Liverpool produced a devastating first-half performance at Wembley then survived a Manchester City fightback to beat their Premier League title rivals 3-2 and advance to the FA Cup final.
Six days on from the thrilling 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp’s team appeared to be cruising into the final after scoring three unanswered goals during a one-sided first half as Sadio Mane scored twice after Ibrahima Konate’s early header.
But Manchester City rallied after the break, reducing the deficit almost immediately when Jack Grealish fired home from a Gabriel Jesus pass, with Bernardo Silva then setting up a tense finale when he slid home from close range in the last minute of normal time.
Liverpool were indebted to Alisson for keeping City at bay before that, the Liverpool goalkeeper twice denying Gabriel Jesus, while at the opposite end Zack Steffen, picked in place of Ederson, was badly at fault for Mane’s first goal, when the 30-year-old charged him down, and his second, when his volley beat him at his near post.
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According to SkySports, Liverpool’s victory, jubilantly celebrated by the red-shirted fans who made the trip to a sun-drenched Wembley, ended City’s treble hopes and kept their own dream of a quadruple alive after their Carabao Cup triumph earlier this season.
Klopp’s side will face either Chelsea or Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on May 14 and they will also hope the win gives them a psychological edge over City as they head into the Premier League run-in separated by a single point at the top of the table.
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