Manchester City qualified for the FA Cup final; thanks to Riyad Mahrez, and his three incredible goals against Sheffield United on Saturday April 22, which kept their hopes alive.
For most of the first half, United played better than Pep Guardiola’s team, but they lost 3-0. After taking a penalty late in the first half, Mahrez added two more.
City, which had lost their previous three FA Cup semifinals, still had too much for Sheffield United, who can focus on winning promotion from the Championship. Guardiola made changes to his team in advance of the crucial Premier League match against Arsenal next week.
Mahrez took over for a City team that had undergone significant change in response. Against Sheffield United on Saturday, Guardiola used the opportunity to rest Ederson, Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Kevin De Bruyne. In their absence, a player who had to wait for a chance stepped up at a crucial moment.
Mahrez, who hadn’t scored since February, was on the bench for both legs of Bayern Munich’s Champions League quarterfinal matchup. However, he got the call to play at Wembley, where he scored a hat trick to keep City on track for a treble.
The Algerian international’s magnificent solo effort for the second goal demonstrates the self-assurance of Guardiola’s team.
Despite the fact that they won the game comfortably and without much effort, Guardiola was unhappy with his team’s performance in the first half.
Now that City is in the FA Cup final, important players have been rested in preparation for Arsenal’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on April 26, 2023, which is likely to decide the Premier League title.
Manchester City are into the Semifinals of the Champions League and remain top choices to lift the trophy, and now they’ve booked a spot in the FA Cup final.
Only 12 games separate City from a place in history after eight months of a particularly hectic season. They want to accomplish something Manchester United did only once, in 1999.
Pep Guardiola’s greatest achievement in England would be to win the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup in a single season, despite all the awards he has won since arriving in Manchester in 2016.
When Mahrez scored City’s second goal early in the second half and all hope of a cup shock was lost, the Sheffield United supporters rose as one to chant, “The Blades are going up”. Barring an inexplicable collapse, they’ll have Premier League fixtures against City to look forward to next season.
The FA Cup Final is scheduled for Saturday June 3, 2023.
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