Maybe Manchester City manifested the late drama, the angst, the outright anger. Not by giving away cheap free kicks or failing to take a glut of opportunities, hitting the woodwork twice, but in the joviality shared with Bernardo Silva during the days before this trip to Monaco.
City hadn’t been to the plastic principality since 2017, a ding-dong last 16 tie in which the teams shared 12 goals and Silva flourished months before moving to England. Pep Guardiola holds grudges and as they reminisced about that elimination in the week, he teased Silva – now captain – about Spanish official Antonio Mateu Lahoz helping Monaco’s cause with refereeing decisions over those two legs that clearly still hurt.