There were just a few minutes in that second half when you believed it might happen, weren't there?
Everton had set up to try and block out Man City as much as possible and midway through the second half they had been pretty successful with that tactic.
Sure the visitors were dominating possession, but any clearcut chances were few and far between. In fact, at the other end, Carlo Ancelotti's side were just trying to press their opponents with a little more verve and intensity.
The longer the game went on at 0-0, the more there was the belief that the Blues might just be able to pull off something special.
But, in many respects, it's the hope that kills you in the end.
Man City brought on Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne in the closing stages of the game and eventually the quality just shone through.
There was nothing young Joao Virginia in the Everton goal could do as first Ilkay Gundogan and then De Bruyne himself secured a 2-0 victory for the visitors – seeing them through to yet another semi final.
Up to a point, the performance from the hosts should still be highly commended.
There was a clear strategy in place for Everton to try and get something from this match and for large portions they stuck to it well, making very few mistakes against a side who have looked so imperious at times this term.
The effort levels were right up there from everyone on the pitch which, let's be honest, hasn't been the case in previous defeats at Goodison Park.
It's no shame to be beaten by a squad as good as Pep Guardiola's Man City are but, just as with the loss to Chelsea a little earlier this month, that doesn't stop some sense of disappointment sinking in.
In this case, of course, it's worse in a respect. This result has knocked Everton out of a cup competition once again.
The inevitable nature of this well-oiled City machine is an experience that many across Europe have had to deal with over the course of the last few months. At times they've looked like they can't be stopped.
This wasn't one of those occasions, it has to be said. The visitors weren't at the peak of their powers and they had to grind out this result, but the win is theirs all the same.
Sometimes, a battling display such as this one can only get you so far and Everton found that out on Saturday evening.
Sometimes you need a little bit of luck. Sometimes you need to have less injuries to key players heading into the game. Sometimes, you just need that little extra bit of quality in the big moments.
Unfortunately, this time around, Everton just didn't have that.
The frustration of being out of another cup competition still rings true, of course but it's tinged with a strange feeling that there was not much else the Blues could honestly have done.
Sometimes, you just come up against a strong team – a side full of champions who know how to win games even in these sorts of circumstances.
Everton will turn their focus back to the Premier League now and it just makes their upcoming matches after the international break all the more important.
Finishing in Europe was always a priority, but now it is the singular aim. It is unavoidably imperative that they achieve this now.
There was just that brief spell in the second half of this game that they might pull something off, but unfortunately it wasn't to be.
Defensive strength
Ancelotti said he would set up a bit differently for this match.
"It has to be different because of the league game," he declared.
"It is true we competed but the fact that it is a knockout it will be a different thought about the game. We have prepared a different strategy and I hope this strategy is going to work."
That transpired to be a five-at-the-back system, with the returning Yerry Mina coming straight into the centre of a defensive trio with Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate either side.
That left Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne as wing backs in a position that seemed to suit each quite well throughout, and a flat midfield three behind the two strikers.
It was a little different in terms of formation than Everton has set up against other “big six” sides in the past this term, and for a lot of the match it proved to be effective.
Mina was taken off after 18 minutes of the league fixture between the two sides last month, and this game makes you wonder how much of a difference his presence could have made on that occasion.
Guardiola was keen to highlight the Colombia international's danger on set pieces as a factor before the game, but it was the centre-back's influence in his own box which really stood out across the 90 minutes.
At some points in the game it seemed that whenever City fired a ball into the middle, it was right onto Mina's head to clear.
He was mopping up any ball in behind that the visitors were attempting too, making a number of blocks to make sure Virginia had a relatively quiet match behind him.
Ben Godfrey's display also deserves a lot of recognition.
The summer signing from Norwich City has regularly proven himself to be one of Everton's best players across the course of this season and this was no exception.
He showed great pace on numerous occasions to get back into key areas and make important blocks and tackles at crucial moments, not least when chasing Raheem Sterling all the way back on a counter attack to make sure the winger didn't have any sight of goal.
And, in the second half, he showed off his great tackling ability once again, seeing Phil Foden in a little bit of space on the edge of the box before clearing out the player and winning the ball with a fantastic timed challenge.
All in all it was a strong defensive display from the Blues for the most part, which is what makes the 2-0 defeat seem a little bit unfortunate.
Mason Holgate showed off strong leadership once again, Coleman and Digne were effective in their attempts to get back if not be allowed to provide in their usual manner at the other end of the pitch.
The five-at-the-back system ultimately did work in a defensive sense, it just didn't quite allow for enough to happen at the other end of the pitch.
Strength in depth
Ultimately, much of the game came down to either side's strength-in-depth.
City brought on Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne as the game was winding to a close and they were pushing for a winner.
You wouldn't have been surprised to see them starting the match in normal circumstances. They're regular starters under Guardiola and are both huge reasons why City are in the position they are in the Premier League.
While the visiting bench was full of that calibre of star, Everton's was unfortunately less so.
Ancelotti might not have wanted to focus on the players he was missing before the beginning of this game but there's no question that their absences eventually had a factor in proceedings.
Josh King was cup-tied and so the reason behind his absence was understandable and always set to be a factor, but injuries elsewhere were massive aspects.
Abdoulaye Doucoure, James Rodriguez, Jordan Pickford, Robin Olsen – these are crucial players for Everton to be missing.
Bernard was also not involved in the squad, while it was perhaps a surprise to see both Tom Davies and Michael Keane only among the substitutes.
Whereas City could call on Premier League champions to come off the bench and win them the match, Everton's options were largely limited to youngsters.
Two goalkeepers were on the bench, both of them without senior appearances for the club to their name.
Tyler Onyango, Kyle John and Nathan Broadhead were also among the substitutes. Good players in their own right, of course, but not enough to come on and win a match such as this one.
Ultimately, that was a clear deciding factor.
Man City's huge amounts of money spent means that they clearly have a lot of quality on the bench to call upon in situations like this. There's a reason they're still in for a potential quadruple at this stage of the season and the Blues aren't.
Ancelotti might not have wanted to focus on it, but injuries were undoubtedly a factor here.
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