The changing of the guard?

Yaya Toure showed great strength and composure to score the winner

For all of their lives, Manchester City fans have had to live in the shadows of their illustrious neighbours.

But after Saturday's FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester United, the gap between the sides appears to be closing.

City haven't won a trophy for 35 years - a fact United fans love to remind them of - and this will be their first FA Cup final for 30 years.

But the fact is the tide is changing. City's new-found wealth has catapulted them to the top of the game and it is just a matter of time before they are consistently challenging for honours.

They needed to produce the goods against United at Wembley to prove once and for all they are a force to be reckoned with, and did just that.

Yaya Toure scored the winner and he was a colossus in the middle of the park, with his lung-busting runs a feature of City's season.

Yaya Toure was immense for City at Wembley

His wages of reportedly £220,000 a week are grossly inflated but he has become more key to City as the season has progressed.

He came to England with the reputation of being a holding midfielder, but has shown a different side to his game. He has played the role of a box-to-box midfielder who is a genuine danger in the opposition penalty area, and after his fantastic display at Wembley it was fitting he scored the winner.

Michael Carrick's poor pass deep in his own half handed him the chance, though.

Carrick has been in great form in recent weeks but slipped up when it really mattered.

He just seemed to panic. There was no need to pass it where he did, he could have kicked it long or out of play, but that is what pressure can do to players.

Toure did very well from that point on though, easing past Nemanja Vidic and slotting the ball cooly past Edwin van der Sar, and from then on it was always going to be difficult for United.

Manchester United's players looked shell-shocked by Toure's goal

Joe Hart's fantastic save from Nani's free-kick, where he turned the ball onto the bar, was the last major threat that needed to be dealt with as City played the Italian way and ground out the result.

Roberto Mancini has had some real criticism for his defensive tactics this season, but a manager like him may be just what City needs to end their trophy drought.

His sides know how to grind out victories and he has installed a winning mentality at City.

It doesn't always work out, as proved in last Monday's 3-0 reverse at Liverpool, but they will stand more of a chance this way than playing a cavalier style.

Once City win their first trophy, more should follow as the burden of the trophy drought will no longer be there.

City could then go to a more attacking style and play the type of football everyone wants to see, possibly under a different manager, but must instil a winning mentality first.

Their cause in this match was helped massively by the dismissal of Paul Scholes with 20 minutes left.

Paul Scholes' challenge gave the referee little choice but to send him off

His lunge on Pablo Zabaleta was reckless and fully deserving of a red card - something Sir Alex Ferguson admitted after the match - and this kind of incident has blighted his career.

Scholes is undoubtedly one of the best English players of his generation, but he has never been able to tackle and when the 'red mist' comes down he is a danger to his fellow professionals.

It would be a real pity if this is what Scholes is remembered for, rather than his goalscoring exploits from midfield and magnificent control over games, and hopefully this is not the last we see of him on the big stage.

Dimitar Berbatov also fluffed his lines.

He had two fantastic chances in the first-half, with one drawing a great save from Joe Hart, but failed to stake a claim for a regular starting spot.

Many have said Wayne Rooney or Javier Hernandez would have put the chances away had they been playing, and comparisons like this will be very damaging for Berbatov.

He has had his best season in a United shirt - he is the Premier League's top scorer - but he really should have put at least one of those chances away. Had he done that, it would have given them something to hold onto and City a mountain to climb.

Much of the build-up to the game was dominated by the absences of Carlos Tevez for City and Wayne Rooney for United.

Most had concluded United would cope without Rooney more than City would cope without Tevez, but these predictions proved to be well wide of the mark.

It had been presumed Rooney's suspension would see a front pairing of Berbatov and Hernandez, but in truth Sir Alex Ferguson had to sacrifice Hernandez to make space for Berbatov.

The partnership of Rooney and Hernandez works because Rooney drops deep consistently and allows Hernandez to make his off-the-ball runs and get into key goalscoring positions.

But it is not in Berbatov's nature to drop deep and work hard for the team, therefore meaning it would have been a major gamble for Ferguson to start with both of them.

City did miss Tevez's cutting edge, but not as much as many expected.

Mario Balotelli filled the berth well and worked hard for the team, with the only sour note for him coming after the final whistle.

Roberto Mancini had to step in after Manchester United's players became angered at Mario Balotelli's antics

His needless goading of Man Utd fans after the game showed his immaturity, but he could be a top player if he can control his inner demons.

Vincent Kompany was again outstanding at the back and his performance further showed why he should have been in the running for the PFA Player of the Year award.

He has had an excellent season and many City fans would regard him as their player of the season. He is something of an unsung hero due to City not spending big (by their standards) to capture him, but his importance is clear for all to see.

The return of David Silva to the starting line-up was also key.

His talent and subtlety are crucial for City going forward and his non-selection was a major reason for last weeks' loss at Liverpool.

City's semi-final win has led many to suggest the cup is all but won, but they shouldn't fall into that trap.

Stoke's 5-0 mauling of Bolton showed they are not over-awed by the big occasion and they can cope with the Wembley atmosphere.

Bolton's players appeared to freeze on the big occasion at Wembley

They were simply excellent as Bolton's dream of winning the FA Cup for the late Nat Lofthouse was torn apart.

Owen Coyle will have been deeply hurt by the defeat as his side are a lot better than they showed, but credit must be given to Tony Pulis and Stoke.

They draw much criticism for their direct style but a lot of this is undeserved and they should be praised for what they have achieved in a relatively short space of time.

Jonathan Walters (2), Matthew Etherington, Robert Huth and Kenwyne Jones were all on the scoresheet as pre-match predictions of Bolton easing to the final proved laughable.

Stoke knocked City out of the FA Cup last season and so cannot be taken lightly.

They will cause problems for any side and will not care about going into the final as underdogs.

But City have to win.

They have gone so long without a trophy that falling flat on their faces when many have already almost handed the cup over to them would set them back a long way.

The '35 years' banner at Old Trafford is something City need to consign to the history books. Its removal from the Stretford End would signify something of a changing of the guard, a realisation that City are no longer merely the 'noisy neighbours' and are a genuine threat to United's dominance.

Manchester United fans have taunted City supporters with the ticking banner to signify their time without a trophy

But for it to tick over onto '36' would be another dagger through City fans' hearts. They need a trophy and they need it now. They may have ended any chance of United winning another treble this season but they have achieved nothing yet.

On paper, City should have too much for Stoke.

Their victory over United shows they have belief and confidence they can achieve great things, and they must now finish the job off when they return to Wembley next month.

Only then will this result mean anything.