BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has hailed Riyad Mahrez following the winger’s hat-trick for Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United.
City booked their place in the final, after a 3-0 win over the Championship side.
They will meet Manchester United, who beat Brighton on penalties yesterday.
It was a comfortable afternoon for City, after initially struggling to break the Blades down.
A foul by Daniel Jebbison handed Pep Guardiola’s side the chance to open the scoring, and Mahrez tucked the spot-kick away for his first of the day.
In the second-half, Mahrez won the ball back in the centre circle and then waltzed through the United defence before slotting home.
He then finished off a Jack Grealish cross for his triple.
It is the first hat-trick in an FA Cup semi-final since 1958, and Mahrez’s 15th goal of the season.
The £160,000-a-week star has come in for big plaudits since the game. Former Premier League striker Jermain Defoe said that he was ‘unplayable’ when in that mood.
And now Crook has showered praise on the Algerian.
He reckons the star is showing the same ‘swagger’ as when he helped Leicester City win the Premier League.
He wrote for BBC Sport: “What a superb FA Cup semi-final hat-trick this was. The penalty sent the keeper the wrong way, his run for his second goal split the Sheffield United defence in two and left the keeper on his backside, while his third goal with the inside of his left foot gave the keeper no chance.
“Riyad Mahrez is looking every inch the player he looked at Leicester City. He’s playing with the same swagger and confidence he did when they won the Premier League title. Mahrez’s contribution to Manchester City’s fortunes has put them on course for the Treble.”
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It is great to see Mahrez really coming into a purple patch now for City at the business end of the season.
It is a huge few weeks for the club, and the Algerian is clearly relishing the challenge of trying to win three trophies.
It’s important that other players in the team are scoring goals regularly other than Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian has done extremely well to be so available this season. But there is always a chance of injury, as with any player.
Crooks says Mahrez is looking like the player he was at Leicester. That is probably a bit of a stretch – Mahrez has certainly had previous seasons at City where he has shown the same kind of level as in 2015/16.
But to be fair, Mahrez did score 17 league goals in that campaign for the Foxes. He obviously made a huge contribution to them winning it, and does appear to have that same ‘swagger’ now as he did then.
