LONDON (AP) — A weak back pass from John Stones rolled to Zack Steffen. A clearance by Manchester City’s substitute goalkeeper was enough, with Liverpool already in the lead.
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With a touch he controlled the pass. With the second… what? The American seemed to be lazing around.
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Sadio Mane knew how to take advantage of it: he charged into the penalty area and slid to send the ball into the net.
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Liverpool had opened the scoring with an Ibrahim Konate header and Mane scored again before half-time to secure a 3-2 win over City to reach their first FA Cup final in a decade.
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Chelsea will face Crystal Palace on Sunday in the other semi-final, with the final due in May.
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There are two ways for City to win trophies, and Liverpool stands in the way of both.
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Their contention for the Premier League trophy is much closer than the FA Cup semi-final suggests. Liverpool showed clear superiority in the first half, while in the second goals from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva gave City hope of leveling.
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Their 2-2 draw last Sunday prevented Liverpool from going top and left City with a one-point lead.
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There could still be a fourth chapter of this rivalry in the season, in Paris, if both win their respective Champions League semi-finals.
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CONTEST FOR THE NEXT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
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City and Liverpool are almost certain to qualify for the next Champions League. The other two of the top four spots are up for grabs, with Manchester United keeping their hopes up with defeats to Tottenham and Arsenal.
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A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick secured United’s 3-2 victory over Norwich and moved them up to fifth place above Arsenal.
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Tottenham are just three points clear in fourth place after losing 1-0 to Brighton, Arsenal fell by the same scoreline to Southampton and missed the chance to level on points with Spurs.
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Watford moved closer to relegation after losing 1-0 to Brentford, who rose to 11th in their first Premier League campaign. Pontus Jansson scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of added time.
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