For one night only and rising to the occasion

It was always going to be about tonight. Or for me it was. And that doesn't mean I didn't think we could beat Liverpool, it was that it was going to be tough and you would have to have been a brave person to have predicted we would secure fourth ahead of the kick off yesterday by beating Liverpool.

And it turned out we didn't. But we have made it a little harder for Spurs. Had we lost, a draw for them tonight would have made Sunday very interesting. But now they must win.

And even though Spurs have to beat Manchester City and most of us will probably think Manchester City will win, it's a final for Spurs. If they win tonight and because of our form the past few weeks, they'll believe they have a chance. If they win tonight. 

But here's the thing, after the performance last night and now that we have a proper rest ahead of Sunday, I feel a little more confident that even if Spurs do pull of the surprise result of the season, we will have enough to secure fourth, either by drawing and Spurs not putting seven or eight past Sheffield United or us winning.

Last night showed me we can, when running on empty, rise to the occasion and it could be that we need to do that one more time. It could be, I'm not saying it is. But if it comes down to Sunday, I'll be a wreck.

But I don't see Manchester City losing tonight. That is a fairly big statement to make I know, but I just don't see it. But I also saw us getting to the final and I was wrong on that, even if I kept that view to myself. And we all know football is a funny old game, so if it does come down to the last game of the season, that is what was meant to be.

And regarding that, we're in fourth place because we deserve to be over 37 games. Think about that for a second. And we have managed to get to fourth place at the same time as getting to the semi-finals of a European competition. And with a squad of injured players.

There are so many positives to take from this season and while we would all feel quite deflated if we didn't finish fourth, that disappointment would soon wear off when we put things into perspective. But it's within touching distance now. It's there. We can all see it. Almost touch it.

Tonight is a massive game. I'll be supporting Manchester City for one night only, but it will be with a bottle of red. Are you with me?