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MIAMI — Jimmy Butler conjured a dazzling 56-point performance as the Miami Heat came from behind to shove the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks to the brink of elimination from the NBA play-offs Monday, while LeBron James led an overtime rally to give the Los Angeles Lakers a commanding series lead over the Memphis Grizzlies.

In an electrifying battle at Miami's Kaseya Center, Butler all but single-handedly led Miami to a 119-114 win that leaves the Bucks 3-1 down in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.

In the Western Conference, the second-seeded Grizzlies are also staring down the barrel of an early play-off exit after the Lakers claimed a 117-111 victory to take a 3-1 series lead.

James finished with 22 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists and grabbed a game-tying driving layup with 0.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

James then marshalled the Lakers superbly in overtime, scoring four points to put the Lakers in sight of the conference semifinals.

But the performance of the day came in Miami, where Butler's 56-point haul was the joint fourth-highest individual scoring total in an NBA play-off game ever.

Only Michael Jordan (63 points), Elgin Baylor (61) and Donovan Mitchell (57) have scored more in a postseason game.

Milwaukee, who welcomed Giannis Antetokounmpo back into their lineup after a two-game injury absence, had looked to be cruising towards victory after leading from the opening seconds and keeping Miami at arm's length throughout.

'Complete team effort' 

Milwaukee led by 14 points early in the fourth quarter and seemed to be poised to square the series at two games apiece after a ruthless shooting performance from Brook Lopez, with Antetokounmpo providing scoring support.

But Butler led an astonishing late 13-0 run to transform the contest and with the crowd roaring him on, scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to leave the Bucks shellshocked in defeat.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra saluted Butler's basketball intelligence.

"He's one of the most intelligent basketball players in this association," said Spoelstra.

"He understands what we're trying to do and he understands what they're trying to do — and they're a very good team."

Butler said his solo masterpiece was the result of a "complete team effort."

"I know everybody sees the 56 points, but if my team-mates aren't looking to get me the ball, or setting great screens, where I can get to my right or my left or the free throw line, this game's a lot different," Butler said.

"A lot of shots went in tonight. But my team-mates kept feeding me the ball and telling me to attack. When you've got teammates like that, good things happen."

Crucially, Butler's haul included 22 points in the first quarter, a burst of scoring that helped Miami stay just in touch.

Lakers leave it late 

No other Miami player broke 20 points, with Bam Adebayo the next highest Miami scorer with 15 points. Only two other Miami players cracked double figures.

Lopez finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds while Antetokounmpo made a triple double on his return with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

"We had our opportunities in the fourth quarter but we didn't make enough plays at either end, and they did," said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, whose team must now win game five in Milwaukee on Wednesday to stay alive.

In Los Angeles, the Lakers also left it late before subduing a resurgent Grizzlies in overtime.

Memphis looked well-placed to level the series after opening up a seven-point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

But the Lakers' D'Angelo Russell reeled off three straight three-pointers to turn the game around and give the hosts a 99-97 lead.

A frantic final few minutes saw Memphis take a 104-102 lead with just seconds left on the clock after a sensational behind-the-back pass from Ja Morant set up Desmond Bane for a running layup.

But James conjured his game-tying drive to force overtime and the Lakers tightened up defensively to close out the win.

"We had a next-play, refuse-to-quit mentality," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. "I'm so proud of the way we 

fought.

"We had moments in the game that weren't too pretty. But we just kept chipping away, didn't get discouraged and didn't fall apart."

Ham reserved special praise for the leadership of the 38-year-old James down the stretch.

"All of his travels, all of the phenomenal things he's accomplished, he still has that passion, that grit to be on top," Ham said. "And that's what you saw... that's who he's been his entire career."

Bane led the Memphis scoring with 36 points while Morant finished with 22.

LOS ANGELES — The Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies bounced back to level their respective NBA play-off series’ with crucial victories on Wednesday, as Jamal Murray delivered a 40-point masterpiece to give the Denver Nuggets a commanding 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Top seeds Milwaukee shrugged off the injury absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to thrash the Miami Heat 138-122 to tie their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series at 1-1.

In the Western Conference play-offs, Memphis also overcame the loss of a star player — Ja Morant — before grinding out an attritional 103-93 win over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Arguably the performance of the night however came in Denver, as the Nuggets’ Murray poured in 40 points in a 122-113 victory over the Timberwolves. Denver, the No.1 seeds in the West, now lead the series 2-0.

