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Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen endured a disappointing display during their 3-2 loss to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday. The American shot-stopper committed a particularly grave error to allow Sadio Mane double Liverpool’s lead in the first half. He was also arguably at fault for Mane's second and the Reds' third goal.
Notably, an old tweet by the 27-year-old American has surfaced after the match. It reveals that he was scouted by the Reds back in 2012, long before he eventually moved to the Etihad Stadium.
On the fateful day for Steffen and the Cityzens, Liverpool opened the scoring early after Andy Robertson's high ball found Ibrahima Konate who nodded home. The second goal came when Steffen dallied on the ball and allowed Mane to score from a tackle. The Senegalese got his double after being put through by Thiago Alcantara to complete a first-half rout of Manchester City,
However, the Cityzens replied in the second half with goals from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva. City’s late rally was too little too late with Steffen’s mistake pushing his side out of a place in the final. Liverpool will now wait to see who they face in the FA Cup final, with Chelsea and Crystal Palace set to play the second semi-final on Sunday.
Steffen will hope that his error doesn’t see him lose his place in Pep Guardiola’s squad. The USMNT star has found games hard to come by due to Ederson's presence. He has made just nine appearances in all competitions so far this season.
City will now turn their focus to defending their Premier League crown, while Liverpool move closer to an unprecedented quadruple at the end of the season.
Liverpool smash Manchester City's hopes of a potential continental treble
Manchester City bowed out of the FA Cup on Saturday. They had already lost out to West Ham United in the EFL Cup earlier in the season. This means their chances at a treble are over for this season.
The Cityzens held on firmly to the cup competitions, reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the semi-finals of the Champions League. If they had won the two cup competitions while also retaining the Premier League title, it would have been a continental treble.
Manchester City could still win the Premier League as well as the Champions League. However, Jurgen Klopp and his men could dent their chances of a double as well.
The Reds are just one point behind table-toppers City in the league. Any slip-up from Guardiola could result in the Premier League title going to Anfield.
Meanwhile, they face Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
