Manchester City assistant boss David Platt has revealed hat-trick hero Carlos Tevez was taken off during the FA Cup win over Barnsley to prevent the risk of injury.
It was the perfect way to end a week that saw him arrested on suspicion of driving whilst disqualified.
But Tevez did not see the game through until the end.
For, with Sergio Aguero presently sidelined by a knee injury, City cannot afford to take any chances.
"His hamstrings just tightened up at the end, which is why we took him off," said Platt.
"Hopefully with a couple of days test he will be back again and ready for next week."
Tevez has now moved on to 15 goals for the season.
The striker has found the net in his last four matches after scoring just once in his previous 11.
Not that City were ever concerned about the situation.
"Carlos has got better as the season has gone on," said Platt.
"He had a little patch where he didn't score goals but he has had efforts on goal and was full value for this hat-trick."
Tevez missed the last four triumph over former club Manchester United in 2011.
However, the striker had recovered to skipper his team to victory against Stoke in the final.
And given City crashed out of Europe at a depressingly early stage and have the improbable task of clawing back United's 12-point lead over the final 12 games to retain the Barclays Premier League, Tevez is acutely aware how important this particular tournament could be.
"It is important for us because we are out of the Champions League and behind in the Premier League," said Tevez.
"We want to go to Wembley and make it special.
"I do have wonderful memories of that day. What we have to do now is try to win it again."
City got their noses in front early and were never troubled after that.
Aleksandar Kolarov followed Tevez onto the goalscoring chart and after the striker had completed his hat-trick - his fifth for City - David Silva added another.
Barnsley boss David Flitcroft was honest enough to admit his side had been taught a lesson by a group of players operating at a significantly higher level than his own.
"If they are the second best team in the country, I wouldn't like to have played Manchester United," he said.
"They were ruthless. They battered us to a pulp at half-time and then came out second half and tried to drill us into the floor.
"They wanted to get seven, eight, nine, 10 goals. At times it was a real slow death."
Joe Hart's goalkeeping deputy Costel Pantilimon was barely threatened and has still to concede during an ever-present run in the tournament.
It means City remain on course to become only the fourth side in FA Cup history to lift the trophy without conceding a goal, and the first of those, Wanderers, only had to play one match in 1873.
Not that anyone at the Etihad Stadium is getting too vexed by that just now.
"We shouldn't run ahead of ourselves," said Platt.
"We are in the last four and feel as though we are good enough to beat anyone.
"But playing in a semi-final at Wembley doesn't mean a great deal unless you go back there and win the final."
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