It was the latest milestone in Murray’s long road back from a serious knee injury. 

The 26-year-old point guard missed the entirety of the 2021-2022 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair torn knee ligaments in April 2021.

Denver looked to be cruising to victory after leading 64-49 at half-time before a 40-point Minnesota third quarter turned the game on its head to leave the Timberwolves up by two.

But Murray and Michael Porter Jr. combined for 23 fourth-quarter points to seal Denver’s victory. 

“It was a passionate, heartfelt performance,” Denver coach Michael Malone said of Murray’s display. “Just the fact that he’s missed the last two postseasons, just to have him back, and playing at that level — Jamal overall was terrific.”

Murray was almost outshone by Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, who finished with 41 points in a losing effort.

In other games, Xavier Tillman scored 22 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in the Grizzlies’ win over the Lakers.

A bruising game saw the Lakers’ Anthony Davis suffer a cut on his right eyelid while James was drawn into a verbal back and forth with Memphis’s Dillon Brooks.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points on the way to a 59-44 halftime lead as the harried Lakers failed to find a way to get their offense firing.

Davis blocked five shots in the first half but connected on just one of nine shot attempts. He finished with 13 points on four-of-14 shooting.

James led all scorers with 28 points and Japan’s Rui Hachimura added 20 to become the first Laker to score 20 points off the bench in back-to-back play-off games since Magic Johnson in 1996.

But unlike in game one, there would be no late resurgence from the Lakers, the Grizzlies absorbing the Lakers’ second-half push.

Jaren Jackson Jr., the newly named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, scored 18 points, Desmond Bane added 17 and Brooks chipped in 12. Tyus Jones, starting in place of Morant, added 10 and eight assists.

Tillman said the Grizzlies will summon a “road-warrior mentality” for game three of the best-of-seven series in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Brooks made no apology for trash-talking James.

“I don’t care — he’s old,” Brooks said of the 38-year-old James. “I poke bears.”

The Milwaukee Bucks barely noticed the injury absence of Greek star Antetokounmpo as they crushed the Miami Heat to level their series at one game apiece.

With the talismanic Antetokounmpo missing after suffering a lower-back contusion in Sunday’s game-one defeat, the Bucks delivered a balanced offensive effort to overwhelm Miami.

The Bucks led from early in the first quarter and never looked back, sprinting out of reach after outscoring Miami 45-27 in the second quarter to lead by a whopping 81-55 at half-time.

Milwaukee kept the scoring up in the third quarter, extending their lead to 36 points at one stage to make victory a formality.

Brook Lopez led the way for Milwaukee with 25 points while Jrue Holiday added 24 points as no fewer than seven Bucks players finished in double figures.

“All season long guys have been in and out of the line-up, different guys have been stepping up and having those moments,” said the Bucks’ Bobby Portis, who finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. 

“Play-offs is all about moments, and we’ve got guys capable of having those moments. We’ve just got to keep it rolling,” Portis added.

Milwaukee did severe damage from outside the arc, shooting an astounding 25-of-49 from three-point range to tie an NBA play-off record.

LONDON — Rodrygo scored twice as Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday, completing an emphatic 4-0 aggregate win against Chelsea that ends a disastrous season for the London club.

The home team, with Frank Lampard back in the dugout for a second spell, came into the match at Stamford Bridge with form and history against them.

They started brightly but rued a number of huge missed chances that would have heaped pressure on the defending champions.

The Spanish giants made Chelsea pay for their profligacy when Rodrygo scored in the 58th minute after a speedy counter-attack and he made it 2-0 with 10 minutes to go.

“We suffered a lot and helped us stay at 0-0 at the end of the first half,” Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti told BT Sport. 

“Second half we were much better and scored the two goals. We are happy to have qualified.”

Chelsea, the 2021 European champions, have now lost all four of their matches since Lampard returned to the club as caretaker boss earlier this month in place of the sacked Graham Potter.

Lampard, who also managed the club from 2019 until early 2021, bemoaned his team’s profligacy.

“We played really well for 60 minutes,” he said. “We created chances but you have to take them.”

The former Chelsea midfielder said his men must find motivation from playing for the club as they contemplate a bleak final few weeks of the season.

“You’re playing for Chelsea,” he said. “So regardless, every game you play you have to give everything. I won’t let anyone off the hook and we have to show. That standard cannot drop.”

Ancelotti stuck with the same team that won the first leg 2-0 last week while Chelsea caretaker boss Lampard restored Reece James, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante to his line-up.

