Liverpool hold off City to reach FA Cup Final

Liverpool booked their place in the FA Cup final with a 3-2 win over Manchester City after having been 3-0 up at half-time as the Reds hunt for a potential quadruple.

Action: The Reds were ahead after just nine minutes gone in the game when Ibrahima Konaté scored his third goal in as many games as he beat Nathan Aké in the air to head past City’s cup goalkeeper, Zack Steffen. 

It wasn’t a good day for Steffen after his howler for Liverpool’s second. The 27-year old had the ball with Sadio Mané pressuring, yet the goalkeeper took far too much time. Mané tackled the ball into the net in what will go down as one of the more bizarre goals in FA Cup semi-final history.

Liverpool were good value for their lead though as they worked hard while City looked lethargic and second-best on everything. 

Mané made it three just before half-time after some neat build-up play between Thiago and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The ball was chipped over to Mané in space, and the Senegal international let fly with a shot that past Steffen at his near post.

During the break, Manchester City released a statement condemning a small section of their supporters who jeered during the pre-game (shortened) minute's survival for the 97 victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

City were shellshocked but came out roaring in the second half when Jack Grealish made the tie a contest once again. It was just 70 seconds gone when Grealish finished after good work from Gabriel Jesus. 

Pep Guardiola’s team couldn’t build on that momentum though, while tiredness surely an issue, and the Citizens only reduced the deficit further late on. 

©Getty / Justin Setterfield

It could have been 3-3 just seconds later. Virgil Van Dijk had to be on hand to deflect Fernandinho’s effort over the bar in stoppage time. 

But Liverpool managed to hold on and give Jürgen Klopp his first FA Cup final and end City’s hopes of a treble while keeping their own dreams of a quadruple alive. 

Chelsea and Crystal Palace will face each other tomorrow to decide who Liverpool will face in the final.

Man of the Match: Sadio Mané's work ethic made it 2-0 while his powerful strike just before the break proved to be the winner and it would be hard not to name him MOTM – although Thiago deserves plenty of credit for his fine performance in midfield.

Jürgen Klopp's post-match comments: “I am absolutely proud. The first half was one of the best we have ever played. We did all the right stuff, scored in the right moments, an incredible game in the first half, I really loved each second of it.

"The second half started with a goal for Man City and then it opens up, they quality of City is insane. We respect the quality of City so much, it is so difficult to win against them, but because it’s these boys in my dressing room, we have a chance! We don’t use it as a statement, we just wanted to goal to the final.

"The quadruple talk, I cannot believe. We beat the best football team in the world, and that’s a pretty special moment.”

Pep Guardiola's post-match comments: "We gave everything after a tough first half. For the first goal, the set pieces they are very, very strong. The second was an accident. Difficult to come back but they did it perfectly in the second half...

"...Our momentum was there in the second half. We had the chances to equalise. It was a difficult fixture because we came from somewhere like only we know where we came from, with games we had and the last five or six days days away and people with the problems. The guys put in a lot of pride in the second half.

"It was not a question of tired. They were more tired in the first, football is not about the tiredness it is about what you do and how it works and how you play.

"We finally have one or two days off. We know we have seven games and the Champions League, we are going to try to push and see what happens."

A first FA Cup Final for 🔟 years for @LFC 👏#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/G0Tzta76Am

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 16, 2022