wicked.football

Sadio Mane bagged two goals for Liverpool, while Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen had a nightmare in the Reds’ 3-2 victory at Wembley.

Ibrahima Konate put Liverpool in front with nine minutes gone, registering his third goal in as many games in the process. The Frenchman rose tall from an Andy Robertson corner to beat Steffen with his head.

And the Reds had a two-goal cushion soon afterwards. Steffen stood with the ball for way too long, allowing Mane to slide in and finish from just a yard out.

Liverpool looked confident for the rest of the half and made it 3-0 shortly before the break. Thiago and Trent Alexander-Arnold did well to keep the chance alive, before the Spanish midfielder chipped into the path of Mane. He stepped up to send a brilliant volley into the bottom corner.

Pep Guardiola’s side gave themselves some hope of a comeback early in the second half. Gabriel Jesus got away from Fabinho before playing in Jack Grealish, and the England winger fired into the top corner on his left foot.

Liverpool appeared set to reach the final but had a scare when Manchester City made it 3-2 in stoppage time. Substitute Riyad Mahrez did well to keep a chance alive before gifting Bernardo Silva a simple tap-in at the back post.

City pressed for a famous equaliser, although they weren’t quite up to it. Steffen nearly gave Liverpool another gift when failing to properly deal with a long ball, only to react quickly and stop Roberto Firmino from scoring a fourth for Liverpool.

The match ended 3-2 and that saw Liverpool reach the FA Cup final, where they will come up against either Chelsea or Crystal Palace.

City, meanwhile, are now relying on the Premier League and Champions League for success this campaign.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1)

Zack Steffen: A dreadful error from the keeper to hand Liverpool their second goal. Should have cleared his lines from Stones’ backpass but didn’t, giving Mane an easy finish. 4

Joao Cancelo: Had a huge task to keep the lively Diaz quiet and the Colombian got the better of him. Didn’t get forward to help with attacks like usual as he was making a rare appearance on the right side. 5

John Stones: Arguably the Citizens’ best defender at Wembley. Put in a fairly solid performance but ultimately couldn’t help City reach the final. 7

Nathan Ake: Didn’t have the leap or strength to beat Konate in the air for Liverpool’s first goal. Defended well for large parts, although that error was costly as it gave Liverpool the momentum from the off. 6

Oleksandr Zinchenko: Looked rusty at times, giving the ball away out on the left flank. Improved as the game went on and worked hard to keep Salah from scoring or even having many chances. 6

Fernandinho (C): Clever ball from the enforcer to send Jesus through in the build up to Grealish’s goal. Booked in the 56th minute for a late and aggressive tackle on Liverpool’s Mane. Got an assist, however Thiago and Keita got the better of him on the day. 6

Bernardo Silva: Given a deeper role alongside Fernandinho in the City midfield but this stopped him from having much influence in attacking areas. Lucky not to pick up a yellow card after a couple of late tackles in the first half. Then popped up with a late goal to hand City some hope of reaching the final, but they couldn’t quite do it. 7

Gabriel Jesus: Booked in the 27th minute for tackling Diaz from behind. Nice skill from the attacker to get away from Fabinho prior to setting Grealish up for City’s 47th-minute goal. Should have scored in the 70th minute when going through on goal, only to see his tame effort saved by Alisson. 7

Jack Grealish: Took his opportunity well, firing into the top corner with an effective first-time finish. Handed City a lifeline early in the second half. Got on the ball regularly in the latter stages, looking for ways to breach the Liverpool defence. One of his better performances in a City shirt so far. 8

Phil Foden: Failed to make a significant impact on the match and got crowded out by the Liverpool defence and midfield. 5

Raheem Sterling: Started up front but didn’t manage to trouble either Konate or van Dijk with his pace. A nice touch to send Jesus through on goal in the 54th minute, although his team-mate couldn’t finish. 6

Substitutes:

Riyad Mahrez (on for Jesus, 83): Worked hard to keep the ball in and then set up Silva for City’s second goal. 7

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Liverpool (4-3-3)

Alisson: Appeared nervous when in possession and was lucky not to give City a gift like his goalkeeping counterpart did at the other end. Good save to keep Jesus out after the break, then got the better of the Brazilian again in the 70th minute with a top one-on-one save. Demonstrated how important a goalkeeper can be in a semi-final, the complete opposite to Steffen. 8

Trent Alexander-Arnold: Clever link up with Thiago on the edge of the box in the build up to Mane’s second goal. And started the move off with a fantastic cross-field pass out to Diaz. Quiet day for the Englishman other than that, and he didn’t have too much defending to do either. 7

Ibrahima Konate: Always a threat from set-pieces and proved this again at Wembley. Towered above Ake to give Liverpool an early lead. Also kept the likes of Sterling and Foden quiet at the other end. 8

Virgil van Dijk (C): Showed great acceleration to catch Jesus up and stop the City ace from having a clear-cut opportunity in the second half. Reliable for the most part but did get caught on occasion. 7

Andy Robertson: Great delivery from the corner to set up Konate’s goal – pace on the cross meant the centre-back didn’t have to put too much power on it. Like fellow full-back Alexander-Arnold, didn’t have as much influence on the game as he would have liked. 7

Naby Keita: Did his job well alongside fellow midfielders Fabinho and Thiago. Managed to get the better of City counterparts Silva and Fernandinho. Subbed in the 73rd minute as Klopp decided to bring Jordan Henderson on. 7

“Mane can’t believe his luck!”#FACup #BBCFACup #MCILIV

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 16, 2022

Fabinho: Crucial in slowing down, or breaking up, City attacks whenever they began to build momentum. Hooked in the first half for catching Jesus as his fellow Brazilian ran down the right wing. A dominant and composed performance from the defensive midfielder. 8

Thiago: Oozed class whenever he got on the ball and moved Liverpool up the pitch with incisive forward passes. Played a nice one-two with Alexander-Arnold before setting up Mane’s volley with a nice chip into the forward’s path. 9

Mo Salah: Kept quiet for large periods as Liverpool mainly went through Mane and Diaz in the attacking third. Did have a big opportunity in the 72nd minute but could only find the side netting. 6

Sadio Mane: Pressed well to put Steffen under pressure and got his goal by sliding in to tackle the 27-year-old. Demonstrated brilliant technique to send his volley in the bottom corner, giving Liverpool a healthy lead. Picked up a yellow midway through the second half for a trip on Fernandinho – getting one back on the midfielder after his earlier challenge. A high-quality striker performance from the Senegal international, who was a constant thorn in City’s side. 10 – Man of the Match

Luis Diaz: Electric in the first 45 minutes, running past opponents with ease and showing some nice touches. Influence waned slightly as the match went on but still an accomplished display from the left winger. 8

Substitutes:

Jordan Henderson (on for Keita, 73): Liverpool skipper came on to shore things up in the centre of the park. Didn’t quite manage to do that the Guardiola’s men found a late goal. 6

Roberto Firmino (on for Mane, 84): N/A

Diogo Jota (on for Diaz, 84): N/A

Curtis Jones (on for Thiago, 87): N/A

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