Bernardo Silva scored the only goal of the game to fire Manchester City back into the FA Cup final as the Portugal midfielder's late strike sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola's side looked tired and were second best for long spells, but Chelsea wasted a host of good chances before Silva made them pay six minutes from time.
Perhaps below-par in the wake of their Champions League quarter-final loss against Real Madrid in midweek, City were far from their best and took a while to get going.
Last season's treble winners were helped out by Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson's wastefulness and Guardiola will hope this battling win provides a timely boost as they seek a Premier League and FA Cup double.
City will face Manchester United or Coventry, who meet on Sunday, in the final and will retain the Premier League title if they win their remaining six games.
Guardiola blamed his side's poor display on the scheduling. He said: "It's unacceptable to let us play today. It's impossible, for the health of the players. It's not normal. It's unacceptable, 120 minutes, the emotions of Madrid, the way we lose, honestly.
"I know this country is special (with the FA Cup) but it's for the health of the players. I don't understand how we survived today.
"Mentally so tough to recover. Rodri, the way he played today, Kyle (Walker), who was injured for a few weeks, I don't understand how they survived."
