Arteta fails to beat Unai Emery at Villa Park
Xabi Alonso surprises City at Bernabeu. City won the match despite many struggles. Pep did many tweaks and changes during the 90 minutes, but Madrid’s midfield was firm and solid throughout the game.
Vini had an inferior performance; he did everything right except finishing. Haaland looked bland, did not stand out except for the penalty.
Cherki and Doku were flawless, not only in the midfield but especially in the attacking third.
Timeline
- 28’ GOAL! Rodrygo(Real Madrid): Madrid springs a quick break from deep as Bellingham drives through midfield. He slips Rodrygo into space on the left. The Brazilian darts into the box and drills a precise low shot across Donnarumma into the far corner to make it 1-0 at the Bernabéu.
- 35’ GOAL! O’Reilly (Manchester City): City hit back from a corner on the right, Gvardiol rising to meet the delivery and forcing Courtois into a scrambling save. The keeper cannot hold the header, and Nico O’Reilly reacts first to stab the loose ball over the line from close range for 1-1.
- 43’ GOAL! Haaland(Manchester City): A VAR-reviewed tussle in the box sees Rüdiger penalised for Earling Haaland down off the ball. The referee points to the spot. Haaland steps up, with trademark composure, and sends Courtois the wrong way.
Final Score: Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City
Tactical Breakdown
Real Madrid’s 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City was a high-level tactical duel, decided by details in both boxes. Xabi Alonso set Madrid up in a compact 4-3-3, looking to spring Vinícius and Rodrygo early in transition. While Pep Guardiola trusted his usual 4-3-3 possession structure. Bernardo Silva and Foden drift inside to overload the midfield.
Madrid started sharper. Their press forced City into rushed long passes, and one aggressive regain turned into the opener. Carreras stepped in, Bellingham punched a vertical pass, and Rodrygo drove inside to finish low across Donnarumma. It was Alonso’s plan in one move: win it deep, play fast into space, punish City’s high line.
City’s response came via set plays and smarter occupation of the half-spaces. From a corner, Gvardiol’s header wasn’t held by Courtois, and Nico O’Reilly reacted quickest to stab in the rebound. That goal shifted rhythm; City started pinning Madrid back, forcing the wingers deeper and disconnecting them from Bellingham .
The decisive moment was pure Pep-style manipulation. On another corner, Haaland and Rüdiger wrestled off the ball. VAR caught the foul, and Haaland calmly sent Courtois the wrong way from the spot.
From there, City’s midfield slowed the game, cycling possession, making Madrid chase rather than counter.
Alonso threw on Endrick and extra runners, and Madrid created late chaos. Rüdiger headed over, Vinícius sliced a volley, and Endrick hit the bar. But City’s compact 4-5-1 block in the closing stages held. In the end, Madrid had the volume of chances. City owned the key phases: set pieces, penalty-box discipline, and tempo control once ahead.
Standout Performers
- Rodrygo– Rodrygo was Real Madrid’s sharpest attacker, finishing calmly into the far corner after being released by Bellingham to give Madrid the lead at the Bernabéu. He constantly looked to run in behind and create, carving out chances with his movement and passing.
- Jérémy Doku– Doku was a nightmare for full-backs across both games, repeatedly isolating defenders and driving at them with pace and quick feet. He may not have scored, but he drew extra markers, opened lanes for teammates, and “took over” the second half in Madrid.
- Rayan Cherki– Cherki delivered the pure showcase performance, especially against Sunderland, where he dominated as City’s main creative spark. He stitched attacks together between the lines, showed off his full skill set on the ball, and laid on chances for others, with reports describing it as a “masterclass” that underlined why he is seen as a future star.
- Jude Bellingham– Bellingham had a mixed but still influential night versus City: he drove forward in transition and played the key pass wide to set up Rodrygo’s opener, but then wasted a big chance and grew frustrated as the game slipped away. He looked like Madrid’s main midfield driving force
- Thibaut Courtois– Courtois was at fault for City’s equaliser. What should have been a routine header from Josko Gvardiol straight into the path of Nico O’Reilly to tap in from close range. An uncharacteristic lapse for a goalkeeper of his level.
After that, he responded like a champion, producing an outstanding double save before half-time and ending the night with six stops, including important interventions from Haaland and Cherki that prevented the scoreline from getting out of hand.
Manager & Players Reaction
🚨 Xabi Alonso: “This bad streak will end, it will pass.
Everything passes in life.” pic.twitter.com/0EZePyuL2N
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) December 10, 2025
Xabi Alonso:
“This bad streak will end, it will pass. Everything passes in life.”
🚨🤍 Rodrygo: “We are with Xabi Alonso. We stand with him, many things are being said but are all lies”. pic.twitter.com/3VLi8tOLFK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 10, 2025
Rodrygo:
“We are with Xabi Alonso. We stand with him, many things are being said but are all lies”.
Stats
Real Madrid 1 : 2 Man City
▪ xG: 1.71 – 2.59
▪ xThreat: 1.33 – 0.86
▪ Possession: 51.5% – 48.5%
▪ Field Tilt: 40.1% – 59.9%
▪ Def Action Height: 41.7 – 44.3Donations https://t.co/nlgfzDqqrU pic.twitter.com/GJmkb4oFJt
— markstats bot (@markstatsbot) December 10, 2025
Fan Reactions
What is Happening to Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid makes me appreciate Xavi More.
Single handedly won us a League title at our worst and also laid the foundation for Hansi FlickTop Coach❤️ pic.twitter.com/nAMmQsUZtV
— Kay💧 (@Kaypoisson1) December 10, 2025
Conclusion
Real Madrid, after a long time, looked like Ancelotti’s Madrid. The fluid gameplay and midfield domination were pure class. City looked very dispassionate and unsynced. Courtois made a lot of saves too, which kept the scoreline.
Man City won the match on paper, but its a small win for Real for regaining the momentum. In the last couple of matches, they looked very vulnerable, which was not the case today.
