LONDON: Liverpool reached the FA Cup final as Sadio Mane’s double inspired a 3-2 win over Manchester City that kept alive their quadruple bid and shattered their rivals’ treble hopes.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are chasing an unprecedented clean-sweep of the four major trophies in a single season.

They remain on course to achieve that incredible target after a scintillating first half display in Saturday’s semi-final at Wembley.

Ibrahima Konte put Liverpool ahead and Mane doubled their lead thanks to a blunder from City keeper Zack Steffen.

Senegal forward Mane struck again before half-time and, although Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva netted after the interval, City were unable to complete a remarkable revival.

Liverpool will make their first FA Cup final appearance since 2012 on May 14 when they face Chelsea or Crystal Palace, who meet in Sunday’s semi-final.

The Reds, into the FA Cup final for the 15th time, haven’t won the competition since 2006, while Klopp has yet to lead them to a domestic knockout trophy.

Trailing Premier League leaders City by just one point with seven games left, Liverpool have already won the League Cup and have also reached the Champions League semi-finals, where they will play Villarreal.

Despite Klopp’s protestations that the quadruple is an impossible dream, this was another step towards football immortality.

For City, fatigued physically and mentally, it was a game too far as Liverpool handed them a first defeat in 11 games.

Both league meetings this season had ended in 2-2 draws, including a pulsating clash at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.

But, battered and bruised after surviving a gruelling Champions League quarter-final at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, City were unable to match Liverpool’s intensity as they surrendered possession with uncharacteristic mistakes.

Pep Guardiola claimed City were “exhausted”, giving him “no choice” but to make changes, with Kevin De Bruyne on the bench alongside Ederson, Ruben Dias and Rodri, while Kyle Walker was sidelined with an injury.

In contrast, Klopp recalled Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold after resting his key players for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Benfica.

Guardiola will believe his selection was the right move if City can pip Liverpool in the title race and reach a second successive Champions League final.

Konate headed Liverpool ahead from a corner in the ninth minute before a dreadful error from City’s American back-up goalkeeper Steffen gifted the Reds a second.

Steffen took too long when receiving a back pass from John Stones and Mane slid in to tackle the keeper and the ball flew into the net.

Mane then added another, on the stroke of halftime, in more conventional fashion, driving a volley past Steffen after being set up by Thiago Alcantara.

City pulled one back in the 47th minute when Gabriel Jesus twisted away from Fabinho and squared for Grealish to fire home from 10 yards.

Suddenly threatening a stunning fightback, City were denied by Alisson’s two superb saves from Jesus.

Silva converted Riyad Mahrez’s cross in stoppage-time, but the final whistle triggered a wall of sound from Liverpool fans dreaming of quadruple glory.

RONALDO HAT-TRICK BOOSTS UNITED’S TOP-FOUR HOPES

In Premier League action on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo’s 50th club career hat-trick earned below-par Manchester United a 3-2 victory over bottom side Norwich City amid scenes of fan protest at Old Trafford to help his side close on the Champions League qualification places.

The win, United’s first in four games in all competitions, moved them above Arsenal, who lost 1-0 at Southampton, into fifth on 54 points from 32 matches, with Tottenham Hotspur just three points in front after losing 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion earlier on Saturday.

A first-half double from veteran striker Ronaldo seemingly put United on course for a comfortable win in the sunshine, with Norwich struggling to keep pace.

However, Kieran Dowell’s goal out of nowhere in first-half stoppage time got the visitors back in the contest, before Finnish forward Teemu Pukki completed the Norwich comeback to stun Old Trafford into silence seven minutes after the break.

Fans who protested against the club’s owners ahead of the match were singing “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” in the second half as their team were second best to a team seven points adrift of the Premier League safety zone.

United’s France midfielder Paul Pogba was booed by his own fans as he was substituted before Ronaldo stole the show once again with a sensational free-kick winner 14 minutes from time to drag United out of the mire once more.

Arsenal have a game in hand over both United and Spurs but were dealt further damage to their hopes of finishing in the top four after Southampton ended a five-match winless run in at St Mary’s.

Jan Bednarek gave Southampton a narrow lead one minute before halftime after Mohamed Elyounoussi evaded the offside trap and crossed for the defender to finish past goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to hand Arsenal their third straight defeat.

Earlier, Spurs blew a chance to strengthen their grip on fourth place after a last-gasp home defeat by Brighton.

Antonio Conte’s side produced a lacklustre display and looked set for a frustrating stalemate before Belgian Leandro Trossard made things even worse with a 90th-minute winner.

At the bottom of the table, Watford look set to return to the Championship after Brentford inflicted their 10th successive home league defeat.

Pontus Jansson scored the winner deep into stoppage time for the Bees after Emmanuel Dennis had cancelled out Christian Norgaard’s opener.

Second-from-bottom Watford remain six points adrift of safety with six games left to play.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2022