After playing an inconsequential league game, English football has officially entered FA Cup time.

The FA Cup is second only to the Premier League in the British Isles, and the FA Cup has a longer history than the Premier League and the Premier League's predecessor, League One.

The two semi-final matches were played between England's greatest giants, Manchester United, and Manchester City, the richest local giants, and two fish belly teams, Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City.

For Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City, who reached the semi-finals, it was a great honour for their clubs, especially since the semi-finals were played at the hallowed Wembley Stadium, where every player was proud to play and every fan was proud to have watched their home team play at Wembley Stadium.

After the arrival of the rich Middle East, although Manchester City is no longer a fish belly, they are no better than the other team in the semi-final, which is their first FA Cup semi-final in 30 years.

Whether it's from the point of view of ruining the dreams of local rivals Manchester United to win the treble, to claim their first trophy in 30 years, or to play at the great Wembley Stadium, City must win this game.

Although Manchester City lost to Liverpool by three goals because of their preparation for the FA Cup semi-finals, the fans didn't think so, and neither did the players.

Manchester City fans believe that Manchester City is now strong and does not need to give up the league in order to prepare for the FA Cup, especially against a strong opponent like Liverpool, and losing like this is actually very demoralizing.

Manchester United captain Carlos Tevez has publicly stated that Liverpool are now close to the relegation zone, and Manchester City need not be afraid of them, while Milner and Balotelli are unhappy with Mancini's substitution, they both think that they are on the pitch, maybe Liverpool cannot win Manchester United.

Before the big game against Manchester United, Mancini started his PR campaign, calling on the Manchester City players to stop infighting, forget about their conflicts and grievances with him, beat Manchester United, advance to the FA Cup final, and win the club's first title in 35 years.

Mancini said. 'I think the players support me and it would be stupid if they didn't, like me they have a big chance of winning trophies. It's important for these players because it's their first trophy. ”

"When I played, I always wanted to win. It's the same for them, don't change, it doesn't matter who plays on Saturday, it's the team that matters and all the players have my back. ”

'I think every player knows that the club is at a critical moment and if we play well we can qualify for the final, so every player will give 100 per cent. We should be happy for the moment, we have improved a lot as a whole in the past year. ”

Mancini can only get the Manchester City players and fans to support him in this way, and at Manchester United, Lord Alex Ferguson's authority does not need to be proven, and at Manchester United, even if Sir Alex Ferguson says that he is more and more square, the fans and players will not show anything.

Before the game, Sir Alex Ferguson officially set the goal of hitting the treble.

"It's April, it's not a trophy month, but it's almost all the winners, so I'm lucky and thankful that we're still winning in all three lines. In '99, we scored two goals in one minute, reversed Bayern Munich and won the first treble in history, and the image of the goal stuck in my heart and I will never forget it, it was a very special game. I think that was the beginning of our dominance of the Premier League after 2000, that was the starting point. It means a lot to win all the trophies and it makes us realise the value of trying to win them. After 12 years, we have a chance to fight for the treble again, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I don't want to lose him, I don't think any Manchester United wants to lose that opportunity. From now on, we will be working hard for a second treble, and I hope that at the end of the season, we will be able to repeat the glory of '99 without regrets and sadness for our efforts. ”

After announcing that he would be competing for the league, Champions League and FA Cup treble this season, Ferguson also complained about his decision to play in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.

"Come to think of it, the semi-finals have already been played at Wembley, so what's the point of the final?" reminded the FA, "Isn't everyone proud to play the final at Wembley? ”

Alex Ferguson complained, but Stoke City, opponents of the other group of semi-finals, raised their hands in favour of playing the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium.

The Stoke City coach said: "The biggest motivation for my players to win is to go to Wembley and play there. Because of the monopoly of the Premier League teams, the current Wembley Stadium is a moon in the water and a flower in the mirror for most clubs, and no matter how hard you work, it is impossible to achieve your professional dream of standing on Wembley. Nowadays, many players can only fantasize about playing at Wembley Stadium in the game, and for players like us from a small club, Wembley Stadium is too attractive. ”

The semi-finals between Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers were the first to be played, the two teams were ranked 13th and 14th in the Premier League, and it was thought that it would be a close game, and neither side was ready to give up the game, but in the end, it was shocking that at Wembley Stadium, Stoke City broke out and scored five goals in a row, and finally beat Bolton Wanderers 5:0 to reach the final.

Manchester United's players watched the game live, and everyone was shocked that the FA Cup really deserved to be a hotbed of upsets, and a close game would have caused such a big upset.

Especially for Manchester United, who have the advantage of strength and historical record, this game can be regarded as a wake-up call for them, if they can't give it their all, they may be eliminated by Manchester City, who are desperate for the title.

Manchester United have won six, drawn one and lost one of the last eight meetings between the two sides, with the only defeat coming against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup last year. The two sides have met 13 times in the history of the cup, with Manchester United holding the upper hand with seven wins, one draw and five defeats. Among them, there are 6 FA Cup historical meetings, and Manchester United has won 4 and lost 2. City's last FA Cup win was in January 1955.

Ferguson won 23, drew 10 and lost seven of his 40 appearances against Manchester City, his 10th FA Cup semi-final in charge of Manchester United, with his only defeat coming on penalties against Everton in 2009.

However, the more victories there are, the greater the chance of defeat, so before this game, the old and spicy Ferguson reminded the players that they must pick themselves up and never be careless.