Title goes here
'Citizens' defeated Sheffield United 3-0 and will face the winner of the match between Manchester United and Brighton for the title.
A hat-trick from Riyad Mahrez allowed Manchester City to qualify for the final of the FA Cup with a 3-0 victory over Sheffield United, from the second division, on Saturday at Wembley.
The Algerian winger opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 40th minute and completed his double in the second half (61 and 66).
City will play for the title against the winner of the semi-final between Manchester United and Brighton, which will be played on Sunday, also at Wembley.
"It is a great pleasure to score a hat-trick. The important thing is that in the last three seasons we reached the semi-finals and lost, so today we wanted to secure the final and I think we played a good game," said Mahrez.
Pep Guardiola and his team successfully managed their last test before the 'final' of the Premier League that they will play in their stadium against Arsenal on Wednesday.
In search of a spectacular treble - Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup - a feat only achieved in England by Manchester United in 1999, the reigning champions played with the duel against the 'Gunners' in mind.
The Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson, as usual in the Cup, remained on the bench, but also John Stones, Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Kevin de Bruyne, members of City's current spine.
This did not change Sheffield United's plan, as they locked themselves in their own area and gave the possession to the Manchester giant, waiting for a miraculous counter-attack that could make a difference.
Guardiola's second final
Second in the Championship with a seven-point lead and one game less than their nearest pursuer, Luton, the historic Sheffield United has practically secured promotion, two years after losing their category.
Their fans, proud to return to Wembley, aspired to put an end to 87 years of waiting since their last final, played by the team in 1936, but it was not meant to be.
City will only play their second Cup final since Guardiola arrived at the helm in 2016. They won the title in 2019 under his leadership.
Against a lower-league team, they knew how to be patient until Daniel Jebbison made a foul on Bernardo Silva after a poorly cleared corner. Mahrez took the penalty instead of Erling Haaland, who missed one against Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the Champions League.
In the second half, Mahrez stole the show with a run from midfield that ended in the penalty area. He then took advantage of a cross from Jack Grealish to score his third goal.
He became the first player to score a hat-trick in this stage of the competition since 1958.
On Sunday, Manchester United and Brighton, one of the in-form teams in England, will play for a spot in the final, which will be held on June 3. AFP