Manchester City 3-0 Sheffield United (Mahrez 43′ pen, 61′, 66′)
WEMBLEY STADIUM — Sheffield United, able to string four or five passes together for the first time in what seems like an age, lose a tussle in midfield and Riyad Mahrez breaks forward.
To one side, Erling Haaland makes his run; Julian Alvarez dashes down the right. Both attract Sheffield United defenders, who fan out to cover the options. So Mahrez strolls down the middle like a burglar who cannot believe that the front door has been left unlocked.
Ten seconds after the goal (of course Mahrez scored – he scored before and after this goal, too), a secret message goes around one end of Wembley and they begin to chant: “United. United. United.”
It ceases only because they moved onto something else: “The Blades are going up.” If you can’t beat them – and richer, better teams than Sheffield United cannot beat them – you might as well concentrate on yourselves.
There is no way to say this without being deeply patronising, so here goes: Sheffield United supporters genuinely just seemed happy to be here. They will soon likely confirm their presence in next season’s Premier League – that is the real quiz. This was a chance to gather together and celebrate the season, not the likelihood of upsetting Manchester City.
And meet and chant and sing they did. There was a beach ball and balloon atmosphere on Wembley’s west side. The greatest moment of the afternoon came not on the turf but all round it on one side.
The Greasy Chip Butty Song is one of English football’s great anthems when placed in the hands of a South Yorkshire chorus line; the bigger the throng, the better the song.
But should we be here at all? Empty seats were conspicuous at Wembley on Saturday, but the only surprise is if anyone is surprised. We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, train travel is prohibitively expensive and the two teams are both based in the north.
The shock is not that there are spaces in Wembley’s 90,000 capacity, but that there were not more. On days such as these, the campaign for a return to FA Cup semi-finals at neutral regional venues gathers pace. Why are so many people schlepping so far across England this weekend?
The most frightening aspect of facing Manchester City is that you can play perfectly well and still get pumped. For most of the first half, Paul Heckingbottom’s gameplan was simple and effective.
They kept nine players behind the ball and tried to funnel City out wide where they doubled up on the two wingers. Haaland struggled for service because Bernardo Silva struggled for space and Mahrez and Jack Grealish were forced to turn back.
What a run
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 22, 2023@Mahrez22 with an incredible solo goal!#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/u4jIRAlGYc
But there is a law of averages force to City at the moment. Spend enough time knocking the ball around and inside a penalty area and eventually someone in blue will do something exceptional or someone not in blue will suffer a brainfade.
The only thing we truly learned about City on Saturday was that Mahrez appears to be back on penalties after Haaland’s midweek miss. The question with this team in this form, against anyone and everyone, is when not if. And when that goal comes, they turn the screw like no other team in their sport.
You can be depressed about the lack of competition in a Wembley semi-final if you like; although second tier vs title favourites has always been slanted in one direction, there are levels. But ultimately, both teams on Saturday got what they came for.
Sheffield United roared on a team who have recovered wonderfully from their play-offs defeat last season and the manager that took them there. They are not asking for your sympathy.
And City – well what do you think? They made changes to their team and then, after scoring three times, they made some more. They brought on senior internationals we’ve barely seen of late and young kids who you’ll probably struggle to forget for the next decade. They march on and on and on, and if you thought that a Championship team were going to stop this run then you’re a hopeless romantic and I envy your glorious naivety.
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