Jamie Jackson was at Wembley to see Manchester City reach their 12th FA Cup final. His report is in. Congratulations to City, commiserations to Sheffield United, and thanks for reading this MBM.
Pep Guardiola talks to ITV. “It was an excellent performance … we cannot forget three days ago drawing in Munich … it was a demanding game … it took a lot to be here … we suffered in long balls because they are a master of that … but we played a really really good game … with the quality we had, we did it … Riyad Mahrez has a special quality, a huge mentality, a competitor … scoring a penalty at the end of the first half was so important … for many years we are fighting for titles and still we are there … in one year you can win, two years, but six years, every year, of being there to win the title, the mentality of the club, not just the players, helps us to be here … it is an honour to be in the FA Cup final.”
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Riyad Mahrez speaks to ITV. “It is very good … but the most important thing is, for two or three years in a row we have come here and lost and didn’t play good … but today we really wanted to make sure we put in a good performance and get to the final … I think we had a good game and we are happy … the second goal was good because I was coming from far away … but I think it was a collective performance that was really good … we took the game really seriously … that’s why we are good, yeah? … it means a lot [to be in the FA Cup final] because we want to go as far as we can in every competition … now we have to concentrate on the league and the game against Arsenal.”
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Blue Moon rings around Wembley. Pep Guardiola smiles with quiet contentment before thanking Paul Heckingbottom for the game. Sheffield United gave a good account of themselves before the penalty that changed the course of the match; after City took the lead, there was only ever going to be one winner. The Blades will go home with feelings of pride and disappointment, but their season still promises much, with promotion back to the Premier League on the cards. As for Manchester City, the treble dream remains alive, thanks to Riyad Mahrez, who becomes the first player to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup semi-final for 65 years! A rare quiet day for Erling Haaland, but hey, nobody’s perfect.
FULL TIME: Manchester City 3-0 Sheffield United
Manchester City will face either Brighton & Hove Albion or Manchester United in the 2023 FA Cup final! The treble is still very much on!
90 min +2: Palmer again makes a nuisance of himself down the left, whipping a low ball across the face of goal. Foden should trundle in at the far stick, but strangely hesitates with the goal at his mercy. Perhaps he didn’t see the point in potentially clattering into the post, which with your team three up in added time, is fair enough.
90 min +1: An unsurprising but wholly deserved choice: hat-trick hero Riyad Mahrez is the Player of the Match.
90 min: Alvarez fizzes a low drive inches wide of the right-hand post. No matter. City are three added minutes away from the final!
89 min: City stroke the ball around elegantly, as they so often do. Their fans give it plenty, and why not.
88 min: Walker drives down the right and rolls infield for Lewis on the edge of the Sheffield United D. Lewis takes too long to decide what to do and is stripped of possession by Koulibaly.
86 min: Basham enters the City box from the right but can’t get past Laporte. He drops to his knees. Another claim for a penalty, but the heart’s not in this one either. We play on.
84 min: Alvarez takes down a right-wing Walker cross and slashes harmlessly wide right.
83 min: Palmer spins elegantly away from Basham down the left. He enters the box only for his low cross to be blocked by the sliding Egan. A half-hearted claim for handball is ignored.
82 min: Today’s attendance at Wembley is 69,603.
81 min: The very exciting prospect Rico Lewis comes on for Silva.
80 min: Ndiaye has the opportunity to release McBurnie down the inside-right channel, but Laporte is wise to the caper and intercepts.
78 min: A low rumble around Wembley. Post-match pint arrangements, no doubt, the tie having long been settled.
76 min: A triple-change for Sheffield United, as Ahmedhodzic, Berge and Baldock make way for Bogle, Basham and Koulibaly.
75 min: Gundogan makes way for Phillips.
74 min: Norwood is booked for a late lunge on an in-flight Palmer.
73 min: To their credit, Sheffield United continue to press and probe. Sharp has been lively since coming on.
71 min: This scoreline is a shame for Sheffield United, who haven’t played badly at all. Certainly they were highly decent in the first half. But … and this isn’t exactly breaking news or top-level punditry … this Manchester City team are good. Treble ahoy? Treble very possibly ahoy!
