PEP GUARDIOLA always knew he was on a hiding to nothing by trying to ban all talk of the treble.
But he couldn’t have expected Riyad Mahrez to defy him so publicly a month ahead of schedule.
Mahrez turned a banana-skin semi into a pretty effortless stroll to the final by helping himself to a hat-trick without really breaking sweat.
And in doing so he edged City a step closer to bringing another glorious trio of trophies to Manchester in one season, nearly a quarter of a century after United did so.
A 40th minute penalty, an unopposed run from halfway and the most clinical of sidefoots meant Mahrez took the matchball home with him and the Blades headed north with nothing but memories.
As for City…well whether Pep likes it or not, after Arsenal’s hiccup on Friday and the Blades’ hammering, they are now no better than 2-1 to win the lot. Would you back against them?
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Beat the Gunners on Wednesday and they will be unbackable favourites to retain their Premier League crown.
Few outside of Madrid expect Real to dump them in the Euro semis, leaving only a Milanese opponent between them and a first Champions League trophy.
And with United sliding back into disarray, and Brighton still a world away from this level for all they are living the dream, will today’s opponents in the other semi seriously stop them in next months’ final?
All the Blades had to really look back on with any fond memories here was the fact they had the first chance, when Stefan Ortega blocked Iliman Ndiaye’s second minute shot.
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Let’s face it, if the Blades were to pull off one of THE great Cup shocks, they were never going to do it by trying to match City’s pinball-passing.
But there was no reason why they couldn’t go toe to toe for graft, even if trying to get the ball off City was like trying to nick a black pudding off a vampire.
Little wonder, then, that City – for all they kept the ball like a vampire with a black pudding – were finding it damned hard work to break through the Sheffield steel.
Time and again they pinged it around the Blades box, and time and again a defensive head or foot got there first.
The only time they did work Wes Foderingham in a bang-your-head-against-the-wall opening 40 minutes was a Julian Alvarez strike from the angled edge of the box.
Almost from that second, it pretty much became a question of when City would score, rather than if.
Yes, the Blades matched them for grit and graft – when does a Yorkshireman ever come off second best in either of those departments? – but never for skill or style.
Which is why it was particularly annoying that having produced such Sheffield steel until five minutes before the break, they gift-wrapped City’s opener.
When Ilkay Gundogan’s free kick curled over, Bernardo Silva swung a leg and totally missed…to mocking cheers from behind the Blades goal. They went too soon.
For, as Bernardo waited for the bouncing ball to drop, for reasons only known to him, Daniel Jebbison scythed the Portuguese playmaker’s legs for the clearest penalty you will ever see.
Referee Stuart Attwell certainly had no hesitation. The fact not even Jebbison bothered with anything beyond a token protest shows how blatant it was.
Indeed, the only doubt was over who would take it, Mahrez grabbing the ball, then Erling Haaland strolling over to ask if he could have a pop.
For once this season, the Norwegian came off second best in front of goal, as Mahrez stood firm, then drilled his spot kick into one corner, as Foderingham dived for the other.
Even when the gap was a solitary goal, you knew then that the Blades’ Cup crusade was effectively done. After an hour there really were no doubts.
Max Lowe tamely coughed up possession to Mahrez on halfway, and he faced nothing more than a backing off Jack Robinson and John Egan before clipping into the net.
Little more than a training ground attack versus defence kind of goal…and five minutes later a textbook example of finishing as he completed his treble.
Jack Grealish darted and danced on the left, before delivering the most inviting ball into the box – one which Mahrez buried with a first time sidefoot.
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The perfect end to the perfect day for both him and City. And, a month short of ten years since Wigan pulled off THAT great Wembley shock, a once bitten twice shy message to boot.
Romance of the Cup? This was more the pillaging and plundering of it. Bring on the Gunners….
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
