CITY supporters were incredibly disappointed to suffer defeat in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, understandably so.
Missing out on the chance to play in the final and losing to a rival like Liverpool on such a big stage is always going to hurt. City have now lost three consecutive FA Cup semifinals, and have lost on each of their past three appearances at Wembley Stadium.
Pep Guardiola's side were abject in the first half, unable to escape Liverpool's aggressive press and blunt in attack. Two of the goals were completely avoidable too City's failure to properly mark known aerial threat Ibrahima Konate from a corner was compounded by Zack Steffen's horrendous error that gifted Sadio Mane his first goal.
Little could be done to prevent Mane's magnificent second, though the timing of it just before the break came as a sucker-punch.
To their credit, City fought valiantly in the second half, and if it weren't for some wasteful finishing from Gabriel Jesus, might have completed a remarkable comeback.
But it finished 3-2, and some fans needed someone to blame. As is often the case when things don't go well, Guardiola's team selection was widely called into question, a frankly ridiculous situation given the circumstances.
This story is from the April 20, 2022 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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This story is from the April 20, 2022 edition of Manchester Evening News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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