City 2 - 1 United

• No talk of Wembley, yet. We've only done the easy part. Before today what would you have classed as less likely - a 2-1 win at CoMS, or the draw or victory needed at Old Trafford to preserve it? We still have a long way to go to reach the promised land. But as a 90 minutes it was a triumph: cautious at first, but aided by a generous penalty we transformed the game in the second half. In terms of possession and chances it was probably even - but it was another victory for Mancini's well-honed sense of when to stick and when to twist.

• We started the game on the back foot. With Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry just in front of the back four, and Pablo Zabaleta and Craig Bellamy deep and wide, we were clearly set up to play on the break. And we largely succeeded in holding back United. Yes, they dominated possession before the break. But aside from the goal - which came from Javi Garrido switching off - exactly when did they threaten? After the Goodison aberration this was a welcome return to organisation.

• The game turned, though, on the penalty. Had we gone into half time 1-0 down I doubt the second half would have gone as it did. Craig Bellamy surged past Rafael da Silva, who pulled the Welshman's shirt, outside the box. Contact continued in the area, Bellamy went down, and Mike Dean gave a penalty. I think it was soft. There's no such thing as a black or white penalty call, but it's safe to say that this sort of thing gets given less than Richards on Saha on Saturday. It is even possible that the Goodison decision acted as precedent and worked in our favour here. In which case, thank you Andre Marriner.

• The second half was very different. We pushed up, buoyed by our equaliser. United looked threatening on the break but the balance was reversed from the first half. We took the lead - through, Carlitos, of course - and could have scored more. The energy of Tévez, Bellamy and Shaun Wright-Phillips unsettled United, while de Jong and Zabaleta disrupted them in midfield. For twenty minutes or so it was as well as we have played under Mancini.

• But Mancini knows when to attack and when to defend. Onuoha, Benjani and Sylvinho were brought on. With men behind the ball only a piece of magic from Rooney could have made it 2-2. It's a gamble - he almost produced - but Shay Given and Vincent Kompany were colossal in repelling his advances, and we hung on to our lead. Enough to make it to Wembley? We don't know. But we're more likely to be there than we were on Tuesday morning.