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69 min: Fleck is replaced by Sharp, who immediately tears down the left flank and looks for McBurnie at the far post. His low cross is missed by Gomez, but McBurnie is surprised to see the ball coming to him and can’t control, never mind get a shot away. Big chance for what would surely have been just a consolation, but would officially have signalled the start of a possible, if highly unlikely, comeback.
67 min: A double change for City, as Grealish and Haaland make way for Foden and Palmer. No 49th goal of the season for Haaland today … but Mahrez’s hat-trick is the first in an FA Cup semi-final since Alex Dawson scored one for Manchester United against Fulham in 1958!
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GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Sheffield United (Mahrez 66)
A hat-trick for Mahrez! Grealish dribbles at Ahmedhodzic down the left. He enters the box and rolls back for Mahrez, who opens his body and powers a sidefooted shot into the bottom right. City are coming back to Wembley!
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65 min: The pre-match song contest had been won by the Greasy Chip Butty. It’s all Blue Moon now.
63 min: Robinson and Egan were both caught in two minds there, and Mahrez took advantage brilliantly. The defenders caught between a rock and a hard place.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Sheffield United (Mahrez 61)
A glorious solo goal by Riyad Mahrez! He steals the ball off Lowe in the centre circle, then drives down the middle of the park. He’s got Haaland and Alvarez on either side, with Robinson and Egan stuck in reverse. He spots a big gap between the defenders, who are worried about the threat on the flanks. He strides through it, into the box, and slots across Foderingham and into the bottom right. Easy as that!
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59 min: Berge advances down the right and whips a cross towards the near post. McBurnie can’t get anywhere near it, and it’s an easy gather for Ortega.
58 min: Alvarez blazes wildly over, much to the nearby Walker’s displeasure. Then McBurnie comes on for the hapless Jebbison.
56 min: A bit of space for Gomez down the inside-left channel. He shoots. The ball takes a huge deflection, looping towards the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Robinson attempts to usher the ball out of play, but Haaland sticks out a telescopic leg and nearly pokes opportunistically into the bottom right. Side netting. Note to Robinson: do not fall asleep in the immediate environs of Erling Haaland.
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54 min: Mahrez knocks it to the far stick. Akanji gets too busy and concedes a free kick, releasing the pressure that had been building on Sheffield United.
53 min: Robinson’s loose header back towards his keeper gifts City a corner. Mahrez takes … way too long this time. But City recycle possession, and Gundogan has a shot from 25 yards. Deflected. A third corner from the right coming in any time now …
51 min: Walker has a dig from distance. Corner. Mahrez launches it long. Foderingham claims confidently at the far stick, and has the opportunity to launch long for Ndiaye and Jebbison upfield, but hesitates and the chance to set up a counter is gone.
49 min: Haaland, the small matter of a disallowed goal aside, has been pretty quiet so far. But now he turns powerfully into space down the middle before striding towards the United box and laying off to Mahrez on the left. Mahrez twists and turns but can’t get a shot away. For a second, though, Haaland looked prepped to shoot from distance, and the crackle of anticipation around Wembley was palpable.
47 min: A slow start to the half. City are two minutes closer to the treble.
Manchester City get the second half underway. Neither manager has made a change during the break. Incidentally, all three ITV panellists agreed that the penalty award was the correct decision. “Jebbison just got too excited,” said Roy Keane. “He’s got to slow it down. he was too keen, he got too excited and got punished for it.” Karen Carney added that “he did two pirouettes before he slid in and you can’t do that”, while Ian Wright simply wore a look of glum resignation as he considered the poor 19-year-old Jebbison’s fate.
