Pep Guardiola's in-game decisions give Man City title race advantage amid Arsenal chaos

It was a comfortable afternoon for Manchester City on Saturday, with three goals from Riyad Mahrez enough to book their place in the FA Cup final.

Iliman Ndiaye fired an early effort at Stefan Ortega inside 90 seconds but Sheffield United did not test the City goalkeeper in the 88 minutes that followed. Pep Guardiola's side enjoyed 79% possession and racked up 746 passes, with their opposition mustering just 209.

Mahrez handed City a deserved lead from the spot before the break and then fired home two more inside five second-half minutes. It was game over by that point, with another 22 minutes plus added time to play.

RATINGS: Riyad Mahrez outstanding in win vs Sheffield United

Guardiola was waving over his substitutes when Mahrez weaved through the Blades defence for his second and the big guns were coming off by goal number three. Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland were both off by minute 70, Ilkay Gundogan by minute 75 and Bernardo Silva by 81. Ruben Dias, John Stones, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne were not needed at all.

Barring the 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich in midweek, City's recent games have followed a similar pattern: fly out the blocks, take a commanding lead, kick back into second gear and give key players a rest. Guardiola's side were at least three goals up inside an hour against RB Leipzig, Burnley, Southampton and Leicester.

Predictions of how the title race will run often cite the build-up of fixtures as City's only banana skin. Arsenal have six league games left to focus on and that is that, whereas the Blues have eight, plus a two-legged Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid before the final day of the season on May 28.

And while it is true that City's schedule is hectic, what that doesn't account