All to play for as Man City saved by brave Hart

Manchester City 0 Real Madrid 0: Just when everyone was expecting a goalscoring free-for-all, Manchester City demonstrated — in their first ever Champions League semi-final — that they have the tactical nous to be serious contenders as they earned a goalless draw against Real Madrid at the Etihad.

You could not say it was a perfect performance — City barely managed a shot on target all match and Real, who were without injured Cristiano Ronaldo, remain strong favourites for the second leg next Wednesday. But nevertheless it was a creditable result which keeps Manuel Pellegrini’s side very much in the tie as they head to Madrid still dreaming of reaching the final — perhaps even against Bayern Munich and City’s next manager, Pep Guardiola.

“We’ve set it up for a good, old-fashioned rumble at the Bernabeu,” said goalkeeper Joe Hart, who made two excellent saves to earn the draw. City fans must hope their team still have an extra gear for the second leg.