Roared on by an expectant crowd despite their current woes, the home side made a good start against the 14-time winners.

Chances

They had a glorious chance to take the lead but Kante skewed his left-foot shot wide from about 12 yards.

The visitors, content to bide their time, looked sharp on the break.

Midway through the opening period Rodrygo created space for himself and thumped an effort against the outside of the post from an acute angle while Luka Modric tested Kepa.

But Chelsea should have been ahead on the stroke of half-time when James fizzed a ball across the box from the right and it fell to Marc Cucurella at the back post.

The defender took a touch and shot but Thibaut Courtois came flying out of his goal to save.

Kante had another golden opportunity to take the lead early in the second half but his close-range effort hit Eder Militao and deflected away to safety.

Real took the wind out of Chelsea’s sails with just over half an hour to go, when Rodrygo scored from close range after an assist by Vinicius Junior.

Lampard made a number of attacking substitutions, bringing on Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk in a desperate bid to get back into the match.

But Rodrygo found the net again in the 80th minute, tapping home after a clever assist from Federico Valverde.

Real Madrid will likely play Manchester City in the semifinals, with Pep Guardiola’s team 3-0 up against Bayern Munich after the first leg of their last-eight tie.

Former Chelsea boss Ancelotti is chasing a record-extending fifth win as a coach in the tournament.

But Chelsea, used to winning silverware over the past two decades, are contemplating the final stretch of a horrendous campaign despite a staggering spend of more than £500 million ($621 million) in the first year of the club’s new ownership.

Trophyless this season, they are languishing in 11th in the Premier League and look unlikely to qualify for European football next season.

BERLIN — When Erling Haaland takes the field for Manchester City on Wednesday in Munich, the Norwegian will face the club who tried to sell the farm to buy him but failed. 

Bayern’s late first-leg capitulation in Manchester means the six-time winners need to overcome a 3-0 deficit to make it through to the semis. 

Not only must Bayern do so against Europe’s form team, but they need to somehow find the goals that the toothless front-line have lacked in 2023.

Midway through the second half at the Etihad, Bayern, 1-0 down after a Rodri wonder goal, were dominating possession and had carved out several chances, but failed to put any away.

Then, in a six-minute period, the brutally efficient Haaland showed what Bayern were missing up front, setting up a goal and then scoring another to put City on course for the semifinals. 

While Haaland’s flurry likely sunk Bayern’s Champions League hopes then and there, the seeds for their struggles were planted late last season, when the German champions tried and failed to sign the Norwegian.

‘How good is Haaland?’

Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was not alone in his desire to sign Haaland, but his open courting of the Norwegian put noses out of joint, particularly that of star striker Robert Lewandowski.

In 2021, a clip emerged of Salihamidzic on the sidelines of a Bayern-Dortmund clash, speaking with an assistant coach after Haaland scored twice in seven minutes. 

“How good is Haaland? He’s a machine. I’ll call his agent tomorrow.”

In that match, Haaland had given Dortmund a 2-0 lead, Bayern fought back to win 4-2 — thanks to a Lewandowski hat-trick. 

Bayern were willing to tear up their carefully constructed salary structure to sign the Norwegian in the summer of 2022. 

Lewandowski’s camp said the striker felt slighted by the German club’s failure to offer him a longer-term deal, with Bayern seemingly distracted by their pursuit of Haaland. 

Lewandowski had scored more than 40 goals for Bayern in seven straight seasons, scoring a remarkable 344 goals in 375 appearances. 

Ultimately, Bayern’s wandering eye cost them both Haaland and Lewandowski. 

Haaland — who later said he “felt sorry” for Lewandowski, calling Bayern’s treatment “disrespectful” — left the Bundesliga altogether. 

After Lewandowski’s signed with Barcelona, then Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann sought to spread the Poland striker’s goals across a dynamic front line. 

While the approach had immediate effect — Bayern scored 26 goals in their first six competitive matches in 2022-23 — the goals dried up.

Nagelsmann reverted to backup central striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who again gave Bayern a focal point as the ‘Stoke City reject’ produced the best form of his career to score 17 in 28 matches. 

Choupo-Moting however looks set to miss Wednesday’s encounter with back problems.

14 goals in six games

Despite a history of scoring against Bayern — Haaland has six goals and two assists in eight games against the Bavarians — Tuesday’s 3-0 victory was the striker’s first win against the German champions. He lost seven from seven with Dortmund. 

