Riyad Mahrez led Manchester City to a 3-0 victory against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday, securing City’s place in the final on June 3rd.
The Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez scored a hat-trick to help City end their run of three successive FA Cup semi-final defeats.
Mahrez broke United’s resistance with a penalty just before half-time and scored two more goals after the interval to complete his hat-trick.
Man City will face the winners of Sunday’s semi-final between Manchester United and Brighton in the final.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola was pleased with his team’s performance, especially after their midweek Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich. “We could not win in the past but today we performed,” Guardiola said. “All the guys who came in were perfect.”
Guardiola also praised Mahrez, who has been frustrated with his lack of playing time this season. “Riyad is grumpy with me all the time when he doesn’t play. He makes me notice. When he plays, he is there, which is most important. He is a big-stage player. I’m so satisfied for Riyad.”
City has now won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions and is chasing a memorable treble, with Arsenal in their sights in the Premier League and a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on the horizon.
“We are far away [from the treble], but after many years, winning so many titles, still we are here one more year in the latter stages of the big competitions,” Guardiola said. “The mentality of the club, not just the players, is there. This is why I like to be at this club.”
Despite their impressive form, Guardiola rested several key players for the semi-final, including Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Ruben Dias, and Phil Foden. City now turns their attention to their crucial clash with Arsenal on Wednesday.
With United one win away from promotion back to the Premier League, the semi-final at Wembley had a surprisingly low turnout, with a number of empty seats in the 69,603 crowd.
United fans briefly raised the decibel levels early on, but City dominated possession and eventually made the breakthrough just before half-time with Mahrez’s penalty.
Mahrez then added two more goals in the second half, with United unable to stem the tide. The victory means City are the first team to reach the FA Cup final without conceding a single goal since Everton in 1966.
