Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino strike as Liverpool weather Manchester City’s early storm to progress

Rather than one of the Champions League’s great historic comebacks, we instead saw the effect of one of its great modern players - and maybe another great Liverpool season. Mohamed Salah displayed ice-cold serenity amid the searing heat of the Etihad to kill all of Manchester City’s energy and send Liverpool into the competition’s semi-final for the first time in a decade thanks to an eventual 2-1 win.

It won’t kill City’s anger in the time between rounds, though, as their rage about a series of decisions by Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz - and particularly the decision to rule out what would have been a key second goal just before half-time - even saw Pep Guardiola sent off.

READ MORE: Liverpool’s win over City in pictures

READ MORE: Pep sent off during bad night for Man City

With him, it seemed, went all of City’s momentum.

It would be far too much to say that was the story of the tie given the epic that the first leg was and how epically brilliant Salah again proved himself to be, but it was undeniably a juncture moment. It also afforded the Egyptian the space for such a special finish.

The great frustration for City - and something that will hardly ingratiate their supporters to this competition any more - was that they had seemed to be doing everything right.

Performing at an utterly frenetic pace, they had looked like they would blow Liverpool’s 3-0 first-leg lead away by just blowing Liverpool away.

It really looked like that would happen.

City even got the very early goal that is usually a fundamental requirement for such sensational recoveries, both to immediately embolden your own side and stadium and also create instant doubt in the opposition.

It was what Walter Pandiani did for Deportivo La Coruna to AC Milan within five minutes in 2004, what Luis Suarez did for Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain within three minutes last season… and what Gabriel Jesus did for City within two minutes here.

There was a game on. There was a chase.

There was then a City siege.

Liverpool themselves might have justifiably complained that a foul should have been given for Raheem Sterling’s challenge on Virgil van Dijk but something of a tone had been set by Sadio Mane’s high challenge on.

The match was marked by all manner of wild swings and tackles, and it said much that referee Mateu Lahoz had to start wielding yellow cards as early as the 30th minute, apparently to just calm the game down.

It couldn’t calm City down.

They were operating at a ferocious pace, driven primarily by the drive of Bernardo Silva. He was at the centre of every attack, either smashing the post with wicked drives, or offering precision to the game of pinball across the Liverpool goal that some of City’s forward play had become.

The only problem was that pace was always going to be unsustainable… so Guardiola’s side really needed another goal before it dropped, just to force the dynamic in their favour again.

They would argue they got it, but weren’t given it.

This is why that moment will be such a flashpoint.

That game of pinball led to Karius coming out for a cross, the ball bouncing around and ending up in the net through Sane - who was suddenly in front of the goalkeeper. That would have put him in an offside position, except the ball seemed to come off James Milner.

The argument was it should have stood, as Guardiola made all too clear to the referee. The referee directed him to the stands.

Guardiola evidently wasn’t taking his own early advice of slowing, as he so gestured to his players.

They couldn’t quite muster the same intensity, so the space suddenly grew for Liverpool incision. Mane surged forward and went down in the box along with many City defenders but, with everyone else on the ground, Salah again stood up. He also stood the ball up, divinely and decisively lifting it into the net.

That was it. All the pace was gone from City, the chase was over. Roberto Firmino was left to win the game, but the tie was already long won.

All of City’s speed, all of their intensity, had been so quickly killed by one of the Champions League fastest players. And maybe now this season’s best.

Cristiano Ronaldo has a rival. The defending champions Real Madrid have a rival. They are led by Jurgen Klopp and Salah.