ReactionThiago hails 'unbelievable' Sadio Mane after semi-final heroics
Thiago Alcantara saluted Sadio Mane after Liverpool’s No.10 made the difference against Manchester City at Wembley.
Mane scored twice in Saturday’s 3-2 Emirates FA Cup semi-final victory, with his double adding to another headed opener from Ibrahima Konate to put the Reds three goals up by half-time.
Goals by Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva bookended the second half as City tried in vain to force extra-time, but Thiago and his teammates resisted late pressure to advance to a final against either Chelsea or Crystal Palace.
Semi-final highlights: City 2-3 Liverpool
The Spain playmaker put in an outstanding individual display that was crowned by a sublime assist for Mane’s second goal and, post-match, he spoke glowingly about the Senegalese, who once again shone from the centre-forward position.
“He is a fighter with a lot of technique so he knows how to mix it up and to do what we need. He was unbelievable,” Thiago told Liverpoolfc.com.
Read on for the rest of our post-match interview with the No.6…
Thiago, congratulations, another cup final to look forward to…
For sure. Really happy for the qualification for this amazing final in this amazing stadium. Yeah, just focus on the next one.
It was such a brave performance against a great team - all the things you wanted to improve on from last weekend, you did…
For sure. We were really happy with our first half, then with our experience and the players that we have, we couldn’t behave as we behaved in the second half, be the threat and be in control of our actions. So I think the first half was amazing, our best first half this season. Suddenly in the second half we just threw away the first half, but we are really happy for the qualification as I said.
The goals you scored were typical Liverpool goals...
Yeah, it talks about us, it talks about our hunger when we have to press like Sadio’s goal, it talks about the players we have in terms of Sadio’s second goal and also the great passers we have. Our full-backs were amazing today as well.
Your previous experience of Wembley was heartbreak and not being able to play in the Carabao Cup final…
Unfortunately I was not able to play in the final but I’m looking forward to playing again here.
And what about that noise at the end from the Liverpool fans?
They were crazy! I love to play for them and to have them in each seat of this stadium as well.