Riyad Mahrez scored a Wembley hat-trick to keep Manchester City on course for the Treble.
Mahrez capped a momentous week in City’s bid for immortality by booking the Blues’ place in the FA Cup Final. Pep Guardiola’s men had already seen table-toppers Arsenal drop valuable points in their quest to take the title away from the Etihad.
And on Wednesday night, City booked a last-four Champions League showdown with Real Madrid by keeping Bayern Munich at bay in Germany. City didn’t look back after Mahrez had fired them into the lead on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot.
The Algerian then struck twice in the space of five second-half minutes to really put Paul Heckingbottom’s promotion-chasing Blades to the sword. City will face either Manchester United or Brighton in June’s final - and wouldn’t it be ironic if their bitter rivals grasped the chance to stop Guardiola emulating Sir Alex Fergusoon’s 1999 legends?
First up, it is Arsenal at the Etihad on Wednesday in a contest that could be decisive in the title race. After losing the last three semi-finals, Guardiola resisted the temptation to rest too many players ahead of City’s crunch with the Gunners.
He might have also been told that Sheffield United had beaten City in all four of their previous FA Cup meetings - and knocked them out of the competition 15 years ago with the help of a balloon that had blown onto the Bramall Lane pitch and into the eyeline of keeper Joe Hart.
Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Ederson were able to rest their legs on the bench, but Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva started. The Blades had been weakened by the unavailability of Tommy Doyle and James McAtee, the two City starlets who have helped put them within touching distance of the Premier League during their season-long loan.
The Championship side were game enough, but couldn’t lay a glove on a City team so intent on keeping the ball and controlling the pace that at times they enjoyed 80 percent possession. The Blades did get a glimpse of the champions’ chin in the third minute - but couldn’t find the power or precision to make it count.
Ollie Norwood’s corner was headed down by Jon Egan and Iliman Ndaiaye found himself with a clear sight of goal on the six-yard box. But the Senegalese international didn’t get a clean connection on his shot and Stefan Ortega saved with his legs.
The champions dominated possession without finding a spark of inspiration. But they knew their time would come. Then Blades striker Daniel Jebbison, defending his own box from a City free-kick, was tempted into taking a swipe at the ball in a bid to clear and connected with Bernardo Silva’s ankles.
It was a centre-forward’s challenge and a clear penalty. With 48-goal Haaland opting not to step up after missing from the spot in Munich, it was left to Mahrez to send Blades’ keeper Wes Foderingham diving one way as his shot found the opposite corner.
City continued to tease and torment the Yorkshire side without burning precious energy. Haaland couldn’t stretch enough to find the finishing touch after Gomez’s shot had been deflected towards him at the far post.
But Mahrez made the game safe on the hour with a brilliant goal. The dispossessed Max Lowe on the half-way line and with Jack Robinson and Egan fearing the Algerian was intent on putting Haaland in on goal, he just kept running.
A drop of the shoulder took Egan out of the game before his low finish gave Foderingham no chance. Five minutes later, Mahrez claimed the match ball. Jack Grealish drew a crowd of Blades defenders towards him on the left and then spotted Mahrez making a move into the box.
The winger simply marched onto the low cross and steered his shot into the far corner despite Foderingham getting a fingertip on the ball.
