Former Premier League striker Jermain Defoe praised Riyad Mahrez on last night’s Match of the Day, branding the Algerian ‘unplayable’ after his FA Cup hat-trick against Sheffield United.
City are into the final after a 3-0 win over the Blades.
United proved resilient and stubborn in the first half an hour or so. But their hard work defensively was undone when Daniel Jebbison fouled Bernardo Silva in the penalty area.
Erling Haaland, of course, missed from 12 yards in midweek against Bayern Munich.
Some wondered if he would step up again this time.
But it was Mahrez who took it – and he made no mistake, firing low into the corner.
In the second-half, Mahrez then waltzed through the Blades defence to score, and his third came with a first-time finish from a Jack Grealish cross from the left side.
His haul yesterday takes him up to 15 across all competitions for the season.
That is a very good return considering he did struggle for opportunities earlier in the campaign.
Mahrez was obviously the focus of the analysis last night on Match of the Day, and Defoe was extremely impressed with the 32-year-old.
He said: “I think when he’s in this mood he’s unplayable to be honest. We’ve seen it a number of years now. Getting his hat-trick today, well deserved.
“We did say before we were a little bit surprised that he actually took the penalty. I thought Haaland would have taken it.
“Even that finish there (on the third goal), so controlled and to hit it first-time there… He was fantastic today, what a player.”
Riyad Mahrez hitting form at the right time for Manchester City, as winger scores FA Cup hat-trick vs Sheffield United
Mahrez really is an amazing talent.
With his hat-trick yesterday, Mahrez has now scored 78 goals and made 54 assists for the club in 227 appearances.
Those are fantastic numbers, for someone who has never been a constant, nailed-on starter like a Kevin De Bruyne for example.
It is great to see him hitting form at the right time. And Defoe’s comments were nice to near and he is right – Mahrez, when he is in the mood, is simply unplayable.
With Phil Foden now back in the picture, it was important for him to play well yesterday. He did that, and then some.
