Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points from UCL Blockbuster

Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The game was an end-to-end spectacle which saw both teams dominate possession for large periods of each half, but ultimately a Sergio Aguero penalty was not enough to rescue the Citizens from elimination.

Was Alvaro Arbeloa deserving of a red card? Should the referee have given a penalty? Are these teams still classes apart?

Read on for more talking points.

Where to Now, Roberto?

Manchester City have failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages two years running.

Domestic form was never translated to the European stage as damaging away defeats to Ajax and Real Madrid robbed them of a chance to challenge for honours this season.

Why weren't the Citizens able to progress? It's a question well worth asking.

Everyone accepts they got drawn a horrendously difficult group, but with great spending comes great expectations. Dortmund and Madrid have expensive squads, but how do you explain two capitulations against a homegrown Ajax side?

What's Up, Cristiano?

In four of his last five games, Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to score.

He's not in danger of losing his ridiculous goal-to-game ratio or anything, but it's a certifiable dry spell that Jose Mourinho will be eyeing with a furrowed brow.

Ronaldo had his chances at the Etihad Stadium to break this unwanted run, but failed to beat Joe Hart on multiple occasions.

A trip to Betis awaits—can he exact his revenge on Los Beticos this weekend?

Was It a Penalty?

The decision that turned the tide in this game was the red card to Alvaro Arbeloa, followed by the subsequent penalty scored by Sergio Aguero.

But was it a penalty? With City surging into the box, It appeared Arbeloa didn't do too much wrong. He stumbled and the referee clearly believed he clipped the Argentine, but there's not a lot in it at all.

With it being potentially accidental, the referee doesn't have to give a red card either.

A real momentum-swinger here.

A Class Apart?

Despite billions of pounds invested, Manchester City still seem a long way short of Real Madrid.

Over the two games, Jose Mourinho's men were significantly better than Roberto Mancini's in almost every department.

Before Los Blancos went down to 10 men at the Etihad Stadium, they were absolutely dominating proceedings. David Silva was only able to play his game when facing one less player and Edin Dzeko still struggled despite the red card.

At the Bernabeu, City were clinging on for their dear lives for a 2-2 draw and eventually succumbed to a Cristiano Ronaldo strike.

Is it bad European form or a gulf in class?

Is It Destiny?

Jose Mourinho has only ever finished second in his UEFA Champions League group twice before.

With FC Porto, he finished second to Real Madrid. They went on to win the trophy. Years later, Internazionale finished just behind Barcelona. We all know what happened there.

Los Merengues have been obsessed with winning their 10th UCL title for decades now, and some would argue it's been a hindrance and a distraction.

Tonight, Mourinho finished second in his group for the third time. Will 2013 finally by the year for Los Blancos to celebrate?

Can Madrid win this season's edition?

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