Riyad Mahrez’s hat-trick in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Sheffield United was Manchester City’s first at Wembley.
The Algerian’s first-half penalty broke the deadlock in the last four clashes. He added two more after the break with a mazy run just after the hour mark and a sweeping finish five minutes later.
The three-goal haul saw him become the first Manchester City player to score a hat-trick at Wembley in the history of both iconic stadiums built on the same piece of land, the first of which was opened in 1923.
He also scored the first-ever FA Cup semi-final hat-trick at Wembley, and the first in the semi-final of the competition overall since Alex Dawson in 1958 (Man Utd against Fulham).
Mahrez was happy to put that disappointment behind and fire the sky blues to the final this term as they now look set to face Manchester United or Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 3 June.
He said: “It feels very good [to score a hat-trick].
“The most important thing is that two or three seasons in a row we’ve come here in the semi-finals and lost.
“Today, we wanted to make sure we got to the final. I think I had a good game.
“It’s a good team achievement, and we took the game seriously.
“It means a lot to be in the final. We really want to work hard in every competition going. We’re in the final of the FA Cup, which is amazing.”
It doesn’t stop now for City, though, as we battle in the Premier League and Champions League.
Mahrez is eager to keep up momentum across both competitions, with Gunner’s flight game coming up on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
He added: “Now we have to concentrate on the league and the next game against Arsenal.
“We have a very good squad and a very good team. We have to keep going.”
