Liverpool produced a devastating first-half performance then survived a Manchester City fightback to beat their Premier League title rivals 3-2 at Wembley 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 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.
Liverpool’s victory, jubilantly celebrated by the red-shirted fans who made the trip to a sun-drenched Wembley, ends City’s treble hopes and keeps their own dream of a quadruple alive after their Carabao Cup triumph earlier this season.
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Liverpool will face either Chelsea or Crystal Palace in their first FA Cup final under Klopp on May 14 and they will also hope this 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.
How Liverpool overcame City
In front of a raucous Wembley crowd, Manchester City had the first sight of goal when Grealish’s low effort from Joao Cancelo’s cut-back was blocked, but from then on the first half was all Liverpool.
Guardiola had made seven changes from City’s Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid, with Kevin De Bruyne an unused substitute and Kyle Walker unavailable for selection, and his heavily-altered side could not live with Liverpool’s first-half intensity.
The opener arrived from a set piece, as Konate rose above Nathan Ake, starting in place of the rested Aymeric Laporte in central defence, to head home Andrew Robertson’s corner.
Liverpool then doubled their lead in bizarre circumstances as Steffen dithered in possession following a John Stones backpass, allowing Mane to slide in and tackle him, bundling the ball into the net in the process.
It was a glaring error from the American and he was found wanting again for Liverpool’s third goal, when Mane’s diagonal volley from Thiago Alcantara’s chipped pass, following slick Liverpool approach play, flew into the bottom corner at his near post.
City looked down and out at that point but they emerged from the half-time break determined to give a better account of themselves and they breathed life into the encounter when Jesus set up Grealish for his fifth goal for the club.
The former Aston Villa midfielder took the goal well but Jesus could not match his efficiency in front of goal, twice seeing Alisson deny him after springing the Liverpool offside trap.
Mohamed Salah, back in the Liverpool starting line-up having been named on the bench against Benfica on Wednesday, then spurned a glorious opportunity to kill the tie when he chipped wide following a poor backward header from Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Salah’s miss allowed City to keep the contest alive and their second goal arrived when substitute Riyad Mahrez’s angled shot was saved by Alisson and fell to the onrushing Silva to fire home from inside the six-yard box.
City had chances to take the game to extra time after that, with Fernandinho blasting wastefully over when unmarked in the Liverpool box and Raheem Sterling shooting straight at Alisson shortly afterwards, but Klopp’s team held on to claim their place in the final.
What’s next?
Man City host Brighton in the Premier League on Wednesday at 8pm, while Liverpool host Manchester United on Tuesday at 8pm – live on Sky Sports Premier League.
The FA Cup final will be played on May 14, with Man City/Liverpool facing the winner of the other semi-final between Chelsea and Crystal Palace.