Filed under: Manchester City, Manchester United, FA Cup, Football, Match Reports
Yaya Toure's second half goal secured Manchester City's place in the FA Cup final at the expense of a Manchester United side whose hopes of finding a way back into the game disappeared with the dismissal of Paul Scholes.Scholes was sent off for an ugly, thigh high lunge on Pablo Zabaleta in the 72nd minute, 20 minutes after Toure had given City a deserved lead. Referee Mike Dean had no choice but to show a red card and with the midfielder went United's ambitions of winning the treble.
From that point, Sir Alex Ferguson's undermanned side lacked the capacity break down a determined and deserving City who held on comfortably to reach the final for the first time in 30 years and move one step closer towards ending their 35-year wait for a trophy.
Ferguson's side were unable to match their efforts in the midweek Champions League victory over Chelsea and their focus will now switch towards the double target of success in Europe and the Premier League title race. City's thoughts, meanwhile, will inevitably be dominated by the prospect of a return to Wembley for the final on May 14 which they will view with confidence after outplaying their nearest neighbours.
This was undoubtedly a significant game for City as they attempt to break United's stranglehold on success in Manchester but the opening half hour suggested the occasion could turn into a major anti-climax for Roberto Mancini's side who rarely managed to break out of their own half.
They received a let-off in the 15th minute however, when Dimitar Berbatov, poor throughout, was denied from close range by an excellent save from Joe Hart and then somehow contrived to scoop the ball over the bar from five yards from the resulting corner.
A left foot shot from Gareth Barry marked the beginning of City's recovery and Mario Balotelli quickly followed that effort up with a long range effort that Edwin van der Sar scrambled to tip over.
City reached the break in the ascendancy and continued to apply pressure after the restart before Toure gave Mancini's team the advantage.
The opening came after Michael Carrick's pass was intercepted by the Ivorian who rounded Nemanja Vidic before slotting the ball through the legs of Van der Sar.
United struggled to find an immediate response but they eventually threatened when Nani's deflected free kick was tipped onto the bar by Hart.
But any momentum they might have gathered was quickly halted when Scholes launched into Zabaleta and from that point they never looked like recovering.
Mario Balotelli's celebrations at the final whistle prompted a brief confrontation with United's Anderson and Rio Ferdinand confirming the rivalry between the teams that will no doubt intensify following City's win but couldn't deflect from the achievement of Mancini's team.
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