Manchester City 2-3 Liverpool :Sadio Mane scores twice to propel Liverpool to their first FA Cup final since 2012
Liverpool book their first FA Cup final spot in a decade with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City... with a Konate header and a brace from Mane proving enough - despite City almost completing a dramatic comeback.
It was over before it even started. When Kevin de Bruyne was injured in Manchester City's match against Atletico Madrid last week, it was game over. It was over when City's players, exhausted emotionally and physically, fought their way back up the tunnel at the end of the Battle of the Wanda Metropolitano, past the headbutts and fists, overcome by the relief and triumph of their two-leg victory.
It was over an hour before kickoff when Pep Guardiola named his team for this FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. When three of City's first-choice back-four were absent from the starting eleven, it was game over. It was all over when Fernandinho, a man who is starting to play like a midfielder and will leave at the end of the season, was chosen to hold the line. It was all over when Zack Steffen took over in goal instead of Ederson.
It was over when Guardiola sent out the unmistakable message that he was prioritizing the Premier League and the Champions League. He should bear no responsibility for this. City's squad is not as deep as Liverpool's, and while City may be able to compete it, winning the Champions League for the first time in their history has become their Holy Grail. Everything else is secondary.
City, on the other hand, was eager to demonstrate that they were still in the game, and they should have drawn even closer to Liverpool with 20 minutes remaining. Grealish poked a pass through to Jesus, leaving him alone with Alisson. The first time Jesus took it, he hit it too close to the goalkeeper, and it cannoned off his left boot and bounced wide of the goal. It was a crucial save. That's what happens when you choose your best keeper.
Liverpool had a chance to put the game out of reach a minute later when Oleksandr Zinchenko stooped to try to head the ball back to Steffen, but Mo Salah stole in. Salah expertly dinked the ball over Steffen, but it looped lazily.
As the game entered extra time, City scored a second goal. Riyad Mahrez, a Liverpool substitute, got past Robertson on the left flank and attempted to tuck his shot between Alisson's legs. The ball squirmed free and was chased down by Bernardo Silva, who slid it into an empty net. This set up a frantic finish in which Fernandinho hit the crossbar and Steffen made a last-ditch save from Roberto Firmino, but Liverpool held on.