Man City cruise past Real Madrid and into final with Inter Milan.

By Phil McNulty.

Manchester City are into the final of the Champions League after Bernardo Silva scored twice in a hugely impressive win over Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium.

Both of Silva’s goals came in a stunning first-half display by the hosts before Eder Militao’s own goal and a strike by substitute Julian Alvarez late on wrapped a dominant 4-0 win on the night and a 5-1 victory on aggregate.

City, who are on the verge of winning the Premier League and are in the FA Cup final, will play Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on 10 June as they look to win the Champions League for the first time.

Pep Guardiola’s side outclassed the 14-times winners from the outset and only two stunning Thibaut Courtois saves stopped Erling Haaland from giving the hosts an early lead.

But City could not be kept out for long and Silva got his first of the night with a whipped near-post finish that gave Courtois no chance.

The Portugal midfielder added a second just before the break, looping a header over David Alaba and into the back of the net.

That goal came after Toni Kroos hit the bar with a shot from distance, but in truth Real rarely threatened as City produced one of their best displays in Europe in the first 45 minutes.

Courtois denied Haaland again in the closing stages when he pushed the striker’s shot onto the bar but City added a third when Manuel Akanji’s flicked header from Kevin de Bruyne’s free-kick was diverted into his own net by Militao, before Alvarez completed the rout with a neat finish.

City will play Inter on 10 June as they look to win the Champions League for the first time.

Who can stop Manchester City?

City have put themselves in a magnificent position to become only the second English club to win the Treble first claimed by Manchester United in 1999.

City look to have finally broken Arsenal in the Premier League title race and will be overwhelming favourites to beat Inter Milan, although the desire to keep this feat for themselves will provide fuel and inspiration for United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Guardiola’s side have somehow found ways to miss out on the Champions League in the past but the addition of Haaland’s sheer menace as well as more defensive steel makes it difficult to see how they will not find a way past surprise finalists Inter.

City made a Real side full of experience and quality look several classes beneath them in a first half that will be among the finest this stadium has seen, the dazzling interplay, fierce intensity and pace giving them a two-goal advantage that would have been far more but for the excellence of Courtois.

This night had a special atmosphere even before kick-off and victory will taste even sweeter after the pain of last season’s loss at the same stage, when City were almost in the final only to concede two stoppage-time goals and eventually go out.

The Champions League has inflicted various levels of anguish on City despite their domestic dominance but if they perform anything like this in Istanbul it is hard to see an efficient but unspectacular Inter side having enough to trouble them.

End of an era for Real?

Real should never be written off with their history of success but there was an end-of-an-era feel about the manner of this defeat.

The side who put Liverpool and Chelsea out of the Champions League with the minimum of fuss looked its age here as City ran the holders ragged.

Luka Modric was taken off and replaced by Antonio Rudiger just after the hour, the 37-year-old’s future at the Bernabeu uncertain, while even Karim Benzema, 35, was unable to pose his usual threat.

Real will refuse to stand still and the way they were outclassed here may only speed up the rate of change, with England’s teenage sensation Jude Bellingham looking set to arrive to supplement the next generation midfielders alongside Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Whether the great Carlo Ancelotti remains in charge will also be a point of debate with change often in the air if Real go a season without winning either La Liga or the Champions League.

Whatever the outcome, the Italian manager keeps his place in history as the only coach to win this tournament four times.

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