Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were both rested against Benfica, while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were second-half substitutes. The ability to rotate will prove to be absolutely essential as they are still chasing three trophies, but it also reinforced (again) what a brilliant job they've done in the recruitment department. Having taken the first leg 3-1 in Lisbon, he was able shuffle his pack for the return leg as they went through with a 3-3 draw at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp has built a formidable squad, and he was able to rotate for their second leg against Benfica with one eye on their FA Cup semifinal against City at the weekend. Liverpool's strength in depth is also paying dividends. The Croatian magician was exceptional against Chelsea and that ball with the outside of his foot to tee up the Brazilian's volley was an incredible piece of skill. Hamilton: Hands down, the moment of the round was Modric's assist for Rodrygo's goal. With the quality of Luka Modric and Benzema, there's always a chance. There are plenty of things to criticise about this team, but you can't fault their character and mentality. They were comprehensively outplayed by Chelsea for 75 minutes at the Bernabeu - just as they had been for an hour by Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 - before digging deep once again to go through 5-4 on aggregate after extra time. Meanwhile, Real Madrid's inexplicable run in this competition continues. But the brawl that followed the sending off (and reignited after the final whistle) robbed the game of any momentum, allowing City to progress 1-0 on aggregate. Atletico were on top at that point, and if they'd managed to score and level the tie you would have fancied their chances in extra time. It could have been three if Atletico Madrid had been a bit more clinical in the last 15 minutes against Manchester City at the Wanda Metropolitano, before the match descended into chaos with Felipe's red card. Kirkland: Two LaLiga teams in the semifinals: not bad for a league that's supposedly in decline. It is his 12th goal in nine Champions League games so far this season. The other big one for me, of course, is another special moment from Karim Benzema, who scored the decisive goal that sent Real Madrid to the semifinals.
He is still a young manager, so let's hope he learns from the mistakes he made this time around. Talking of punishment, Nagelsmann got it totally wrong as well with his comments after the quarterfinal draw was made and again before the match: He disrespected Villarreal and didn't take them seriously. And if you neglect your defensive transitions because you take the game for granted then you will get punished, and he did. Just because you field five forwards doesn't mean you will inevitably create a lot of chances and score many goals. Tactically, he was outsmarted by the Spanish manager. Laurens: I love how Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann got taught a lesson by Unai Emery and Villarreal, who beat them 2-1 on aggregate in one of the biggest upsets of recent years. What caught your eye from the quarterfinal second legs? Champions League: Results and schedule | Statistics Julien Laurens, Alex Kirkland and Tom Hamilton give their views on the big questions as just four clubs remain on the road to Paris. The Champions League semifinals are set after Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Villarreal made it through following a set of quarterfinal second legs that featured thrills, upsets, brawls and plenty of goals.
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