Half-time mailbag, featuring those aforementioned conflicting opinions. “I can see why that penalty would be given in real time, but if VAR doesn’t spot the touch on the ball then what is the point of it? That was an understandable, but clear and obvious error by the ref” – Josse McMahon
“While that was about as clear a penalty as you’ll see, I can’t help but feel that it was unfair given the financial disparity of Manchester City and Sheffield United. At some point, if a club’s financial resources are many multiples of their opponent’s, they should only get indirect free kicks in the penalty box” – Kári Tulinius
“A little touch on the ball doesn’t necessarily mean a foul hasn’t also been committed. A foul in the area equals penalty. Probably offside in the build-up though!” – Chris Walker
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HALF TIME: Manchester City 1-0 Sheffield United
Sheffield United could easily be going in ahead. But the small margins have gone against them, and Manchester City have taken advantage as great teams so often do. As things stand, City will be heading back to Wembley for the FA Cup final.
45 min: There’s enough ambiguity about that penalty award to annoy Sheffield United. Jebbison definitely prodded the ball away from Silva … but he also clipped the player. Light contacts both, but VAR was never going to overturn the decision, clear and obvious, all that. You’ll certainly hear conflicting opinions about it, though. The internet, ladies and gentlemen!
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Sheffield United (Mahrez 43 pen)
Mahrez gives Foderingham the eyes, sending the keeper the wrong way as he whips the penalty into the bottom right. City lead!
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42 min: There’s a VAR check, because Jebbison brushed the ball with his toe while making contact with Silva. But the decision stands. Mahrez to take.
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Penalty for Manchester City!
41 min: Gundogan hits the free kick long. At the far stick, Silva can’t get a shot away. A fresh-air swipe. Jebbison misses a header, then kicks out to clear the loose ball. Silva goes over his leg and the referee points to the penalty spot.
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40 min: This isn’t so perfect, though. Norwood clatters into Mahrez out on the City right, and it’s a free kick in a dangerous area. Gundogan to swing it in as everyone lines up on the edge of the United box.
39 min: Walker scoops a pass down the right that nearly releases Silva, but Norwood drops back to slam the door shut. A perfectly timed challenge in the penalty box.
37 min: Alvarez channels his inner Ricky Villa and attempts to dribble his way through a crowded box. Egan blocks and clears, though there’s a brief claim for handball and a penalty. There’s no real conviction in it, though, and the referee’s not interested.
36 min: Grealish and Gomez take turns to probe down the left. The latter eventually crosses. Ahmedhodzic clears. City still haven’t given Foderingham any serious work to do.
34 min: City press forward but Grealish ships possession and Berge launches a counter. The ball’s slipped left to Ndiaye who, with Jebbison supporting, has an opportunity to race towards the City box … but dithers, allowing Walker to get back and nick the ball off him. A big opportunity comes to nought.
33 min: … but City win yet another corner, this time via Grealish down the left. Mahrez knocks long for Haaland, whose header goes straight up in the air and is easily cleared.
32 min: Mahrez’s cute backheel down the right releases Walker, who hammers a low cross towards nobody in particular. The ball’s deflected out for a corner. Walker berates his team-mates, none of whom showed for him there. Nothing comes of the corner.
31 min: Silva fashions space for a shot, 30 yards out. Only just, though, and he’s not got much time. A hurried shot dribbles through to Foderingham. Sheffield United will be very happy with the way they’re keeping City at arm’s length right now.
29 min: Baldock leaves one on Gomez in the 1993 style. Just a talking-to from the referee, though other officials might have flashed a first yellow of the match.
28 min: Silva dinks in a cross from the right. The ball takes a huge deflection off Norwood and nearly nestles in the bottom-right corner. Inches wide of the post. Foderingham then flaps at the resulting corner, but gets away with it.
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27 min: This corner’s a complete non-event as well. Mahrez’s delivery no good at all.
26 min: Silva miscontrols out on the right flank but rescues the situation by chasing after the loose ball and buying a cheap free kick from the clumsy Robinson, who hung out a lazy leg. Mahrez whips in, low and flat. Norwood eyebrows over the bar. Another corner coming up.
24 min: The corner is a complete waste of everyone’s time.
23 min: Foderingham gets to this one, though. Alvarez drops a shoulder to edge in from the left flank and attempts a curler towards the top right. The keeper palms around the post at the expense of a corner.
