Pep Guardiola addresses possible Liverpool v Manchester City Champions League final clash

Pep Guardiola's Man City were beaten 3-2 by Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final


The City boss lamented an awful first-half at Wembley on Saturday as Jurgen Klopp's men beat them 3-2 to secure a place in the FA Cup final next month.

Having drawn both Premier League games 2-2 this season, the Reds went into the interval 3-0 up at the national stadium after Sadio Mane added a brace to Ibrahima Konate's third goal in as many games.

City responded with goals at both ends of the second half from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva, but the damage had been done as Klopp's men remained on course for all four trophies this season.

Asked if the impressive manner of the victory could give Liverpool the advantage in the race for both the Premier League and Champions League between now and the end of the season, Guardiola said that would only become apparent if the teams clashed in Paris for the European Cup on May 28.

"Well there are more chances when at the end of the season," Guardiola said. "It's just if both teams have reached the Champions League final. And then we will see what happens.

"Now there are seven games left in the Premier League and we know what we have to do. We will try to win the Premier League. Now we need to rest. Today is just another one and we go game by game to try and develop.

"We have Brighton and Watford and Real Madrid and we want to add another one. We will try everything and we will continue to go to the final, if not, we'll leave the competition."

He added: "Of course [the second half] is a positive thing, especially since the first half. I learned more from the first half than the second. We will learn more from that for the future. It was really good, our team and our 11 players were really good.

"And we lost because of the opening. We made a really good comeback and did everything we had to do. I think it was really good [in the second half].

"The first half was when we talked about what to do, we could not do it and for that reason, the emotion of the game and the first action when they arrived and scored the goal and then they scored the second, it is not easy to face Liverpool in that situation.

"In the end we defended really poorly from a throw-in, in that situation we switched off our play for the third one. In the second half, we gave everything. So in the end anything can happen in a football game and in the second half, it was 2-0, so we have to take the positive things from that."

City meet Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League later this month while Liverpool will kick-off their semi-final tie with a visit from Villarreal at Anfield on April 27.

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