Since moving to City, Haaland has been spectacular, smashing records on the way to scoring 47 goals in 40 appearances. 

Coming into Wednesday’s clash, the Norwegian has somehow managed to up his form, with a scarcely believable 14 goals in his past six games. 

Bayern have eight across the same period, four of which came in one match against a wilting Dortmund.

Big-name signing Sadio Mane has not scored since October and is returning from a one-match suspension for hitting Leroy Sane in the face after the first-leg loss to City. 

Instead, Serge Gnabry will likely lead the line, the same Gnabry who said in November he did not consider himself a striker “but it’s better than sitting on the bench”.

MADRID — Under a fortnight ago, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly picked up the phone and called Blues great Frank Lampard to come back and try to steady the ship, with the team in shambles.

In another world, it might have been Carlo Ancelotti on the line to the American.

Instead Ancelotti returns to Stamford Bridge dug-out strictly as an opponent, representing Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg clash on Tuesday.

It was Madrid president Florentino Perez who brought the Italian back for a second stint at the helm, after Zinedine Zidane walked away again in 2021.

Ancelotti’s Madrid picked off the Blues in the first game, carving out a 2-0 lead through Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, and they could have added further goals as they controlled proceedings.

At the other end former Chelsea duo Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rudiger made important saves and blocks to leave Lampard’s side empty-handed.

Ancelotti’s return to Chelsea evokes warm memories of one of the finest ever Premier League sides, which he led to the club’s first ever league and FA Cup double in 2010, halcyon days in stark contrast to the Blues’ recent slump.

The Italian’s Chelsea side featured big characters including Didier Drogba, John Terry, Michael Ballack and Lampard himself, and they racked up 7-0, 7-1 and 8-0 triumphs at the Bridge as they strolled to domestic glory.

Chelsea’s current hodgepodge of players lacks both the leadership and quality of that group, as was laid painfully bare in their defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu last week.

“I am sad, yes,” said Ancelotti before that clash. “I have a fantastic memory of this club, of the people that are still working there. 

“I’m a supporter of Chelsea, of course, because I spent two really nice years there.

“I think and I hope Lampard will be able to do a fantastic job with them.”

It was a generous line from Ancelotti, but the Italian will hope his coach is nowhere near as magnanimous on Tuesday under the lights in London.

Ancelotti was let go by then-owner Roman Abramovich in 2011, ending his brief but memorable two-season spell in charge.

Safe hands

Madrid are aiming to win a record-extending 15th Champions League, defending the title after their triumph over Liverpool last season, and looked streets ahead of the 2021 victors in the Spanish capital.

Despite not being first choice — or second, or third — for the job, Ancelotti was chosen as a safe pair of hands and also helped Madrid lift La Liga last season too.

Like Zidane before him, is showing excellent man management is a vital skill for Los Blancos coaches — although not the only one, as he was at pains to point out.

“I am ‘fantastic’ at managing but there are other things, because this team is well-trained,” said Ancelotti before the first leg. 

“If we win the Copa del Rey, we will have won every title possible in two years and there are teams who won’t win that in their whole lives.” 

Ancelotti has kept squad players like Dani Ceballos, Nacho Fernandez and Asensio both hungry and helpful, with the latter netting again at Cadiz at the weekend. Most of them, anyway.

Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard has remained a fringe presence and his former fans will hope not to see him on Tuesday — if the Belgian appears, it will mean Madrid have clinched progression and the key players are getting rested.

“The door is open and it’s up to us to kick it open further,” said Lampard after the first leg defeat, angling for a comeback.

It will be music to Ancelotti’s ears, with his team so lethal on the break against desperate sides and the coach wise enough to play to their strengths.

The 63-year-old has lifted the trophy six times, twice as a player, and four times in the dug-out, recently observing he is approaching his 1,300th game as a coach.

His experience and stability are in stark contrast to Chelsea’s haphazard project, and on Tuesday they may help him highlight chasms where he once left silverware and memories.

MIAMI — Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat caught fire down the stretch to beat the Chicago Bulls 102-91 and reach the NBA play-offs on Friday, as the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder to book their postseason berth.

Miami, smarting from a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, clinched the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final seed to set up a meeting with the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks starting on Sunday.

Minnesota, meanwhile, will face Western Conference top seeds Denver in the first round of the play-offs after a comprehensive 120-95 blowout of Oklahoma City.

While Minnesota romped into the postseason, Miami’s clash with Chicago went down to the wire before Butler, helped by the three-pointers of Max Strus, secured victory for Erik Spoelstra’s team.

