The semi-finals of the FA Cup were thrilling, with the Reds keeping their quadruple bid alive, before the Blues joined them in the final.
Another blow was dealt to the hopes of the two North London rivals.
After the dismissal of Sean Dyche, the Clarets regrouped to claim a point at West Ham.
Who made my Team of the Week? You can make your own selections at the bottom of the article.
Last week, the Saints took a hammering at the hands of the Blues, but recovered brilliantly to put another dent in the ambitions of the north London club. Had it not been for keeper Fraser, the Saints would have lost against the Blues and he would have made a number of outstanding saves. The recent selection in the England squad highlighted the fact that Forster has been playing well. The other team is starting to look like they are running out of steam. Mikel Arteta has done a better job than I anticipated, regardless of where they finish this season.
Did you know? He made six saves in the game, his most in a game this season, while keeping a clean sheet.
Three goals in three games tells you all you need to know about Ibrahima Konate. Konate has been cleaning up while everyone is watching. The Frenchman has been outstanding in recent games and adds a dangerous element to the attack. Konate destroyed Nathan Ake in the air to give the Reds a lead. I don't understand why City's coach was prepared to leave Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte on the bench when they were already out-gunned. Unless you want to sacrifice the oldest knockout cup competition in the world for a title, you will not play your best players in the big games.
Did you know? Konate is the fourth youngest scorer at Wembley, behind Ian Rush (20y 142d),Ronnie Whelan (20y 169d) and Philippe Coutinho (22y 311d).
This wasn't an easy game for the Clarets. They need points and are currently without a manager. The way the players handled the fixture at the London Stadium suggests they have recovered from the shock of the Dyche dismissal. If Maxwel Cornet had converted his penalty, they would have won the match and closed the gap on the Toffees to one point. Tarkowski's positioning to clear off the line, with Pope beaten, was superb.
Did you know? Tarkowski made more clearances than any other player.
Pontus Jansson said something strange has been happening atWatford. Good players become a shadow of their former selves. At the end of last season, I saw Dennis and Sarr play out of their skins. Constant managerial changes can cause the confidence to be drained from them. Since their impressive 4-1 victory at Chelsea, the Bees seem to have grown in confidence and go from strength to strength. Two very ordinary teams played a match that Jansson scored the winner for. Christian Eriksen has made them very watchable.
Did you know? Jansson failed to score in two seasons in the English Football League, but this year he has scored twice in the premier league.
What an irony, Ruben Loftus-Cheek. It was not that long ago that Loftus-Cheek was on a loan to Crystal Palace. He might have stayed at Palace. His return to the bridge appears to be profitable. I didn't think he would start in the FA Cup semi-final but he did and he took his goal brilliantly. Injuries have not helped Loftus-Cheek make the progression he might have made, but his performance against Palace suggests he is still a talent to be taken very seriously.
Did you know? He scored his first goal in any competition since November of 2020 against Everton in the premier league, and his first goal in over a year since May of 2019.
Bruno Guimaraes was happy with the result of the game. The game was going nowhere until Guimaraes refused to give up on a lost cause for his first goal then sprinted 40 yards to get in the box, when the game looked over, for his second. Due to their victory in Europe,Leicester looked limp and uninspired. They will need to relearn how to make a draw when they aren't firing on all cylinders. The new owners of the club need to be applauded for taking over at a difficult time. They have been conservative in the transfer market. I don't know who is advising them, but they are doing a great job.
Did you know? The second and winning goal was scored by Guimaraes after 94 minutes and 10 seconds.
I knew from the moment Mount touched me that his second would be a goal. The game was well beyond Palace once the game was 2-0. I thought that the approach to this semi-final was professional. It was only a matter of time before they knew. Mount's composure in front of goal is getting better. If he continues like this, I may have to revisit my suggestion that FrankLampard's goal scoring record isn't under threat. The kid can score goals.
Did you know? Kai Havertz is the only player to score more goals for the Blues this season than Mount. Mount has surpassed his 11 goal tally for Derby in the current season.
When you think that Spurs have rid themselves of their rampant inconsistency, you'll be reminded that not much has changed after all. They were perfectly entitled to not lose the game because Spurs were awful. Last week, Trossard gave a warning when he scored againstArsenal and put their fight for fourth place on the skid row. It would have been difficult to predict Trossard doing the same to Spurs a few days later. Graham Potter has done a great job with the performances of Brighton. Good English managers are hard to find. How long can BRIGHTON keep him?
Did you know? Trossard has six goals in the league this season for his best return in the competition, having surpassed the five he scored in the previous two seasons.
If you want to see how a team recovers from a defeat in Europe, then this is it. It does help when you have a lot of stars on the bench, but this was an impressive display by the team. I have seen many strikers and runners in my time, but I have never seen one like the one that was on display against Palace. Playing with the German is a pleasure. I thought that when he first arrived at the club, he had stage fright. If he did, he definitely doesn't anymore.
Did you know? Since the beginning of last season, only Mason Mount (22) has registered more assists for the Blues than the German, who has been directly involved in seven goals in seven starts in the FA Cup.
It's off the scale to score your 50th club hat-trick, but it must be enormously gratifying. 10 years ago, we saw a glimpse of the player we saw today, playing for Real Madrid. The timing and movement of his goal was amazing. I made a point in the Crooks of the Matter last week that the opportunity forRonaldo to retire from European league football this season was a wonderful one. I hope he takes the opportunity that Manchester United has given him.
Did you know? It was the 60th hat-trick of his professional career for club and country.
The whole story of the FA Cup semi-final could have been a lot worse. The player most fans would have sacrificed for the return of Roberto Firmino was absolutely outstanding, and it was Sadio Mane. He was the only forward in the game who was prepared to put himself about and get physical with the City defence. When his feet were not fast enough to keep up with the speed of the Senegal international, stand-in goalkeeper Zack Steffen wouldn't dangle the ball in front of him again.
Did you know? The last player to score twice at Wembley was Steve McManaman.
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I agree with players negotiating the best contract possible for themselves. There is a point when a negotiation can become a war of attrition. The reported wage demands of more than $400,000 a week by Mohamed Salah seem unreasonable.
Should he get his financial requests, the Egyptian superstar would smash the pay structure of the club and have players in the dressing room at each other's throats. I don't know why the contract negotiations are so widely discussed in the public domain.
One of the more unfortunate aspects of the modern game is that agents often feel the need to advertise their client's availability in order to create an auction environment, which can make life unbearable for the negotiating club. If a player was held to ransom over a contract or conducted their affairs in public, it would not be accepted by the club.
The club is entitled to argue that they made the player one of the best in the world and that he should be paid in line with his status. There is no Mo Salah. There are no awards or titles. He was not going to get that with Roma.
Despite the fact that he has gone off the boil recently, the fans of the club continue to support their hero. The club remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple, despite all the background noise, because of the central role that Salah plays.
It would signal the continuing emergence of a horrible trait that could be the game's undoing if Salah were to leave at the end of the season over money.
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