George Ford stuck the boot into old club Leicester to send Sale to Twickenham and end 17 years of northern hurt.
Eleven months after helping Tigers to Premiership glory the England fly-half denied them a return trip with the coolest of heads in a red-hot battle.
In front of the biggest crowd ever to watch Sale at home, Leicester were 23 minutes from booking a repeat of last year’s showpiece against Owen Farrell’s Saracens.
