Sheffield United man answers Erling Haaland question in “disappointing” Man City defeat

Disappointed Sander Berge took no solace in the fact that Sheffield United kept his big pal Erling Haaland off the scoresheet in their 3-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City at Wembley.

Much of the pre-match hype had centered around the Norwegian superstar as he looked to build on his incredible 48-goal haul this season already. But Haaland was kept quiet by United’s defence, with Riyad Mahrez instead doing the damage with a hat-trick that booked City’s place in the final as their quest for the treble continued.

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“Does that help when you lost 3-0? Not much,” Berge admitted when asked about Haaland’s failure to score before being substituted to rapturous applause. “He’s scoring goals all the time and today he gave someone else that job.

“We’re very disappointed, of course. We stood up very well for big parts of the first half, until the first goal really. They didn’t create much, and we managed to stop the game and slow it down.

Missed chance, held his own: Blades player ratings from Man City semi

“We had our moments as well but they defended really well as a unit. It was too easy to give away the penalty and it gave them momentum in the second half. At 1-0 you have a chance and it was too easy for the second which kills the momentum.

“You think what could have been if that didn’t happen. We started really well and showed our shape and our togetherness, and it’s always annoying when you feel like the game goes away in that way.”

Missed chance, held his own: Blades player ratings from Man City semi