22 min: Walker tees up Mahrez just to the right of the United D. His attempted curler towards the bottom left sails well wide. Had it been on target, I’m not sure Foderingham was getting to it.
20 min: Another session of scrappy play.
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18 min: A simple long ball down the middle nearly opens United up. Mahrez and Haaland both race into the box after it, but Robinson steps in between them to clear, just in time.
17 min: Berge makes good ground down the right and fizzes a low ball through the six-yard box. There’s nobody there in red and white to slam home. The ball’s recycled out on the left by Robinson, who threads a weak shot towards the bottom left that’s easily gathered by Ortega. Sheffield United look dangerous when they get into City’s final third.
15 min: Haaland whistles a low drive into the bottom right from the best part of 30 yards. What a finish! Sadly for City, it’s not going to be his 49th goal of the season, because he’d clipped Norwood from behind to win the ball. A soft-ish foul, but the correct decision nonetheless.
14 min: It’s all a bit scrappy now, which will suit Sheffield United down to the ground. City haven’t quite hit their straps yet.
13 min: Grealish is seeing quite a bit of the ball out on the left. Probe, dribble, pass, probe. He slips back to Gomez, who crosses and wins a corner. Mahrez takes it long. Haaland fights for a header at the far stick but Egan wins this particular duel, albeit at the expense of a second corner. United deal with that one as well.
11 min: Akanji attempts to find Haaland down the middle with a long rake, but Egan reads the danger, stepping in to lash clear.
9 min: Despite that one big chance and the smaller half-chance for Sheffield United, it’s Manchester City dominating the early possession as you’d expect. Grealish and Gomez attempt to combine down the left but are forced to turn tail. Gundogan tries something on the other flank but Robinson isn’t letting him into the box. The pattern of this match is probably set.
7 min: Foderingham launches a long free kick. Jebbison flicks on. Ndiaye chases after the ball down the inside-right channel, and shoots wide from a tight angle. Akanji did well to get across and narrow the angle. But this is a determined start by United. The small margins, huh? Somewhere in the multiverse, the underdogs are two goals up!
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5 min: That early burst of action has got Wembley on a rolling boil. A wonderful noise. City try to calm things down with a little bit of possession.
3 min: Well that was breathless. More, please, both teams!
1 min 26 sec: Egan flicks the corner on to Ndiaye, free on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He’s got to score, but his shot, aimed for the bottom right, is palmed away by Ortega. Wow!
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52 seconds: But then United go up the other end, Baldock winning a corner off Gomes down the right. And from that …
18 seconds: Haaland very nearly gets in ahead of Robinson, but the ball is steered back to Foderingham. What a start that could have been!
Sheffield United get the ball rolling. A huge cheer of anticipation rings around Wembley.
The teams are out! Manchester City wear sky blue, Sheffield United their red and white stripes. Wembley bouncing, the sun streaming down, a wonderful atmosphere. A particularly lusty rendition of that glorious paean to bitter, fags and snuff, The Greasy Chip Butty Song. City fans meanwhile giving as good as they’re getting. An FA Cup semi-final, right here! We’ll be off in a couple of shakes.
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Pep talks to ITV. “It is the fourth time in a row we are here … we have lost the previous three … hopefully we can perform well today and reach the final … this is a special day at Wembley for supporters of both teams … it’s a beautiful sunny day … there is no more argument for us to do it … Sheffield United have the same style they had in the Premier League with Chris Wilder … they are really good … they’re a Premier League team, almost ready … semi-finals are special for both teams.”
Yes logo. Here’s the Manchester City crest as it was in the 1970s, spotted this afternoon on a random punter’s shirt down Wembley Way. It’s the best-looking rendition, accept no substitutes.
In the interests of balance, here are some Sheffield United supporters en route to the big game. Those shirts left and right giving off some serious 1993 semi-final vibes.
Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom speaks to ITV. “We want to enjoy the day … we’re in this competition alongside an exciting league competition as well, but we’ve tried to keep the two separate … we’ve come this far … we know how big the challenge is … we’re playing against a top-class team and a top-class manager … we know how hungry they’re going to be with what they’re chasing … but there’s no pressure on us today … it’s a great day for the players, the families, our supporters … we’re just determined to enjoy the game and we’ll be back to the day job on Wednesday night … we are not naive enough to think we can win this game with 11 players … our bench has to be big … we’re going to have to have moments without the ball that we’ll have to endure … but likewise we want to be big when we do have the ball … each of our attacking players need to pose their own threats … you have to acknowledge [Erling Haaland] is a world-class striker who lives and breathes goals … but with that comes a structure to how he wants to play … it’s one thing spotting it but another dealing with it! … we know where we will have to be cute and cautious … but we can’t put all our thoughts and energies into stopping one player … we’re going to have a big performance against every player.”
Manchester City make six changes to their starting XI in the wake of the 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich. Stefan Ortega, Kyle Walker, Sergio Gomez, Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez come in; Ederson, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri drop to the bench, while Nathan Ake is injured. Erling Haaland starts the match looking for goal number 49 of the season, after which anything is possible.
Sheffield United are coming off the back of a 1-0 win over Bristol City, and make three changes to their starting XI. Wes Foderingham replaces Adam Davies in goal, Daniel Jebbison leads the line in place of Oli McBurnie, and Oliver Norwood replaces Tommy Doyle, who is on loan from City and unable to play against his parent club. James McAtee, also a City loanee, sits this one out as well. The law, as administered by the Football Association, is an ass. (Joao Cancelo, to pluck an example from the ether, played for Bayern against City in Uefa’s Champions League on Wednesday night in exactly the same circumstances.)
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The teams
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Akanji, Laporte, Gomez, Gundogan, Silva, Mahrez, Alvarez, Grealish, Haaland.
Subs: Ederson, Dias, Phillips, Stones, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Foden, Palmer, Lewis.
Sheffield United: Foderingham, Baldock, Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson, Lowe, Norwood, Berge, Fleck, Ndiaye, Jebbison.
Subs: Davies, Basham, Clark, Bogle, Coulibaly, Arblaster, Brooks, Sharp, McBurnie.
🔵 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚔️
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 22, 2023
XI | Ortega Moreno, Walker, Akanji, Laporte, Gomez, Gundogan (C), Bernardo, Mahrez, Alvarez, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ederson, Dias, Phillips, Stones, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Foden, Palmer, Lewis#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/qUVG87hbje
Jebbison & Ndiaye lead the line. 👊
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) April 22, 2023
Here is your Sheffield United starting XI for today's FA Cup Semi Final. pic.twitter.com/mfs9G0j5mJ
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Preamble
Manchester City have won all four of their most recent encounters with Sheffield United, there’s little surprise in that. But none of those victories in the Premier League between 2019 and 2021 were Cityesque routs: 2-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0. Meanwhile the last time the clubs met in the FA Cup, this happened:
OK, so this is the best we can do to convince ourselves that the Blades have a puncher’s chance against Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasing team this afternoon. It’s not that the Championship promotion hopefuls aren’t in good nick: they’ve won six of their last seven games, and have already seen off Tottenham Hotspur earlier in their FA Cup run. It’s just that there’s good nick, and then there’s good nick: City have won ten of their last 11 matches, to the aggregate score of 37-4, and the other game was a 1-1 draw in which they were the bosses of Bayern Munich on their own patch. Can an unstoppable juggernaut be elegant? Yes, yes it can.
Wigan Athletic proved that City can be shocked back in 2018. United themselves will point to that aforementioned defeat of Spurs, as well as the last-minute goal at Wrexham that kept them in the competition back in January, a sign perhaps that their name is on the famous old trophy for the first time since 1925. City however want that treble, and the manner in which Bernardo Silva was talking after dealing with Bayern on Wednesday night suggests they’re not in the mood to let anyone get in their way. Will City take one step closer to their first FA Cup since 2019? Can United pull off a seismic shock and reach their first final since 1936? We’ll find out soon enough, after extra time and penalties if necessary. Kick-off at Wembley is at 4.45pm BST. It’s on!
