary of the most significant moment in the club’s history — not the lifting of a trophy or a title win but the day that Sheikh Mansour first announced his Abu Dhabi United Group had bought the club from Thai owner Thaksin Sinawatra to begin one of football’s great projects.

Yaya Toure has accused Pep Guardiola, his former manager at Manchester City and Barcelona, of spoiling his farewell party from the Etihad and claimed the Catalan has “problems with Africans”.

The celebrations started before kick-off and went on well into the balmy Manchester night at the Etihad Stadium yesterday as Pep Guardiola was finally able to place his hands on the Premier League trophy.

For all true red-bloods, the ghosts of Istanbul are alive and well and all around these days, as Liverpool prepare to take on Roma with a Champions League final place at stake.

Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool have the “complete manager” in Jurgen Klopp, whom he insists is so much more than a touchline cheerleader.

Daniel Storey on the weekend’s big talking points...

Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0: And then there were four. Four games and 12 points which Pep Guardiola and Manchester City require to make mathematically certain of the Premier League title after Bernardo Silva’s goal allowed his team to open up an 18-point lead at the top of the table. 

The fortunes of Manchester City and Chelsea have followed vaguely parallel paths for much of the last five decades, but on the evidence of this match at the Etihad, the two clubs are heading in different directions right now.

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero will face no disciplinary action from the Football Association (FA) following his clash with a Wigan fan after Monday’s FA Cup tie.

Zenit St Petersburg boss Roberto Mancini will see a “much different” Scott Sinclair when their paths meet again tonight, according to the Celtic winger.

Manchester United are missing out on over £26m (€29m) a season in potential revenue for Old Trafford’s naming rights, a new study claims.

What the papers say

The United Arab Emirates has claimed Qatari fighter jets intercepted two of its commercial airliners in international airspace on the way to Bahrain.

Leicester 1 Manchester City 1 (Manchester City win 4-3 on penalties AET): Claudio Bravo was Manchester City’s penalty hero as they kept their hopes of a dream quadruple alive to beat Leicester and reach the Carabao Cup semi finals.

The European Commission has given the all-clear for EasyJet to take over parts of collapsed Air Berlin.

Man City 2 West Ham 1: David Silva may have lost some of the headline space hoovered up by the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne this season but in the 83rd minute of this largely uninspiring victory, he showed why he is arguably still the man who makes Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City tick.

Aer Lingus has been named as one of the top airlines for a short-haul holiday.

In the 15 excruciatingly long years between 1991 and 2006, Manchester City registered not a single victory over Arsenal. To say the Gunners had become a bogey team was to underestimate the state of affairs quite radically.

Liverpool may still be waiting to win the Premier League but they put their latest title credentials on the line against Manchester United today with Roberto Firmino refusing to accept that there is only one championship contender on the field at Anfield.

Talks between Air Berlin and bidders Lufthansa and EasyJet are reportedly at risk of falling apart.

Insolvent German airline Air Berlin hopes to conclude talks with Lufthansa and EasyJet on a carve-up of its assets by the middle of next month as it races to secure jobs and keep flying.

The European Union competition watchdog has approved Germany's plan to provide troubled low-cost carrier Air Berlin with a €150m loan.

Lufthansa has submitted a letter of interest in Air Berlin’s Austrian budget airline Niki and other parts of the insolvent carrier, according to sources.

Ryanair is unlikely to bid for any part of broke German carrier Air Berlin but Michael O’Leary has said the Irish airline will continue to expand in Germany.