damaged Inter's hopes of progressing. The return leg was at the San Siro, but again Mancini was not helped by the ill discipline of his players, with Nicolás Burdisso being sent off in the 50th minute before Fernando Torres scored for Liverpool in the 64th minute to seal the tie 3–0 on aggregate. After being eliminated by Liverpool, Mancini wanted to leave after the season, but changed his mind the following day. In March 2008, amid rumours that he was to be sacked and replaced by Chelsea manager José Mourinho at the end of the season, Mancini announced his intention to step down at the end of the 2007–08 season. He rescinded this decision a day later after meeting with Moratti. On 29 May 2008, Inter Milan officially announced the sacking of Mancini. Moratti justified the sacking by pointing to Mancini's comments after the Liverpool defeat. He was replaced by Mourinho. Out of football Mancini was linked to the vacant Chelsea manager's position in May 2008 and then the same role at Notts County. On 30 October 2009, Mancini won compensation for his sacking by Inter. The contract settlement meant Mancini was actually unemployable by any other club from May 2008 to October 2009. It was rumoured that Mancini was entitled to a €16 million pay-off, but in the end, he reportedly settled for €5 million. Manchester City 2009–10 On 19 December 2009, Mancini was publicly revealed to be taking over as manager of Manchester City on a three-and-a-half-year deal following the sacking of Mark Hughes. With wealthy Emirati owners who were willing to invest heavily in the team, Manchester City had become a club expectant of success. Having been appointed halfway through the season, Mancini's arrival had an immediate impact on City's form, with four consecutive wins. Mancini won his first Manchester Derby over Manchester United 2–1 in a League Cup semi-final first leg. United won the second-leg 3–1, however, and eliminated City from the competition. In April, City moved into fourth place in the Premier League. On 5 May, however, a single goal defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur meant that City missed out on a Champions League spot. City finished the season in fifth place, their highest Premier League finish. There had been speculation that Mancini might lose his job if City failed to secure Champions League football, but chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak gave his support to