Butler put up 31 points, a tally matched by Strus who shot 7-12 on three pointers, including a crucial 26-foot jumper with 1:14 left that put Miami 96-91 up.

For Strus, who grew up as a Bulls fan in the suburbs of Chicago and was released by them before joining Miami, it was a sweet night.

“It’s huge. It doesn’t really matter who we’re playing — we had to win this one, no matter what. It was win or go home and we’re not done yet.

“So we want to keep playing and it’s good to get that one. But it does feel a little bit better against them, I’m not gonna lie,” he said.

Strus secured the win with three free throws after he was fouled by Alex Caruso as he tried to make a throw from the corner.

The Heat had been 14 points up in the first quarter but a 12-2 run from the Bulls in the third levelled the game up at 56-56.

A Zach LaVine dunk then put Chicago up for the first time since the opening basket of the game and three three-pointers early in the fourth from Coby White ensured the Bulls were 90-87 with three minutes to go.

Wolves down Thunder

But then Butler and Strus took control.

Butler was fouled while making a lay-up and then Bam Adebayo, who grabbed 17 rebounds, sank two free throws after he was fouled by Nikola Vucevic to make it 93-90.

Butler set up Strus for a three pointer before he then made sure of the victory from the free-throw line.

The Heat had found themselves in the elimination game after losing their opening play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks and faced the prospect of being the first divisional winner not to make the play-offs.

“I don’t think any of us felt any type of pressure. We went out, we competed, we played the right way, corrected some things, and did what we were supposed to do,” said Butler.

DeMar DeRozan top scored for the Bulls with 26 points and nine assists. 

There is little time for Miami to savour the victory, however, as their play-off series against the Bucks begins in Milwaukee on Sunday.

“Man, it’s going to be tough,” said Butler, “But I think we got a shot. A really good shot at that. As long as we stick together. I’m telling you, we’re a really good team and we’re going to go out there and play,” he said.

In Minneapolis, the Timberwolves put their team’s recent turbulence behind them to demolish Oklahoma City.

Minnesota finished the regular season in disarray, with teammates Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson involved in a sideline punch-up in their final regular season game last Sunday.

Gobert was subsequently suspended for Tuesday’s play-in defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, but returned on Friday to contribute 21 points in a convincing victory.

Minnesota led by as many as 29 points at one stage in the fourth quarter and were up by double digits for most of the second half.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves scoring with 28 points while all five starters finished in double figures.

MADRID — Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio struck for Real Madrid as they dominated 10-man Chelsea and opened up a 2-0 Champions League quarterfinal first leg lead on Wednesday.

The record 14-time winners and reigning champions eased to a comfortable win against Frank Lampard’s side, who had Ben Chilwell sent off in the second half for pulling down Rodrygo Goes as he ran through on goal.

Benzema netted from close range after 21 minutes after Kepa Arrizabalaga tipped a Vinicius Junior effort into his path. 

Despite controlling the game, Madrid had to wait until the 74th minute for their second, with Asensio drilling home from the edge of the box after a short corner routine.

In a battle between the last two Champions League winners, Madrid demonstrated their strength with an impressive display, while Chelsea showed why they are struggling in 11th in the Premier League.

“We are satisfied with the result, for the performance but it’s not over yet, we have to fight, to sacrifice for another 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“We are satisfied only for tonight, it’s not over yet. We know Chelsea will try to [give] everything next week.”

Ancelotti, who coached Lampard at Chelsea between 2009-2011, relied on veteran midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to pull the strings.

Lampard, in his second game at the helm since replacing Graham Potter last week, threw Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante straight into the starting line-up after injury worries.

Kante shone against Madrid in the 2021 semis as Chelsea beat them en route to winning the trophy for the second time, and his performance was one positive for Lampard.

The French midfielder slipped on-loan Atletico striker Joao Felix through at the start, but he fired at former Chelsea stopper Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid fans had shown their support for Fede Valverde before the game, after he allegedly punched Villarreal’s Alex Baena on Saturday, and he nearly rewarded them with a piledriver which flew narrowly off-target.

“For me he was the best player on the pitch, he put in a lot of energy,” said Ancelotti.

“He was impeccable at recovering the ball.”

Benzema, who netted a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge last season and scored the goal which sent Madrid through against the Blues in the second leg, tapped home his sixth goal against Chelsea to open the scoring.

