So Manchester City – and especially Pep Guardiola – can breathe again.
Sacrificing the FA Cup may have been justified after all.
City are back in the driving seat for the two trophies that matter most – the English Premier League (EPL) and Champions League.
And most of their walking wounded appear to have recovered.
It took 53 minutes of slowly mounting tension before Riyad Mahrez bundled home the first of three goals in an ultimately comfortable win over Brighton.
But before he did, nerves jangled and the surrender to Liverpool was not far from the minds of most City fans.
For some, it was eating away at them.
For now, though, the debate continues: Pep “threw” the Cup semi but was he right to do so?
The 3-0 win over Brighton was some way short of a magical transformation, but at least it looked like the old City. Dominating possession, passing the opposition off the park.
The zip was back even if the goals had to wait. Amazing what three days’ rest can do.
But the question remains: was it really necessary to hand a place in the final on a plate to their arch-rivals?
And with it a possibly crucial psychological advantage for the other competitions?
The way Jurgen Klopp’s men roared to the top of the table against Manchester United the night before suggested they feel their moment has come.
Devils’ interim boss Ralf Rangnick described Klopp as having “25 Formula One cars” at his disposal.
Well, compared to some of the jalopies facing them, that’s a fair description.
Comparing the respective midweek performances of the two title contenders is always an inexact science.
City were more than roadworthy but were facing more organised opponents. It was all vastly different to the semi-final.
Not taking anything away from a vibrant Reds’ performance at Wembley, but City didn’t turn up.
Resting stars is something managers do all the time in the early rounds of inconsequential cups and, after the bear pit in Madrid, many of Pep’s stars certainly needed a rest.
But the tie against Liverpool was hardly inconsequential.
It was six days after City had made a big statement in the 2-2 draw that maintained their one-point lead and saw them become even firmer favourites to take the title.
Clearly superior to the Reds in the first half of that league game, if it had been boxing, most neutrals would have awarded City a points victory.
You also felt City may have secured themselves an edge not just for the next game with Liverpool but for a possible third – and the rest of the season.
The two could still meet in the Champions League final – a trilogy of head-to-heads.
But that edge was handed straight back when the team sheets were revealed in the Wembley sunshine.
City hearts fell to the floor and this after the herculean efforts both sets of fans had made just to get there thanks to the FA’s niggardly refusal to switch it to the north.
Pep was seen as being “at it again”. Overthinking and over-rotating. Seven stars on the bench! That’s what Jurgen Klopp had in midweek against Benfica.
The teams could hardly have had more contrasting quarter-final second leg experiences.
One was a stroll – despite Benfica’s goals giving a false closeness to the scoreline – whereas City were in a battle for survival.
But besides the mental side, the “surrender” revealed another brutally painful truth: Liverpool have a deeper squad than City.
The arrival of Luis Diaz has rejuvenated them, Sadio Mane, seen as possibly making way for Diaz, included.
The Colombian has been a revelation. Coming a season and a half after the surprise arrival of Diogo Jota, the aging front three have become an even more formidable front five, with Klopp making full use of the five substitutes rule to mix and match.
Losing three stars to the Afcon might have derailed a lesser team: Liverpool’s response was to win every single game they were missing.
And it is that positivity that we are seeing now in contrast to City’s surrender.
Thanks to stellar recruitment and the advancement of youngsters, the people’s club have more battle-hardened first-team players than the world’s richest.
Jack Grealish at 100m pounds was City’s only addition and he wasn’t really necessary.
What made you wonder if Pep really had miscalculated last weekend was how close City came to nicking it.
Despite Pep himself being stuck in his seat and not the normal demented seal parading on his slippery rock of a technical area, leaving subs till too late and no one warming up, they pulled two goals back.
And when the second went in with minutes to go, Liverpool wobbled.
But Pep looked as if he’d rather have anything than another 30 minutes of this torture.
But now after two midweek games, the picture has changed once again.
It’s down to a six-match shoot-out and City have both the point and an easier programme.
Indeed, if they beat Watford (Watford!) on Saturday, Liverpool will go into a Merseyside derby with a four-point deficit.
They will have 24 hours to think about that and Everton, buoyed by their stoppage time equaliser against Leicester.
Right now, Pep will feel justified in giving up on the Cup and may feel even more so by the weekend.
We won’t really know until one of them slips up and City have, on paper at least (Real Madrid compared to Villareal), the much tougher Champions League semi-final, the first leg of which is next week.
With Pep desperate to win both remaining trophies, there will be no more surrenders.
The jury is out on whether there should have been one at all.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.