After the fifteen-minute break, both teams emerged from the tunnel with renewed energy, but something was clearly different in the body language of the City players. Whatever Pep Guardiola had said at halftime, it had landed. The Manchester City side came out sharper, hungrier, and more aggressive.
The second half kicked off with an immediate shift in momentum.
City pressed higher and pushed their fullbacks even further forward. The midfield trio tightened their grip on the ball, stringing passes together with renewed confidence. Kevin De Bruyne in particular looked like a man on a mission, dictating play from deep and pulling strings across the pitch.
