Real Madrid's grit key to LaLiga title push, Liverpool-Man City lessons, Man United's tough day, more

It was a weekend of drama and excitement across European soccer's top leagues as Real Madrid moved closer to a LaLiga title, Paris Saint-Germain closed in on another title, and Manchester City lost in the FA Cup semifinals.

- ESPN+ viewers' guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access

The biggest moments in the world of football are discussed by Gab.

It was a tough day for Man United, as well as for Real close on the title.

Real Madrid take giant step toward LaLiga title with comeback win at Sevilla

This is not a perfect Real Madrid. It is also a Real Madrid side that is 180 minutes away from a European final and is on the verge of winning their 35th LaLiga crown. They have a Ballon d'Or front-runner of a center-forward (Karim Benzema), a timeless creative pixie who pops up often enough to be a difference maker (Luka Modric), one of the most under-appreciated defenders in the game, and David

They have an experienced coach who is close to becoming the first man to win titles in each of Europe's Big Five leagues. They have the ability to meetabolise defeats and poor performances.

- WATCH: Real Madrid's remarkable comeback (U.S.)

- Sources: Real Madrid looking at free agent Rudiger

They were played off the park by Paris Saint-Germain in Paris and won the return leg by a score of 3-1. They got walloped at home by Barcelona in the Clasico and responded with a great performance against Chelsea. After losing at home against the same team, they turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory at Sevilla with a sterling second half.

It is hard to overstate how poor Madrid were on Sunday. Julen Lopetegui's crew took the game to them and raced to a 2-0 lead. The plan to replace Ferland Mendy with Dani Carvajal at left-back was a disaster. Eduardo Camavinga was not sent off for a second bookable offence because they were lucky.

Then came the break and the coach sent on Rodrygo for Camavinga. Talk about the shift. The first LaLiga goal of the season was scored by Rodrigo on an assist from Carvajal with his weaker foot. The sense of inevitability was set in even after the goal was disallowed. It felt as if it was just a matter of time when Madrid's other goals came late.

Sevilla's collapse was part of it. Real Madrid has turned things around enough times to know it is not an accident. The sense that they will get back into games is real and most of the time the opposition feels it. It becomes a prophecy when they can channel that sense.

Squad management matters as Liverpool brush aside Man City in FA Cup semifinal

The effects of fatigue are cumulative, so it is not unusual for one match to be influenced by what came before. The FA Cup semifinal with Manchester City was preceded by an extra day of rest and seven players were rested. City was put through the wringer to get to Atlante Madrid, but still had a long psychodrama to contend with.

- Olley: Liverpool firing on all cylinders

- Steffen's FA Cup howler: How social media reacted

- Highlights: Liverpool hang on to reach FA Cup final (U.S.)

It was known that Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan were only on the bench to make up the numbers, and it was also known that the FA Cup isn't quite a priority for him. There is nothing wrong with making choices. If it means Ruben Dias stays on the bench because he is coming back from an injury, he will be replaced by Zack Steffen, who plays in Cup games. Why not own the decision?

When the season started, City had two more players, but they didn't make any effort to add them. He rarely uses his full allocation of changes because he talks about overexertion of top players and the importance of introducing five subs in the premier league.

play

The FA Cup semifinals will feature a lineup choice by the coach.

On Saturday, we learned that a fit and rested Liverpool is better than a tired, reshuffled City. We also know that the inverse is also true. Few will remember this if only one of the targets is delivered on.

The victory came with a cautionary tale. They did not kill the game at 0-3 up. Alisson had to make two Alisson-esque saves in the second half as City pulled one back early in the second half. It's great to have confidence, but it can be dangerous. We saw a bit of it against Benfica on Tuesday. It's best not to take chances with margins this thin.

PSG on brink of title after win over Marseille ... and then the work begins

It may not feel like much, but Paris Saint-Germain are on the verge of winning Ligue 1 for the eighth time in 10 years, thanks to their 2-1 win over Marseille. You are not sure who will stick around in the summer when there are so many big changes.

The latest news and reaction from Gabriele.

The win was a good example of how things have gone for the club. We saw Messi, Mbappe and Neymar line up together and make magic, we saw some terrible defending for the equaliser, and we saw some terrible defending for the disallowed goal.

You think the club needs stability and clear thinking the most. It's only talent that can take you so far if you don't have it.

Chelsea leave it late to beat Crystal Palace and advance to Wembley

The FA Cup is all that's left for the Blues, so it's important that they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 to get a repeat of the League Cup final. It matters in terms of how they end the campaign and how much clout Thomas Tuchel has vis-a-vis the new ownership.

The second half of the FA Cup final was highlighted.

It made you wonder if the hangover from the Real Madrid game would cost them another trophy, as there wasn't much to cheer in terms of performance. They kicked up the work rate after the break and both goals came after forcing Palace errors. It should have been a third, but Romelu Lukaku's finish ended up on the far post, rather than in the goal, which sums up his season.

Juventus serve up another stinker against Bologna

It took a Dusan Vlahovic goal deep in injury time against nine-man Bologna for the Bianconeri to avoid defeat at home. Max Allegri talked about the importance of stepping forward in the table.

