NOTTM FOREST 0, MAN CITY 2
It may have been a hugely disappointing campaign, but Manchester City remain on course for silverware for an eighth successive season after defeating Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals of the Emirates FA Cup.
Goals early in each half from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol booked a return to Wembley on May 17 to play Crystal Palace.
But spare a thought for Forest because it was destined not to be their day – they struck the frame of the City goal three times during a spirited second half showing.
There were also a couple of other great chances for Forest, but they just couldn’t find a route to goal as City’s 30th appearance at Wembley in the last 14 years proved a victorious one.
City had lost four of their previous five FA Cup meetings with Forest who also won their last Premier League meeting in March.
City manager Pep Guardiola was delighted that his side reached the final for a third successive season – they are the only team to have achieved that in both domestic cups after getting to the final of the League Cup for four years in a row.
Guardiola also pointed out his side had reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for seven years in a row.
He said: “We are really pleased to be in the final again, but the season has not been good, even if we win the FA Cup.
“Champions League is the most important thing, that would limit the damage. This season has not been good. I want to say thank you to our fans, I know how difficult it is to come here with work tomorrow and the travel. I can’t thank them enough and hopefully they will join us and see us in the final.”
Reflecting on the game, Guardiola said: “They [Forest] pushed a little bit more in the second, half we knew it. We lost some balls – the fatigue was there. The experience we have fell down. The ball, the way it bounces, for both sides is difficult to control it. It cannot be quicker. We managed and I am really pleased to again be in the FA Cup final.”
Guardiola was delighted with the impact that youngsters Lewis and Nico O’Reilly made saying they have been “extraordinary”.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said: “Both teams had chances, and it was a case of fine margins.
“City started the game much better than ourselves, and they were really clinical. We did a good game, did well, competed well and had our chances. We knew how hard it was going to be but we gave it our all.
“It is important to take the positives. After the sadness and bad humour goes away, and you look back at the game it makes us stronger for the future.
“When the sadness fades and the fans go back to Nottingham, and they wake up tomorrow they will see that we still have a lot to fight for. We will give it our all. We will try.”
Guardiola made three changes from Tuesday night’s last-gasp victory over Aston Villa.
A surprise saw Kevin De Bruyne dropped to the bench with Ilkay Gundogan also named as a substitute while James McAtee was not involved.
Into the team came Jack Grealish, Lewis in midfield and Savinho.
Santo made two changes to the side that beat Tottenham on Monday.
There was a significant one at the back with 18-year-old Zach Abbott getting just his third senior appearance – and first since August – with Ola Aina injured and Nico Williams suspended.
Embed from Getty ImagesCallum Hudson-Odoi came in for Anthony Elanga in the only other change.
City made a dream start taking the lead after only 109 seconds.
Mateo Kovacic provided the assist with a short forward pass to Lewis who found the bottom corner of the net with a low drive from 20 yards – it was only his second goal of the season but what an important one.
Lewis also became the youngest City player to score at Wembley since Steve MacKenzie in the 1981 final against Spurs.
It was a nervy start for Forest who also survived an early handball shout for a penalty after the ball struck the arm of Danilo.
Forest eventually began to gain a foothold in the game with a couple of dangerous counter attacks, though each time they were caught offside and the moves came to nothing.
The Forest boss made a change at the restart as Danilo made way for Elanga who almost made an immediate impact.
Barely one minute had been played before he latched on to Callum Hudson-Odoi’s low cross but got his angles wrong as he put his shot wide from eight yards.
It proved a pivotal moment as City soon doubled their advantage.
Matheus Nunes’ angled effort was parried by keeper Matz Sels before rebounding tp Kovacic whose shot struck the arm of Abbott before rolling towards goal until the Belgium stopper made a spectacular goalline cleared with his legs as he lay on the ground.
It was only the briefest of respites as from Omar Marmoush’s resulting corner Gvardiol found the net with a towering header for his sixth goal of the season.
City were well on top and Marmoush would have added a third goal but for an athletic save from Sels to turn over his angled shot.
Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White almost halved the deficit with a brilliant volley from the edge of the box which crashed against the crossbar. Had that gone it, it would have been game back on.
Suddenly City started to become jittery as Gvardiol was caught on the ball in the box. Gibbs-White nipped in and rounded keeper Stefan Ortega before hitting the post for a second time in four minutes from the tightest of angles.
Guardiola made his first change with 20 minutes left as Grealish made way for Ilkay Gundogan.
It was destined not to be Forest’s day when they struck the frame of the goal for a third time with 10 minutes left as substitute Taiwo Awoniyi was denied and Gibbs-White’s follow-up effort was brilliantly kept out by Ortega.
Guardiola made two further changes as Marmoush and Savinho were replaced by Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden with nine minutes left and then and at the death a fourth one as Nico Gonzales replaced Kovacic as City saw out the final stages without any major issues.