Manchester City defender Nathan Ake says the team will rally around goalkeeper Zack Steffen after his mistake gifted Liverpool their second goal in the 3-2 victory at Wembley.
The Reds booked themselves a spot in the final of the FA Cup and will face either Chelsea or Crystal Palace next month. An Ibrahima Konate header and Sadio Mane double secured the win, despite a late second-half comeback from Pep Guardiola's side.
Steffen came into City's starting line-up ahead of mainstay Ederson and Mane capitalised on an error to bag his first goal of the afternoon. The goalkeeper was far too casual in possession and the Senegal international pounced to send the ball into the back of the net.
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Speaking after the game, Ake shared how the dressing room responded to the mistake. He told the Manchester Evening News : "He’s a strong character. He knows everyone is there for him. Everyone can make a mistake - I’ve done it and everyone has done it in their career, for sure. It’s unlucky and the team is there for him.
“We're disappointed, it was a game of two halves. Very bad, and too slow in the build-up and too slow in the pressing - everything was behind them and we know how good they are.
“And then the only thing you can do is fight back. We said that to each other, and we should be proud of the way we came out in the second half. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t come back to draw the game. At half-time we knew we didn’t play well and had to change things. We did that in the second half, but in these kinds of games sometimes it’s too late.”
Liverpool have now reached their second domestic cup final of the season, having already beaten Chelsea to secure the Carabao Cup trophy back in February. They also have a Champions League semi-final against Villarreal to look forward to later this month.
