Rico Lewis put Manchester City ahead just 109 seconds into the match, helping them secure a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest and reach their third consecutive FA Cup final.
On a day when they lost their Premier League title to Liverpool, who defeated Spurs 5-1 at Anfield, Pep Guardiola’s team found some consolation with their win at Wembley on Sunday.
Josko Gvardiol doubled City’s lead 6 minutes into the second half, but they were fortunate when Morgan Gibbs-White hit both the crossbar and the post as Forest tried to stage a comeback.
Taiwo Awoniyi also struck the woodwork for Forest with just 10 minutes left to play.
Despite the pressure, Guardiola’s team held on to keep alive their hopes for end-of-season silverware.
City, who were FA Cup winners in 2023 and finished as runners-up last year, will now meet Crystal Palace on May 17 after the Eagles triumphed 3-0 over Aston Villa at Wembley the day before.
City couldn’t sell 5,000 of their allotted tickets, while it was the Forest fans—celebrating their first FA Cup semi-final in 34 years—who were the loudest before the match.
However, silence fell over them just two minutes in when Lewis scored.
Lewis connected with Mateo Kovacic, then slipped into space just outside the penalty area.
Receiving the ball back from Kovacic, Lewis took a moment to position himself before striking a powerful shot that left Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels with little chance as it found the bottom corner.
This early goal set the tone for a first half completely controlled by Guardiola’s men, with Forest failing to register a single shot during a bleak 45 minutes.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo needed a spark, so he brought on Anthony Elanga—who was surprisingly left out of the starting lineup—at halftime.
Elanga had a clear chance to level the score just 57 seconds after coming on, but he shot wide, which proved costly as Gvardiol headed in from an Omar Marmoush corner shortly after.
Marmoush almost scored again to make it 3-0 just past the hour mark, but Forest came close to narrowing the gap when Gibbs-White’s stunning long-range volley struck Ortega’s crossbar.
With 20 minutes remaining, Gibbs-White seized on a poor back pass from Gvardiol, rounded City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega but ended up hitting the post when it seemed easier to score.
Ortega faced another threat when Forest substitute Awoniyi tested his goalpost again.
Ultimately, that was as close as Forest would get, while Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher led the celebration for City as they secured their spot in the final.
