Bernardo Silva banishes Real Madrid demons to send Man City into FA Cup Final

FA Cup semi-final

Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0

THREE days after his penalty miss contributed to Manchester City’s Champions League exit, Bernardo Silva went some way towards making amends.

The Portuguese produced the decisive moment to secure his side’s place in the FA Cup final and keep alive City’s hopes of completing another league and cup double alive.

Silva’s 84th minute finish made the difference in a closely-fought semi-final. Chelsea, though, will rue their failure to make more of a number of opportunities to ensure it was they who would be returning to Wembley next month.

The win ensured a difficult week for City - and Silva - ended on a high. Pep Guardiola was insisted before kick-off that his side’s performance against Real Madrid on Wednesday meant he did not view their exit after a penalty shoot-out to be a disappointment.

Yet while the manager was determined to remain upbeat, the demands of playing 120 tension-filled minutes against the La Liga side appeared to have taken its toll as City struggled to find their usual fluency during the first half. It was credit to their character and resolve that they eventually found a way past a Chelsea side who once again suffered Wembley disappointment having come off second best to Liverpool in the League Cup final.

The City manager made four changes to his starting line-up but there was a lack of precision to their passing with Chelsea looking sharper for much of the first half. Pochettino’s side were quick to close down their opponents and repeatedly threatened to catch City out on the counter-attack. With more conviction, they might have reached half time ahead.

Nicolas Jackson was the guiltiest culprit, particularly when he was sent clear from halfway in the