City end Forest's FA Cup dream
Nottingham Forest 0 - 2 Manchester City
Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest to secure their place in a third consecutive FA Cup final, brushing aside their opponents with a display full of control and composure.
Author - Macca
Stadium - Wembley Stadium
While Pep Guardiola's side were booking another trip to Wembley, their grip on the Premier League title quietly slipped away. Liverpool’s win over Tottenham Hotspur confirmed them as champions, ending City's four-year dominance in the league.
In the capital’s warm spring sunshine, City imposed themselves from the outset. With the odds stacked in their favour despite being outnumbered in the stands, they wasted little time asserting authority. Just two minutes in, Mateo Kovacic found Rico Lewis on the edge of the area, and the 20-year-old guided a low strike into the bottom corner to give City the lead.
Forest struggled to gain a foothold in the first half, as City sensed further openings. Omar Marmoush combined well with Jack Grealish before firing over, and Nico O’Reilly, lively throughout, twisted away from his marker before dragging a shot wide.
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After the break, Forest carved out a golden opportunity to equalise. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s low cross looked perfectly placed for Anthony Elanga, but on his 23rd birthday, the winger side-footed wide from close range.
City responded with ruthless efficiency. Six minutes into the second half, Marmoush delivered a precise corner, and Josko Gvardiol rose highest to thump home a powerful header.
Forest fans created a fantastic atmosphere pre match
Forest rallied gamely but were left ruing their luck. Morgan Gibbs-White thundered a volley off the crossbar before hitting the post moments later after rounding Stefan Ortega. Taiwo Awoniyi then clipped the woodwork again, and Ortega's fine save to deny Nicolas Dominguez's header confirmed this was not to be Forest’s day.
City, chasing a silver lining to a season that has not matched their usual standards, will return to Wembley on 17 May where they will face Crystal Palace and a chance to lift the FA Cup for the eighth time.
Best City reaction
Despite the win, John Walker wasn't happy. He said: "Luck was on our side at Wembley against Forest. It has been a long season and I fear for us against Palace in the final."
After the match, there was also criticism of the fact that Man City didn't sell out their allocation of tickets. However they have been defended by another City fan in Les, who added: "This is the impact of the watering down of that Wembley experience. It used to be the big day out as you got to Wembley but to know there will be two trips involved, this stinks of greed from those running the sport that we all love."
