Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez of Algeria has considered the three goals he scored against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, the best way to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

Mahrez led his team to the final of the English Cup by scoring the three goals they won against Sheffield on Saturday, to wait for the qualifier from the other semi-final between Manchester City and Brighton.

What a run 😳@Mahrez22 with an incredible solo goal!#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/u4jIRAlGYc

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 22, 2023

Mahrez told beIN SPORTS: "Yes, it's the best way to celebrate Eid, I'm happy to win and qualify for the final after stumbling in the semi-finals for three consecutive seasons."

Mahrez hopes that the "hat-trick" will be an opportunity to convince his Spanish coach Pep Guardiola to rely on him in the starting line-up, in light of his absence from many important matches in the recent period, especially the Champions League.

The Algerian star became the first player to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup semi-final since 1958, and the first City player ever to score a hat-trick at Wembley.

Mahrez said of his positive impact despite not playing regularly: "There are a lot of players within the team and everyone is looking for an opportunity, when you get a chance you have to prove to the coach that you deserve to play."

𝙾𝚗𝚎, 𝚝𝚠𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎... ⚽️😆
Top result today, very happy to help the team reach the final. Take your seats 💙🔥 pic.twitter.com/emXdNKk0K7

— Riyad Mahrez (@Mahrez22) April 22, 2023

"We compete with each other and motivate ourselves for the benefit of the team and in order to improve, we will see how the situation will be in the next matches."

For his part, Guardiola admitted that Mahrez is always angry with him when he does not push him in games.

"He's always mad at me when he's not playing. All the time, he makes me notice his frown. It wasn't against Sheffield. He's an exceptional player and his form was exceptional, he's a big player and he has the mentality to score goals".

Riyad Mahrez, 32, joined Manchester City in 2018 from Leicester City and has since made 227 appearances in all competitions, scoring 78 goals and providing 54 assists.

Mahrez won with the "Citizens" in the Premier League championship 3 times in the seasons 2018-2019, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, and represented him in the League Cup, the FA Cup once, and the Charity Shield Cup once.