I think that is the problem. Playing well and being poor should give you a psychological boost. There was a lack of creativity, a lack of chances, and a general vibe of mail-it-in.

You can't explain away performances like this by citing unavailable players. The lack of creativity was down to a lack of patterns of play. It sometimes feels like he is counting down the days until the end of the season.

Gary Medel received two yellow cards for dissent for arguing about a penalty the referee was not going to give anyway, which was one of the dumbest sendings-off in recorded history. Medel is 34 years old, so much for the idea that age and wisdom always go hand in hand.

Ronaldo hat trick and three points the only things worth celebrating for Man United

play

Man United may still qualify for the group stage of the competition.

It began with a fan protest against the Glazer family, and ended with a hat trick by the Portuguese player. The 3-2 win confirmed many of the things we already know about this club. There were defensive errors, there was at least one David De Gea save that turned one point into three, and there was little cohesion and fewer still patterns of play.

The latter can be blamed on the manager. When you have to play a 4-3-3 with Bruno, Paul, and Jesse Lingard in the middle, it is likely to be disorganized. This looks like an end of season all-star XI, when voters cram in as many attacking players as possible. It would, if any of those three were having a good season.

At least until you remind yourself that their next game is away to Liverpool. The battle for the top four is still uphill and they have games against two other teams to come. The best thing you can do is to enjoyRonaldo while you can, and keep counting down the days until the announcement.

Bayern Munich can win their 10th straight Bundesliga title on Wednesday, but uncertainty remains

The win away to Arminia Bielefeld was not a professional victory, it was a win caused by the fact that they are several orders of magnitude more talented. It was not easy to bounce back from a painful elimination from the European competition, but despite a few more frights defensively, it was still possible.

The highlights of the win vs. Bielefeld.

It is obvious that the club are committed to him for another campaign, even though he was booed by the fans after the Villarreal game. How they handle the contract extensions of Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski will be fascinating to watch.

This is a club that can be ruthless, as we know, and they can be frugal as well. It is a sub-optimal situation for Nagelsmann because he will be leaving the decision to the numbers-crunchers. You wonder if he would be tempted to take a year of rebuilding with a different cast of characters instead of prolonging the drama another year.

Arsenal unlucky at Southampton, but they don't make their own luck, either ...

play

When things aren't going their way in games, the team needs more fight.

It's easy to conclude that the loss to Saints was an unfortunate one.

They were without Alexandre Lacazette, struck down by Covid, as well as Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney. They dominated the xG battle, conceded just two shots in the second half, and only scored thanks to a defensive blunder. You get beat if you add in Fraser Forster having the game of his life in the Saints goal.

That is one way to look at it. It doesn't mention how the Saints sat deep with a back five and gave the ball to the Gunners, almost daring them to do something with it. After the game, Mikel Arteta noted that his team didn't do enough.

Lacazette and Partey were missed, but people need to step up. Arteta said it was inexperience, but maybe the issue right now is more leadership because of the three straight defeats. It's still very much a race for fourth place. They need to be ready to seize it.

Haaland scores two as Borussia Dortmund run riot and throw in the kids

It makes sense for the club to give space to the next generation since the season is over and second place is all but guaranteed. Marco Rose brought on Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Youssoufa Moukoko, and Lion Semic in the 6-1 win over Wolfsburg.

Haaland is on fire as a team from the U.S. beats a team from the U.S.

It is always good to showcase what you have when your business model is to acquire gifted young talent and sell them on at a profit. This is a big summer for the team, and not just because Erling Haaland is almost certain to leave. It is easy to see an update coming this summer because of the players and the bigger clubs that want them. Use what is left of the season to make the best decisions possible, including what you want to do with the manager.

Spurs are poor, but they make life worse for themselves at the end

play

Spurs fell to a damaging 1-0 defeat at home to BRIGHTON.

Having won four league games in a row, and having climbed from seventh to fourth place, things looked set up nicely for Spurs ahead of their home game with Seagulls. They had taken one point from their previous seven outings, but they were coming off a big win away to Arsenal. They have nothing to play for. They want to show that they can set up properly and execute properly.

It is difficult to say whether Spurs underestimated them or whether they simply outperformed them. When he said "there are games that if you aren't going to win, you cannot lose" after the game, it was obvious that he had it right.

Conceding in injury time, rather than taking the point and fighting another day, is an obvious no-no. Being smart in this situation is not being conservative.

Sometimes your eyes deceive you ... or how Atletico Madrid got their 98th-minute game-winning penalty

This is the first time since 2008 that a goal has been scored late in a LaLiga game. The 10th minute of injury time was when the 10-man Atlante Madrid was trying to win the game against Espanyol. The corner came in and hit De Tomas. On his arm? On his leg? I watched the replay a dozen times, but I couldn't decide between De Tomas' leg or the replay. See what you think.

The referee and the VAR saw something I did not. The penalty was up stepped byYannick Carrasco and he converted it to give the team three points.

The elimination of the group stage of the competition did not have an effect on the race for a top-four spot. The City game at the Wanda was treated like a moral victory. After a slow first half, Diego Simeone sent on his attacking players and they got the attacking oomph he needed to equalize. The De Tomas was the one that did the rest.