Riyad Mahrez's hat-trick has helped Manchester City beat Sheffield United 3-0 to book their place in the FA Cup final this evening.
A first FA Cup semi-final hat-trick since 1958 from Mahrez stole the show as City sealed their place in English football's showpiece occasion, where they will face rivals Manchester United or Brighton & Hove Albion.
In a comfortable day's work for Pep Guardiola's side, a late first-half penalty calmed the nerves, before Mahrez added another two early in the second half, as the Premier League champions cruised to victory.
A sixth successive FA Cup semi-final defeat for Sheffield United should not dampen spirits too much though, as Paul Heckingbottom's side still look likely to be promoted from the Championship.
There was some pressure on City in the build-up to this clash, as their poor record at this stage of the competition is well documented, having reached the semis in the last five seasons, but progressing only once.
That pressure was intensified by how the early exchanges went, with the underdogs having a huge opportunity inside two minutes, when Iliman Ndiaye was denied well by Stefan Ortega in the City goal.
Had Ndiaye scored, a VAR review may have ruled him offside, but it was an early scare for the 2019 winners, who struggled to break down the Sheffield United rearguard for much of the first half.
The Blades had some promising openings on the break but were wasteful when getting into the final third at creating opportunities.
The game swung heavily in City's favour when Daniel Jebbison's wild swipe on Bernardo Silva saw Stuart Atwell point to the spot without any hesitation late in the first half.
Mahrez had missed three of his last six penalties, but he tucked this one away comfortably, sending Wes Foderingham the wrong way, finding the side netting expertly.
With the task already looking ominous after going behind, the game quickly got away from the Championship side early in the second half, when some Mahrez magic put the game beyond doubt.
On the hour mark, Mahrez collected the ball inside the opposition half and drove straight at the Sheffield United defence, who parted in front of him being distracted by the supporting cast, leaving space for the Algerian to wander into the area and remain composed to beat Foderingham for his second.
Just minutes later, Mahrez completed his hat-trick, ghosting in among many defenders to receive a pass from Jack Grealish and fire first time beyond Foderingham, who got a strong hand on the shot but failed to keep it out.
In a typical City style, they managed the game brilliantly, keeping the ball and running the clock down, as Sheffield United failed to register a shot in the entire second half, as the game finished 3-0.
Today's win marks the first time Man City have beaten Sheffield United in this competition at the fifth attempt, and by keeping a clean sheet, they have become the first team since Everton in 1965-66 to reach the final without conceding a single goal along the way.
The wait goes on for Sheffield United who have not reached an FA Cup final since before the Second World War, and have not won a game at Wembley since their only success in this competition 98 years ago.
Attention now turns to another crucial encounter for Man City, as they host Arsenal at the Etihad in a potential Premier League title decider on Wednesday.
Sheffield United could have promotion secured by next weekend if they can pick up results against West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End this week.
Andrew Delaney
