Manchester City booked their place in the FA Cup final as Riyad Mahrez stole the show with his treble seeing off a spirited Sheffield United side.
The Blades had already beaten Premier League opposition in Tottenham en route to the last four, but couldn't keep their cup dreams alive against Pep Guardiola's side.
Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Rodri were among those to watch on from the bench as Guardiola rang the changes, but they were still good enough to get the job done despite a lacklustre first-half by their own high standards. Mahrez eventually opened the scoring when he hammered home from the spot after 43 minutes.
It was the Algerian would doubled City's lead as he ran solo through the Blades defence after winning it on the halfway line. That strike on the hour mark all but sealed the game before Mahrez completed his hat-trick with a quality first-time finish.
Either Brighton or Manchester United will be attempting to stop the juggernaut in the final. Here are five talking points from Wembley
The treble edges closer
Those on the blue half of Manchester are trying to emulate those on the red half by capturing the iconic treble. Sir Alex Ferguson's 1999 side remain the only English team to ever do it but everyone at the Etihad are edging closer to the incredible achievement.
They've booked their place in the FA Cup final, less than 24 hours after Arsenal's dramatic draw with Southampton gave them a helping hand in the Premier League title race. City were also able to rest several of their big names as the games continue to come thick and fast.
The crunch clash with Arsenal in just days away, with a win potentially giving them a huge advantage as they eye a third successive title, which would allow them to have one year on cup matters.
Mahrez's day to remember
Such is the quality on offer to Guardiola that few men are assured of a starting berth. Mahrez has found himself battling with the likes of Bernardo and Jack Grealish in recent seasons, which has perhaps limited his game time more than he'd like.
In London though he showed, once again, his quality with a semi-final hat-trick. The last man to bag a treble in the last four of the FA Cup was former United man Alex Dawson, who hit three past Fulham at Highbury was back in 1958. That underlines the Algerian's rare achievement.
His goals showed the variation in Mahrez's game: His poise under pressure from the spot, his desire to win the ball back, his decision making, ability to travel with the ball and, maybe above all, his clinical streak in front of goal.
Regret for the Blades
Oh what might've been. The Championship side had to score first if they wanted to pull off the shock of all shocks and within the opening seconds had the chance to do that. An early corner was flicked on and found Iliman Ndiaye unmarked at the back post.
The forward has scored 14 times this term - making him the club's top scorer - but hit his effort straight at Stefan Ortega in the City goal. As chances go it was the best they could've ever hoped for and, even at that early stage, it at least would've given them something to defend.
Daniel Jebbison will also be wishing he could have his defining moment again. With Bernardo facing away from goal he attempted to try and win the ball, only to miss time his kick which gave the referee no option but to award a penalty.
City spot on
It was a credit to the Sheffield defence that it took over 40 minutes and a penalty to break the deadlock. The Blades defended deep, denying City space in behind, which meant it quickly became an exercise of attack vs defence at Wembley.
Paul Heckingbottom's side were minutes away from the half-time whistle, which would've given them the chance to regroup and assess how they might snatch a winner. Instead Bernardo Silva was wiped out, which gave Mahrez the chance to score from 12 yards, which he duly took.
Haaland ballooned his spot kick over the bar in Munich just days ago. He's been on penalties for much of the campaign, but even a superstar like him has to give up such responsibilities after a miss like that.
City break semi-final hoodoo
No team had ever lost four FA Cup semi-finals on the trot. In a trophy-laden period where City have broken record among record, that was certainly one they didn't want. Since claiming the trophy in 2019 by hammering Watford, Guardiola has seen his side lose to Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in successive seasons.
The FA Cup is the domestic trophy that the Calatan has found hardest to come by, but a last four tie against the second tier outfit was the best they could've hoped for. Despite resting some of their big names, a routine win was firmly expected and, whilst they were made to work early on, a first-half goal allowed them to dominate.
An FA Cup victory was the trophy that begun the Abu Dhabi era back in 2011 - 12 years later and it could form part of the greatest achievement English football has seen, but there's plenty of work to do before that happens.
