Sheffield United are beaten by Man City but still win hearts and minds

It speaks volumes about the courage and commitment Sheffield United displayed, against a team many regard as the finest on the planet, that they were still dreaming about springing a great FA Cup upset until around the hour mark.

Two rapid goals from Riyad Mahrez, the second and third of his semi-final hat-trick, finally dashed United’s dream of booking a return to Wembley Stadium in June’s end-of-season showpiece. But as a visibly emotional Paul Heckingbottom insisted afterwards, his soon-to-be promoted team still secured a victory of sorts.. They might have lost the contest. But they won the hearts and minds of most of a near 70,000 strong crowd and also the respect of City’s treble-chasing manager Pep Guardiola.

“We went right until the end,” said Heckingbottom. “I’ll be pleased later but, right now, I’m frustrated because we wanted a result.”

It is testament to United’s bravery that they also left the capital with some regrets.

Would it have made much difference to the final outcome had Iliman Ndiaye taken an early chance? Maybe not, but it would have given them something tangible to hold onto as City tried to suffocate them into submission. Mahrez’s opening two efforts also came via mistakes, although every single one of Heckingbottom’s men contributed.

“I can’t get away from the fact we gave City one and two,” Heckingbottom continued. “But now we know the benchmark.”

United’s first sobering moment of what would otherwise prove an uplifting afternoon came an hour before kick-off, when the starting elevens were first announced. Despite being sandwiched between a Champions League tie at Bayern Munich and a potential Premier League title-decider against Arsenal, Guardiola selected a team which had cost £416m to assemble and contained 445 senior international caps. He threw in a World Cup winner for good measure, whilst keeping the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Ruben Dias in reserve on the bench.

If Heckingbottom had feared his men would be overawed, he needn’t have worried. Indeed it was another star of last year’s tournament in Qatar, Ndiaye, who enjoyed the first big chance of the contest. Neither United nor City had even broken sweat when Oliver Norwood’s corner was headed back by John Egan and the Senegal international saw his shot hit Stefan Ortega.

For all City’s possession, which totalled 80 percent at the break, they produced very little of note for much of the opening period. When they did fashion a breakthrough, just before half-time, it came via a slip by Daniel Jebbison rather than a memorable piece of skill; the teenager, preferred to Oli McBurnie, upending Bernardo Silva inside the penalty area which allowed Mahrez to convert from the spot.

“These moments,” Guardiola conceded, “Well, they are key.”

Another lapse, this time by Max Lowe, set the wheels in motion for Mahrez to claim his second. United’s wing-back lost possession after stepping into midfield and the Algerian sliced straight through the middle of a wrong-footed rearguard before caressing the ball past Wes Foderingham. He did the same soon after, clinically converting a Jack Grealish centre to put the tie beyond United’s reach.

“We didn’t just want pats on the back,” said Heckingbottom. “But there were lots of pleasing things about our job.”

Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Akanji, Laporte, Gomez, Gundogan © (Phillips 75), Silva (Lewis 82), Mahrez, Alvarez, Grealish (Palmer 67), Haaland (Foden 67). Not used: Ederson, Dias, Stones, Rodrigo, De Bruyne.

Sheffield United: Foderingham, Baldock (Bogle 75), Lowe, Ahmedhodzic (Coulibaly 75), Egan ©, Robinson, Norwood, Fleck (Sharp 65), Berge (Basham 75), Ndiaye, Jebbison (McBurnie 58). Not used: Davies, Clark, Arblaster, Brooks.

Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).

VAR: Tony Harrington.

Attendance: 69,603.