Stefan Ortega Moreno was called into action after just 60 seconds. His save denied Iliman Ndiaye from scoring the opener for the Championship side.
We worked hard to find some creative flair in the final third but credit to Sheffield United who defended well to deny us a goal as we dominated possession for the majority of the opening 45 minutes.
But it was a foul by Daniel Jebbison on Bernardo Silva inside the box that left referee Stuart Attwell pointing to the penalty spot.
Algerian international Riyad Mahrez confidently placed the ball into the bottom right corner three minutes before half time.
And the 32-year-old struck gold again for City on the hour mark. Mahrez regained possession on the halfway line and carried it all the way to the edge of the box and tucks it cleanly under Wes Foderingham to double City’s lead.
And five minutes later he became City’s hat-trick hero. Jack Grealish placed the ball at Mahrez’s feet next to the penalty spot and allowed the Algerian to hit the ball first time into the back of the net.
Mahrez’s hat-trick makes him the first player to score a trio of goals in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium and the first to do so in the competition since Alex Dawson in 1958 for Manchester United.
City substitutes Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips and Rico Lewis helped City continue to manage the game for the remaining 20 minutes of the game, with Sheffield United failing to register a shot on target since the first minute of the match.
Julian Alvarez had a chance in the closing minutes to add his name to the scoresheet but the Argentina international dragged his shot wide of the right post.