Dani Carvajal lofted a tempting ball over the top and although Kepa got his fingertips to Vinicius’s effort, Benzema was left with a simple tap-in. 

Chelsea almost produced an instant equaliser but Courtois made a stunning save to deny Raheem Sterling from close range.

Madrid toyed with their opponents, penning them back in their box for large stretches, with Vinicius, Rodrygo and David Alaba going close.

Blues blows

Chelsea have struggled badly for goals this season and after their early chances, found it difficult to build in attack.

The Blues have not scored in their last four matches across all competitions for the first time since 1993 — and their only pure striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not registered to play in the Champions League.

“The last bit is sometimes confidence,” said Lampard. “If you work, keep going, something can change.

“No player doesn’t want to score a goal, sometimes they need support, confidence and a push in a positive way.”

Chelsea’s uphill struggle was made harder before the hour mark when Chilwell tugged back Rodrygo as he ran through on goal and was shown a straight red card.

A difficult evening was compounded when Asensio squeezed an effort through Fofana’s legs and into the bottom corner to double the hosts’ advantage.

Benzema might have netted another in stoppage time but headed off target after Kepa pushed a cross into his path.

Antonio Rudiger made a good block to thwart Mason Mount late on to ensure his former side could not take anything positive into the second leg.

“We’re 2-0 down against Real Madrid, that’s a fact now, that’s done,” said Lampard.

“[But] we’re in a different place now, we’re in a place to prove things wrong, change the tone, change the story.”

Chelsea host Madrid next Tuesday, with the winners facing Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the semifinals.

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Erling Haaland scored his 45th goal of the season as Manchester City took a commanding 3-0 lead over Bayern Munich from their Champions League quarterfinal, first leg on Tuesday.

Rodri and Bernardo Silva were also on target for the English champions, who took a giant stride towards finally conquering Europe for the first time.

Victory was sweet for City boss Pep Guardiola as he came up against his former club for the first time since leaving Bayern for Manchester in 2016, but he warned that the job is not yet done.

“I’ve been three years there and I know in Europe this team is special. To knockout these type of teams you have to make two good games not just one,” said Guardiola.

“I know exactly what we have to do there, They are capable to score one, two, three goals. We have to do our game with huge personality.”

City also partially settled a Champions League score with Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, who beat Guardiola’s men to lift the trophy as Chelsea manager in the 2021 final.

Tuchel was appointed less than three weeks ago by the German champions with one eye on this tie and he believed his side deserved more.

“I try to not allow my players to focus on the result because it is not the deserved result, it does not tell the story of this match,” said Tuchel.

“I’ve seen so many good things that I refuse to just focus on the result. You may say ‘that’s not Bayern’ but I was very proud on the sideline, we were courageous and showed the right character.”

City fought off interest from Bayern among other European giants to win the race to sign Haaland a year ago for nights like this and the Norwegian played his part in a clinical performance.

Haaland uncharacteristically fluffed his lines with the first big chance of the game when his weak shot was straight at Yann Sommer.

At the other end, City were grateful to a brilliant block from Ruben Dias to prevent Jamal Musiala putting Bayern in front.

Rodri then showed the forwards how it is done as the Spaniard took aim from long range on his weaker left foot and curled a sumptuous shot into the top corner on 27 minutes.

City turn the screw

Bayern picked up Sommer in the January window as an emergency measure after Manuel Neuer’s season was ended by a skiing accident.

The Swiss international proved the value of that move with a number of vital saves to keep Bayern in the tie, starting with an outstretched leg to deny Ilkay Gundogan.

But Bayern were made to regret not making their bright start to the second period count.

Leroy Sane twice came close to haunting his former club with powerful efforts that were beaten away by Ederson before Matthijs de Ligt and Kingsley Coman had headers from close range blocked by desperate City defending.

Instead, City turned the screw in the final quarter to take a potentially decisive lead to Bavaria next week.

Haaland showed there is more to his game than goals with a perfectly weighted cross for Silva to head in City’s second 20 minutes from time.

Sommer then produced a fine stop low to his left to turn Julian Alvarez’s shot to safety.

But City were not to be denied their third and Haaland his goal as he stretched out a telescopic right leg to turn John Stones’ knockdown beyond Sommer.

Alvarez fired another effort inches wide and Sommer needed finger tips to turn over Rodri’s header as City went in search of a final flourish.

But Bayern will need one of the Champions League’s all-time great comebacks in eight days’ time if City are to be denied a third consecutive semifinal.