- Manchester City defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 to reach the FA Cup final
- Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol scored for City, who will face Crystal Palace in the final
- Nottingham Forest hit the woodwork three times but failed to find the net
Key Takeaways:
Manchester City defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 to reach the FA Cup final. Goals from Rico Lewis (2′) and Josko Gvardiol (56′) secured the victory for the Citizens at Wembley. Pep Guardiola’s men now have the chance to end this turbulent season with a trophy if they can overcome Crystal Palace in the final.
City started to dominate from the very beginning and took the lead as early as the 2nd minute. Rico Lewis received the ball from Mateo Kovacic and fired in a fine long-range strike to make it 1-0. Guardiola’s side continued to control proceedings and gave Nottingham Forest no opportunities.
Manchester City have reached their THIRD #EmiratesFACup Final in a row 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4OLFj0fEOS
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) April 27, 2025
Right after the break, Nottingham could have equalised. Anthony Elanga was found in a great position by Callum Hudson-Odoi but sent his shot over the bar. City responded with sustained pressure, forcing Matt Sels into three saves after efforts from Matheus Nunes, Josko Gvardiol, and Mateo Kovacic.
In the 56th minute, the lead was doubled. Gvardiol was left unmarked after a corner and headed home to make it 2-0. In the 63rd minute, Sels denied Omar Marmoush’s shot. Shortly after, a strike by Morgan Gibbs-White hit the crossbar.
Gibbs-White then missed a huge chance. City made a mistake while trying to play out from the back; Gvardiol and Ortega failed to communicate, losing the ball. Gibbs-White rounded the goalkeeper but, instead of scoring into the empty net, hit the post again.
City nearly added a third, but Sels saved a dangerous shot from Nico O’Reilly. In the 80th minute, Nottingham hit the woodwork for the third time. Substitute Taiwo Awoniyi redirected the ball onto the post, and Gibbs-White’s rebound effort was cleared by Ortega.